 Plant-Base Diet The cheapest, fastest, easiest way to rapid planetary cooling Be Veg so we have time to Go Green and Save the Planet Supreme Master Ching Hai International Association Brisbane Center

Table of Contents ` Livestock: Over 50% of greenhouse emisisons Methane: An under appreciated emissions time bomb Meat, Dairy and Global Warming Biofuels don’t cause starvation, meat does Vegetarian diets use less water

Methane An Under Appreciated Time Bomb

Cool Earth Solution Reducing Methane: the fastest way to take heat out of the atmosphere Reducing meat & dairy consumption: the cheapest, fastest way to reduce methane Methane being collected from a cow

“...many of us are saying if you want to make an impact soon, slow down the melting of the glaciers, slow down the rise of the sea level, and so on, give us more time to deal with things, give us, society, more time, shouldn’t you work more on methane?” Methane Reduction: Buys us time in fight against global warming Source: An Interview with Dr. Kirk Smith, Professor of Global Environmental Health at UC Berkeley, Part 2

“The mitigation of non-carbon dioxide (Non-CO2) greenhouse gas emissions can be a relatively inexpensive supplement to CO2-only mitigation strategies.” “Methane Mitigation has the largest potential across all the Non-CO2 Greenhouse Gases.” Methane: Key To Rapid Emissions Reductions US Environmental Protection Agency Global Mitigation of Non-CO2 Greenhouse Gases June 2006

“Control of methane emissions turns out to be a more powerful lever to control global warming than would be anticipated.” Drew Shindell, PhD Atmospheric Physicist NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies Source: NASA/Goddard Report: Methane’s Impact on Climate Change May Be Twice Previous Estimates

Cooling Happens Fastest by Reducing Methane Global Warming Potential after 20 years Global Warming Potential after 100 years Global Warming Potential after 500 years Atmospheric Lifetime (years in atmosphere) CO211110’s of 1000’s of years to experience cooling! Methane72 times hotter than CO2!!! 25 times hotter than CO2!!! 7 times hotter than CO2!!! 9 to 15 years to experience cooling! Nitrous Oxide years to experience cooling!

Methane: A more potent gas over shorter periods Source: Estimates from data in : US Environmental Protection Agency Report: Global Mitigation of Non-CO2 Greenhouse Gases, IPCC, UN Livestock’s Long Shadow Fully accounting for methane’s true global warming potential means methane plays a greater role in global warming, as seen on the right. Methane 23 times hotter than CO2 (100 yr time period) Methane GWP est. = 23 Methane 68 times hotter than CO2 (20 yr time period) Methane GWP est. = 68

1 billion tons of methane* will dissipate faster than 1 billion tons of CO2 Billions of tons (CO2 Equivalents) Methane dissipating Carbon Dioxide Remaining Source: UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Working Group I, Table 6.7

Meat & Dairy: #1 Source of Human – Cause Methane Emissions Globally (37%) Methane from Meat & Dairy = Manure + Enteric Fermentation Sources: US Environmental Protection Agency, UN FAO United Kingdom #1 Livestock (42%) #2 Landfill (18%) #3 Oil & Gas (17%) United Kingdom #1 Livestock (42%) #2 Landfill (18%) #3 Oil & Gas (17%) United States #1 Livestock (30%) #2 Landfill (25%) #3 Oil & Gas (24%) United States #1 Livestock (30%) #2 Landfill (25%) #3 Oil & Gas (24%) Germany #1 Livestock (62%) #2 Landfill (13%) #3 Oil & Gas (17%) Germany #1 Livestock (62%) #2 Landfill (13%) #3 Oil & Gas (17%)

Being Vegan 1 day per week eliminates 1 billion tons of methane (in CO2 equivalents with GWP of 68) * *In CO2 equivalents over 20 years with an estimated GWP of 68 Billions of tons of emissions saved per year Source: UN FAO, Livestock’s Long Shadow, IPCC Note: Does not include emissions reductions for CO2 or Nitrous Oxide

Benefits of Being Vegan to Cool the planet  We need to act NOW to address global warming  We don’t have time to wait for widespread adoption of sustainable technologies and practices.  Even if widespread adoption of sustainable solutions are adopted today, the heat from CO2 will continue for centuries.  A widespread embrace of a vegan diet requires no infrastructure build out.  Embracing a vegan diet will save money for consumers by lowering their food budgets.  It will begin cooling the planet immediately, giving us time for widespread embrace of CO2 reducing sustainable solutions.

