Just when you thought it was safe to have drinks near your computer, the global warming alarmists have created a diet to help you reduce your carbon footprint.
I wish I was kidding. Hysterically, I’m not.
As reported in Tuesday’s Washington Times (h/t NBer Blonde, emphasis added throughout):
Attention chubby do-gooders, and maybe Al Gore. The global warming diet is here.
The article deliciously continued (not so witty pun intended!):
Food choice affects climate change, says San Francisco chef Laura Stec, who has penned -- yes -- "The Global Warming Diet" with Eugene Cordero, a professor of meteorology at San Jose State University.
The 250-page book is full of vegetarian fare, guides for relevant "discussion" parties, a few inconvenient truths and a cowcatcher full of scientific claims from the Union of Concerned Scientists, the United Nations and other sources.
Since I live in the Bay Area, I have to resist the obvious “Only in San Francisco” comment. That doesn't prevent you from kibbitzing as you choose.
Of course, in between the banter, you might want to take a peek at the website for this diet for even more chuckles, albeit without snide remarks about the region I choose to live in, thank you very much (emphasis, as you might imagine, added throughout):
A recent U.N. report sites livestock and food production systems as responsible for 18% of the greenhouse gases that contribute to global warming, more than cars, planes and all transportation combined. And the average meals travels [sic] at least 1500 miles to get to your dinner plate.
Wow. 1500 miles. These people must live in Al Gore’s mansion in Tennessee.
But I digress:
In December 2006, the U. N. Food and Agricultural Organization published "Livestock’s Long Shadow." The report cites livestock as a major contributor to global warming, responsible for 18% of greenhouse gases that cause climate change, "a higher share than transport." Consider this:
- It takes 10 times more fossil fuels to produce a calorie of meat than a calorie of plant protein.
- Manure and animal gases produce methane, a gas with 23 times more "global warming potential" than CO2. They also produce nitrous oxide with 296 times worse than CO2. Methane produced by cows has the impact of adding 33 million cars to the roadways.
- U. S. factory farms produce nearly one billion tons of feces and urine annually or 5 million tons a day.
I don’t know about you, but this isn’t making me hungry, or is that the point?
So, what do the authors recommend?
Individual solutions include understanding and eating local, seasonal, organic food, eating fewer, happier animal products, and supporting energy alternatives and ideas like the Chicago Climate Exchange, the first legally binding carbon emissions market, which sells greenhouse gas credits "grown" by farmers. The Global Warming Diet addresses these subjects, inspiring a "save the planet" attitude by bringing food back to a central role in our lives with easy recipes, ideas for hosting fun "discussion parties" and simple tips on how to cook a global-cooling cuisine.
I don’t know what these folks are thinking, but that rigatoni the kids and I just ate played a central role in our lives, was easy to cook, evoked wonderful discussion, albeit not at all related to global-cooling unless the chilled imported beer I had with the meal satisfied that requirement.
I certainly hope so.
—Noel Sheppard is the Associate Editor of NewsBusters.
Editor at Large
Comments Policy
I thought that a vegitarian
June 13, 2007 - 22:35 ET by Free StinkerI thought that a vegitarian diet was more likely to cause (ahem) flatulance?
Isn't methane a greenhouse gas? Or am I wrong on both counts?
Free, you are correct. I th
June 13, 2007 - 22:44 ET by MikeBFree, you are correct. I think I'll fix beans for dinner tomorrow, with lots of garlic in them. Maybe even some cabbage for the green vegetable.
As for cattle producing x many tons of manure and urine, urea and manure are both excellent fertilizers. Till some manure into your garden plot, and see what kind of tomatoes and other veggies or flowers you can grow. Spread cattle manure on your lawn and water it in, you can just bet your grass will be greener and thicker.
The AGW morons will not be happy until all the great unwashed are reduced to a subsistence hunter-gatherer lifestyle.
"A communist is someone who reads Marx. An anti-communist is someone who understands Marx." Ronald Reagan
All those vast herds of Bison
June 13, 2007 - 22:58 ET by alamojbAll those vast herds of Bison that used to roam the Great North American Plains they made gas too.
