(Almost) all of us are talking and thinking about climate change a.k.a global warming. I want to make you aware of one part of the two main reasons that is driving this destructive global change:
Our food system.
Did you know that a third of the food being produced in our word never reaches a table? The environmental costs of this waste is unbelievable yet true: it’s admitting 33. billion metric tons of carbon dioxide. If food waste was a country, it would be the country that’s the third largest emitter of greenhouse gas in the world. This food is also wasting as much fresh water as the annual flow of the Volga, the largest river in Europe.
And all this is happening in a world where an estimated 805 million people to go bed hungry and where people are literally dying from starvation. Pretty disgusting now isn’t it?
The other side of the coin that is our food system is factory farming. These horrific farms and slaughterhouses is where 108 billion animals meet their violent death after a life in pure misery every year. Animals who just like us want to live and thrive. Animals who feel, love their young and have a need to socialize. Who can feel compassion and help each other in need.
What comes to my mind when comparing to oppression in human history; concentration camps.
Factory farming is main reason for deforestation: in the US, over 260 million acres of forest have been cleared to make room for crop fields, most of which are used to grow feed for livestock. Land-clearing for chicken feed and soybeans (which are mostly feed to animals even though it’s not their normal diet) in Brazil is behind over 103 million acres of rainforest deforestation. This is releasing enough carbon into the atmosphere to increase the rate of global warming by 50%.
Over 37% of methane emission results from factory farming. Methane has a global warming potential 20 times higher than carbon dioxide. Industrial agriculture sucks up 70% of the world’s fresh water supplies…..
The picture is pretty clear by now, don’t you think? Our food system is broken beyond repair and we need to change if we want to survive.
Let’s focus on the good. How can we change our habits to revolt against this failed system? Make sure you stop wasting food and stop contributing to this system by taking the following, easy peasy steps:
- Use your freezer to store food that is going to spoil or whatever leftovers you have.
- Don’t buy more food than you need, even if this means you will have to do 2-3 market runs a week instead of 1.
- If you are sitting on a lot of food that you know is going to go to waste, cook it and give it to the homeless community in your town!
- Shop at your local farmer’s market and buy plastic-free food in bulk.
- Go support the ugly and expired produce stores that are popping up in some cities!
- Go vegan! Or at least vegetarian. At the least, you can s e r i o u s l y reduce your animal product consumption.
- Sign petitions and talk about the issue with other people. You can’t change what you don’t know, and our so called leaders must understand how important this is to us!