 Meat, Dairy and Global Warming (other emissions)

Meat & Dairy: #1 Source of all Human-Caused Greenhouse Gas Emissions (24%) Emissions from all Livestock Methane: 37% Carbon Dioxide: 9% Nitrous Oxide: 67% 9% from Meat, Dairy 37% from Meat, Dairy 67% from Meat, Dairy Assumes global warming potential = 68 Source: UN Food and Agriculture Organization & UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Working Group I, Table 6.7

Meat & Dairy: #1 Source of all Human-Caused Greenhouse Gas Emissions (24%) Source: UN Food and Agriculture Organization report Livestock’s Long Shadow & IPCC Working Group 1, Table 6.7 & Our calculations using UN estimates Assume Methane Global Warming Potential = years, 20 years Global Warming Potential = 68Global Warming Potential = 23 The UN FAO states the livestock industry causes 18% of global warming --- over a 100 year time frame. Over a shorter time period, meat and dairy are responsible for 24% of global warming due to the higher global warming potential of methane over shorter periods of time. Assumes global warming potential = 68

Meat & Dairy: Cause 9 % of Global Carbon Dioxide Emissions Deforestation and other land use change Desertification On farm fuel use Fertilizer manufacture CO2 release from cultivated soil Source: Livestock’s Long Shadow, UN Food & Agriculture Organization, Nov Annual tons of CO2 Emissions from Livestock (millions of tons)

Stop eating Meat & Dairy to halt 30% of Tropical Rainforest Deforestation Deforestation and other land use change Desertification On farm fuel use Fertilizer manufacture CO2 release from cultivated soil Source: Livestock’s Long Shadow, UN Food & Agriculture Organization, Nov If we want to halt tropical rainforest deforestation in the Amazon, stop eating animal products. Annual tons of CO2 Emissions from Livestock (millions of tons)

Meat & Dairy: #1 Source of all Human-Caused Nitrous Oxide (67%) Nitrous oxide is released from manure and from nitrogen fertilizers used in growing feed crops for animals. The manure and nitrous oxide flow out the rivers and into the ocean, where they are a significant contributor to the oceanic dead zones. Nitrous Oxide is 296 times more potent than CO2 & dissipates in 114 years.

Meat & Dairy: #1 Source of all Human-Caused Nitrous Oxide (67%)

 Biofuels don’t cause starvation Meat & Dairy do

Biofuels don’t cause starvation Meat does Every 2.3 seconds, a child dies from malnutrition The 760 million tonnes of grain fed to animals could feed 2 billion people, so could cover the global food shortage 14 times over 1 ha produces potatoes to support 22 people 1 ha produces rice to support 19 people 1 ha produces lamb to support 2 people 1 ha produces beef to support 1 person 800 million hungry – 1 billion obese Sources: UNICEF, World Health Organization, UN Food and Agriculture Organization, Earth Policy Institute

Biofuels don’t cause starvation Meat does Sources: UN Food & Agriculture Organization, World Food Organization 2007/08 Global Grain Crop Production: 2109 million metric tons Global hunger happens when the impoverished compete for grain with animals fed to the wealthy. Biofuels only use 5% of global grain production. Global Population (2007): 6.7 billion

 Vegetarian Diets use less water Than meat & dairy diets

Vegetarian Diets use less water than Meat Diets  Global Warming Threatens our already-dwindling water supply  Africa water availability in 2025 forecast to be < 50% of 1990 levels  US Southwest – Lake Mead (serving 23 million people with water) forecast to be dry by  Spain fining people €9,000 for watering flowers

Vegetarian Diets use less Water than Meat Diets  70% water usage by agriculture;10% is used at home, and 20% by industry.  19,737 litres of water are needed to produce one pound of beef in California. This is enough to take a 7 minute shower everyday for an entire year. Sources: Stockholm International Water Institute, University of California-Davis, UN Food & Agriculture Organization

Vegetarian Diets use less water than Meat Diets An entire vegan meal uses 371 litres of water One average serving of chicken uses 1,249 litres One serving of beef 4,664 litres Source: Water Inputs in California Food Production, University of California - Davis WATER

Call to Action Together we can work together to make the world a better place Invest the $25 million in eliminating meat & dairy to save the environment to feed the hungry to ensure adequate water resources Via... Ending all subsidies on meat, dairy and feedstocks Providing only vegan meals on Virgin Airlines Tax on meat and dairy Ban the sale of meat and dairy in all government institutions Include agriculture emissions in emissions reduction plans Label all meat & dairy in supermarkets & restaurants with emissions levels Encourage all citizens to eat vegan

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