"...The Democrats love chaos. The Republicans love order and discipline and waiting your turn." Chris Matthews on "Gregory Live" as reported by Scott Whitlock 16MAY2007 blog "Matthews Rips..."<
bison
June 13, 2007 - 23:10 ET by misterbillbison but after we killed them all off we had a little ice age. Didn't you notice???
lol, but I think the Little
June 13, 2007 - 23:14 ET by alamojblol, but I think the Little Ice Age was First. But then we almost had the Undeniable Advancing ICE AGE of the 1970's. Perhaps that is what you were refering to.
"...The Democrats love chaos. The Republicans love order and discipline and waiting your turn." Chris Matthews on "Gregory Live" as reported by Scott Whitlock 16MAY2007 blog "Matthews Rips..."<
ICE AGE??
June 13, 2007 - 23:19 ET by misterbillICE AGE?? I-mmigration and C-ustoms E-nforcement A-gents G-rant E-scape to illegal entrants.
No. I'm sorry, Noel, but y
June 13, 2007 - 22:50 ET by dahliatraversNo. I'm sorry, Noel, but you made this up. The give-away is, "Cool recipes for a hot planet". No one could have said that seriously.
The solution to AGW is to pro
June 14, 2007 - 10:51 ET by TruthMongerThe solution to AGW is to properly feed your intellect...
Do the NB diet!
Agreed!
June 14, 2007 - 12:36 ET by dahliatraversAgreed!
yummy! please pass the open t
June 14, 2007 - 12:44 ET by TruthMongeryummy! please pass the open thread...!
So if food travelling long di
June 13, 2007 - 22:57 ET by alamojbSo if food travelling long distances is bad for the enviroment, then shouldn't long distance power line losses also considered to be bad? The NIMBY's will not allow a power plant to be built, so the power has to be shipped from the next state. Can't we hold that AGAINST the enviros. After all, it causes more fuel to have to be burned. Then there is lumber. We shut down the lumber industry in a major portion of the US then ship lumber in from out of state or even from another country.
If someone has the electrical line loss percentages handy I would be interested. I know there are variables like voltage, size of line, how much in or out of phase the load is putting on the system, etc.
"...The Democrats love chaos. The Republicans love order and discipline and waiting your turn." Chris Matthews on "Gregory Live" as reported by Scott Whitlock 16MAY2007 blog "Matthews Rips..."<
This quote, an excerpt from t
June 13, 2007 - 23:00 ET by jdhawkThis quote, an excerpt from the book, is utter nonsense, "The average meal travels 1500 miles to get to your dinner plate. It is common for food to be grown in the West, sold to a broker in the Midwest and resold to the area it was originally grown."
A broker doesn't physically move the food from the "West" to the "Midwest" and back again. The food is "brokered" before or just as it is harvested. It is, then, packed, shipped, priced and stocked to the store where it is sold. Sheesh, don't this chuckleheads know anything about business?
By the way, commoditized food stuffs are priced on commodity or future exchanges where the grower can hedge to insure or even enhance his profitability.
Speaking of hedging, it is my bet that given this book is not supposed to be published until the end of this year, the promoters are attempting to garner word-of-mouth, media response, celebrity endorsement, etc. to enhance book sales of this nonsense. It will only get published if the above reaches a certain level of response.
Oranges are grown in Florida,
June 14, 2007 - 20:01 ET by MikeBOranges are grown in Florida, and wheat is grown in Nebraska. There is a reason for that. Oranges can be grown in Nebraska, but it isn't economically feasible to do so. If New Yorkers want to eat Kiwi fruits, they'll have to be imported from somewhere else. This bit about food having to travel x miles to get to your table is nothing but a strawman argument.
"A communist is someone who reads Marx. An anti-communist is someone who understands Marx." Ronald Reagan
I'm not giving up my rib-ey
June 13, 2007 - 23:13 ET by Mean Gene Dr. LoveI'm not giving up my rib-eyes...you'll have to pry them from my cold, dead gums.
