Meat Climate Change

The 2nd Leading Cause of Global Warming

by 

Dr. Moses Seenarine

2016 Xpyr Press. 348 pages

ISBN: 0692641157

Available on Amazon

"An argument for combating climate change through modifying agricultural practices and eating habits."  

"Seenarine (Education and Empowerment Among Dalit (Untouchable) Women in India, 2004) argues for a meatless diet as a key tactic for reducing greenhouse gases, minimizing weather changes, and improving human health. The book provides a dense overview of current climate science and policy, and reviews the impact of rising temperatures on not only the physical environment, but also economics, international relations, and gender politics. The reduction or elimination of meat consumption (referred to here as “carnism”) is held up as the solution to a thoroughly researched, footnoted argument. Seenarine draws on a variety of research to present a solid case for recognizing meat production as a significant factor in greenhouse-gas emissions." - Kirkus Reviews 

"Meat Climate Change is an essential guidebook on the intersection of climate and diet, and related environmental, social and psychological issues. The book covers a wide range of disciplines, and reviews hundreds of research studies." 

The good news is that plant-based diets can stop climate chaos! This must-read, essential guidebook show how, and in addition there are chapters on the critical 2015 Paris Climate Agreement, health under climate change, diet and health, antibiotic resistance, food-borne illness, and zootic diseases like bird flu. The book examines intersectional issues like how climate and diet will impact agriculture, the poor, water, forests, soil, oceans, biodiversity and disease. 

The book provides an excellent background on climate literacy, and great insights into climate politics. Importantly, it explores near term climate change scenarios to the year 2100, and necessary personal, social and policy changes for climate mitigation.

