Apr 28 2009
Going and staying vegan is the most revelant action to help curb climate change
The Associated Press has a story about BBC reporter Justin Rowlatt , nicknamed Ethical Man, who spent six weeks traveling 6,500 miles across the United States for stories on climate change. The reports are airing on BBC America’s “BBC World News America” (7 o’clock weeknights) as well as in England.What intrigued me about the article is that it mentions the reports derived from a previous BBC series that Rowlatt made three years ago when he, his wife and their children spent a year trying to reduce their carbon footprint. The family got rid of their car, altered their heating system and briefly went vegan (my italics). The article mentions the family has stuck to some of the things they did then but doesn´t mention which ones.
Now, we all know that what we do individually will never meet the challenges posed by climate change – corporations can make a much bigger impact than we do. But that doesn´t mean we shouldn´t try. If Rowlatt was really serious about his and his family’s contribution to fighting climate change, veganism is the single most import step he could take in that direction, more relevant than giving up on a car. From a practical point of view, it’s also the easiest: it’s fairly easy to change your diet compared to not being able to go from A to B.
Once again we see an environmentalist project dodging the V word, or at least not emphasizing it enough, as if it is some kind of sacrilege going vegan. Do these people fear appearing too radical? It baffles me really, because if you’re really serious about the environment, it’s an official fact that a vegan diet is much gentler on the planet. Not to mention the animals, the number one reason to go vegan. There’s nothing ‘difficult’ about being a vegan - difficulty is merely an excuse to carry on supporting the animal exploitation industries.