"The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants." --Thomas Jefferson
Adam said---
June 13, 2007 - 23:15 ET by misterbillAdam said---"I'm not giving up my rib-eyes" and when he woke the next morning , there was Eve.
I suppose I could live with
June 13, 2007 - 23:20 ET by Mean Gene Dr. LoveI suppose I could live with a surprise like that. But, I'm not sacrificing anything in the politically correct War on Weather and Climate.
"The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants." --Thomas Jefferson
This just in----
June 13, 2007 - 23:27 ET by misterbillThis just in----latest archeological studies show that Eve emitted as much methane as a herd of bisons.
Back to you Katie---
I am 100% with you on this
June 13, 2007 - 23:23 ET by AtheistRepublicanI am 100% with you on this one!
The first thing I thought when I read the meat part of this article was "I'll kill the first liberal who tries to take my steak"
Git yer guns ready Clem... 'c
June 14, 2007 - 01:28 ET by liberal_bug_zapperGit yer guns ready Clem... 'cause theys a commin for yer meat! Gol Durn fancy pants city folk thinks thems know bettern us salt o de Eart peoples!
____________________________________________________
"We can only reason from what is; we can reason on actualities, but not on possibilities." ~ Thomas Paine
Or as Hillary would say....&q
June 14, 2007 - 02:00 ET by BlondeOr as Hillary would say...."I'm gonna take those steaks". Don't whine, its for the common good, you know.
Funniest comment I've read to
June 14, 2007 - 03:02 ET by BricklayerFunniest comment I've read today :D Thanks for the laugh, Blonde!
Very good, Blonde. She'd do
June 14, 2007 - 06:38 ET by dahliatraversVery good, Blonde. She'd do anything to get anyone's vote.
("Our vegan base is softening! Quick, issue the appropriate-their-steaks press release!")
I'm sure chef Stec could even
June 14, 2007 - 02:14 ET by winston smithI'm sure chef Stec could even grab a handful of chickweed from her back yard, run it through a juicer, pour it on a fancy plate and the simpletons would come from hither and yon to lap it up at ridiculous prices. Kudos to her. My problem is with the growing numbers that believe that the sun's influence on the warming of the earth can be confidently ignored while eating a plate dandilion greens (locally grown, of course) is somehow helping to "cool the planet".
Cool recipes
June 14, 2007 - 03:32 ET by Cool ArrowThe peasants have no Cornish Hens? Let them eat raw Cornish (never mind).
Let them eat tofu sushi (tushi)
So I have to ask: Is that boo
June 14, 2007 - 05:57 ET by GatorgradSo I have to ask:
Is that book printed on recycled paper?
How was is distributed? Truck? Plane? Or bike messenger?
Is the ink used to print that book petroleum based or vegtable oil based?
Just wondering.
Time to renew...
June 14, 2007 - 06:57 ET by goldenthroatIf we were meant to be vegetarians, then why did God give us the wrong kind of teeth?
This is left-coast, bleeding-heart, 'do as I say, not as I do' liberalism WAY over the lunatic fringe!
After reading this, it reminded me I need to renew my PETA membership - People Eating Tasty Animals.
Never dance on an empty stomach unless its a hungry liberal.
Yes, true, but without the fr
June 14, 2007 - 07:11 ET by dscottYes, true, but without the fringe we would have little to entertain us. Watching the grass grow is boring.
“The object of life is not to be on the side of the majority but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane.” – Marcus Aurelius
Watching the grass grow
June 14, 2007 - 07:13 ET by Cool ArrowSeems watching the smoke wafting off of the grass used to be pretty engrossing.
If God didn't want us to eat
June 14, 2007 - 20:05 ET by MikeBIf God didn't want us to eat animals, why did He make them out of meat?
Vegan demoLibs: the other other white meat.
"A communist is someone who reads Marx. An anti-communist is someone who understands Marx." Ronald Reagan
To test us. He gives us all t
June 14, 2007 - 20:08 ET by balboaTo test us. He gives us all the abilities to eat meat, but he doesn't really want us to. RESIST!
Balboa
June 14, 2007 - 23:43 ET by Noel SheppardB,
Then why did we get larger cranial capicities when we started eating meat http://www.megaessays.com/viewpaper/97815.html?
Frankly, I'm pleased with the added intelligence that came to our species when we stopped eating leaves. Aren't you? ns
Well that explain some things
June 15, 2007 - 07:12 ET by dscottWell that explain some things about PETA people. I wonder how quickly not eating meat is regressive to brain capacity???? snark, snark.
“The object of life is not to be on the side of the majority but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane.” – Marcus Aurelius
The Power of Nightmare is a
June 14, 2007 - 08:26 ET by doubledown552The Power of Nightmare is a "documentary" on the idea of how people get and stay in power. The concept is more oriented to war, however the "War on Global Warming" is a similar situation. Concept: 1. Find a situation that you can exploit and drive fear into the minds of the masses. 2. Tell everyone that you're the only solution to this problem and only if you're in power can you fix it for them and save them. 3. Make excuses why what you're doing isn't working, or more effective, blame it on your enemies to stay in power. 4. In the unlikely event that you actually solve the problem, come up with a new one.
Morals....? Who needs those?
A concept that sounds stran
June 14, 2007 - 08:34 ET by Sergeant ROCKA concept that sounds strangely familiar (See also; Socialism, Fascism).
Let's keep in mind that the v
June 14, 2007 - 08:36 ET by CapitalismRulesLet's keep in mind that the very system that GW tries to destroy is what allows these folks to sell their books. I mean, this thing better have been printed on 100% RECYCLED paper!!!
"Recycling is useless, once the sun burns out we're all doomed, you're just making sure we spend out last days using inferior products..."-- Bart Simpson
Noel, to be a Vegan one must deny their humanity. ACA
June 14, 2007 - 08:41 ET by acaiguanaNoel, to be a Vegan one must deny their humanity. ACA
Pretty much sums it up. Omnivorous.
That means we also are set up as animals to eat, gasp, meat.
ACA
...
Quoted from: 'Acaiguana Notes from the Bomb Shelter' (soon to be a movie at theaters near you)
Oh. I thought it would be Soy
June 14, 2007 - 09:03 ET by Roger the ShrubberOh. I thought the new diet would be Soylent Green. Don't need a cookbook for that.
Soylent Green = Tofu and So
June 14, 2007 - 09:24 ET by doubledown552Soylent Green = Tofu and Soy products. Don't bury that guy, let's recycle him. I call his leg.
Morals....? Who needs those?
eating fewer, happier anima
June 14, 2007 - 09:37 ET by Dave in Texaseating fewer, happier animal products
So what exactly is a "happier animal product"? I had turkey last night, but I'm not sure if it was happy.
I don't understand exactly what the benefits of this are supposed to be either. I don't agree with, but can understand the logic behind the alarmists' arguments that we should use less coal and petroleum: it was buried in the ground, but is now in the atmosphere. But animals are carbon neutral. Everything associated with a cow was once some kind of plant, and most of that plant was once gas in the atmosphere. You know. That circle of life thing.
Is there a recipe for cooking
June 14, 2007 - 10:45 ET by Hero SquadIs there a recipe for cooking an egg using the globally warmed pavement as a frying pan?
*****
"Was it a millionaire who said 'Imagine no possessions?'" - Elvis Costello
"Is there a recipe for
June 14, 2007 - 11:46 ET by doubledown552"Is there a recipe for cooking an egg using the globally warmed pavement as a frying pan?"
BRILLIANT!
Morals....? Who needs those?
Why do that DoubleDown?
June 14, 2007 - 11:51 ET by Cool ArrowYou could be killing a chicken fetus.
To use a Tom Blumer expressio
June 14, 2007 - 11:38 ET by Phan of TruthTo use a Tom Blumer expression: "Globaloney" sandwiches?
So I guess grilling is defini
June 14, 2007 - 11:59 ET by Dave RSo I guess grilling is definitely out.
Screw 'em.