Table of Contents

INTRODUCTION
1 | THE FUTURE IS NOW
Why It Matters	1
Invisible Danger	2
Paris and Beyond	2
Social Responsibility	3
Pace of Climate Change	5
Evidence of Poor Presentation?	7
Major Polluters of GHGs	10
Conclusion	11
2 | MEAT THE FUTURE
Introduction	13
Dietary Transformation	14
Food's Footprint	15
Food Animals' GHGs	17
Addressing Livestock GHGs	19
Wellness of Plant-based Diet	20
Outline	21
Conclusion	23
PART I - CLIMATE 101
3 | CLIMATE SCIENCE
Introduction	25
Climate Literacy	25
What is Climate Change?	26
What is Global Warming?	26
Climate Chemistry	27
CO2 and Historical Temperature	28
Modern Temperature Trends	29
Why Is 1°C Rise a Big Deal?	30
Arctic Sea Ice Trends	31
Climate Women	33
Conclusion	34
4 | CLIMATE POLITICS
Introduction	37
Early Warnings	38
The IPCC	38
IPCC Reports	39
AR5 – WGII	40
Countering 'Skeptics'	42
US Climate Disasters	43
Global Climate Disasters	44
Conclusion	45
5 | STRUCTURAL DENIAL
Introduction	47
Denial Campaign	47
Sociology of Denial	49
Psychology of Denial	50
(Un)Sustainable Development Goals	52
Conclusion	53
6 | 2015 PARIS CLIMATE TALKS
Introduction	55
Climate (Dis)Accords	55
COP21 Goals	57
Paris Agreement	59
Climate Mitigation, Inc	60
Food at COP21	61
Diet at COP21	62
Conclusion	63
7 | NEOLIBERAL CLIMATE
Introduction	65
Over-heated Wealth	65
Neoliberal Hegemony	66
US GHG Reduction	67
US Political Climate	69
US Neoliberal Diet	70
Conclusion	72
8 | HOW HOT BY 2100?
Introduction	75
Future Emission Scenarios	75
The IPCC's Focus on 2°C Limit	77
Projecting Minimal Losses and Budget	79
Ending GHGs: AR5 Synthesis	80
IPCC's Conflicts of Interest	80
Conclusion	81
9 | BEYOND A 2°C SUNRISE
Introduction	83
Is the Paris Agreement Doomed?	83
Scenario A1B: +3°C by 2100	85
Scenario A1FI: +4°C by 2100	86
Scenario A2: +5°C by 2100	86
Missing Positive Feedbacks	87
Burning All Available Fossil Fuels	88
Conclusion	89
10 | CLIMATE & HEALTH
Introduction	91
IPCC on Health	91
Heat-related Illness	93
Climate and Reproduction	94
Kids Under Climate Stress	95
Childhood and Severe Weather	96
Weather Extremes and Women	97
Climate Resilience	98
Conclusion	99
PART II - COUNTING GHGS
11 | WHAT CRISIS?
Introduction	101
A Tale of Two Sources	102
Livestock's Emissions Denial?	103
IPCC and Food Animals	105
INDCs and Livestock	106
Sounding the Alarm	107
Animal Agribusiness Disorder	111
Conclusion	112
12 | NUMBERS RACKET
Introduction	113
FAO 2006: Livestock is 18%	114
Livestock Counter-claim	116
FAO 2013: Livestock is 14.5%	117
Emissions Breakdown	118
Cattle: The Biggest Footprint	119
Cow's Milk GHG Emissions	121
Other Livestock Footprints	121
Conclusion	122
13 | OVER-CONSUMPTION CLASS
Introduction	125
Urbanization	125
Over-Consumption and GHGs	126
Global Substitution Diets	128
Class and Diet	129
Over-Consumption Curse	130
Conclusion	130
14 | DIET OR POPULATION?
Introduction	133
Diet or Over Population?	133
Hungry Masses	134
Hidden Population: Obesity	136
Livestock Triangle	137
Trends in Animal Production	138
Global Carnism	139
US Animal Production	140
Conclusion	141
15 | MEAT IS NEOCOLONIALISM
Introduction	143
Trade Liberalization	143
Transnational Food Corporations	144
Capitalist Consolidation	145
Breeding Monopolies	147
Feed and Neocolonialism	148
Feed and Displacement	149
GM Plantations and Monopoly	151
Conclusion	152
16 | MEAT IS OPPRESSION
Introduction	153
Livestock Equals Food Insecurity	153
Meat and Colonialism	154
Climate Justice	155
Racism and Food Deserts	156
Meat the Patriarchy	156
Greenwashing Cruelty: Humane Meat	158
Antibiotics and Superbugs	159
Diet and Social Justice	161
Conclusion	162
17 | THE POLITICS OF MEAT
Introduction	165
Agricultural Policy	166
FAO's 30% Reduction	168
Factory Farming is Not a Solution	169
Structural Demand	170
Mitigating Demand	172
GLEAM	174
Conclusion	175
18 | (IM)PARTIAL ASSESSMENTS?
Introduction	177
Life-cycle Assessment (LCA)	178
FAO's Limited LCA	179
Flawed Data Selection	179
Land-use Change (LUC)	180
Other LCAs	181
Vegans Hurts The Planet?	182
Skewing Research	183
Conclusion	185
19 | FAO'S ANINOMICS
Introduction	187
Validation of FAO's Findings	187
(In)Efficiency of Food Animals	188
GLEAM Excluded Emissions	190
Other Excluded Emissions	190
Goodland and Anhang's 51% Estimate	192
Conclusion	194
PART III: MISSING GHGS
20 | SHORT-TERM FORCERS!
Introduction	197
Atmospheric GHGs	198
Unbalanced Carbon Cycle	199
Methane Emissions	200
Methane GWP	202
Nitrogen Emissions	203
Other Non-CO2 GHGs	205
Conclusion	206
21 | GOT SINK?
Introduction	207
Carbon Sinks	207
Trees, Livestock and CO2	209
Deforestation	210
Soy Protein and Ecosystems	211
Opportunity Cost	212
Conclusion	213
22 | SOIL NOT CATTLE
Introduction	215
Soil Erosion	215
Unsavory Soil Management	216
Effects of Livestock Overgrazing	217
Plants and Climate Change	218
Climate and Crop Yields	219
Organic Farming	220
Conclusion	221
23 | 6TH MASS EXTINCTION
Introduction	223
Valuing Biodiversity	223
Counting Biodiversity	224
Biodiversity and Livestock	225
Mass Extinction	226
Wildlife Removal	227
Wildlife Diseases	228
Conclusion	229
24 | WATER FOOTPRINTS
Introduction	231
Water Terms	231
Water Crisis	232
Appropriated Water	233
Inefficient Water Use	234
Crops and Water Pollution	235
Conclusion	236
25 | WASTE POLLUTION
Introduction	237
Food Waste	237
Rivers of Waste	238
Manure and Disease	239
Dead Zones	240
Fish-kills in One-Month	241
Climate Change and Die-Offs	241
Conclusion	243
26 | MISSING FISH
Introduction	245
Ocean Heat	245
Ocean Acidification	246
Commercial Fishing	247
Seafood and Enslavement	249
Waste and ByCatch	250
Farmed Fish	251
Conclusion	253
27 | PANZOOTIC
Introduction	255
Regulations to Nowhere	255
Industrial Chicken	256
Chicken Diseases	258
Wet Markets	258
Avian Flu	259
Panzootic	259
Conclusion	261
28 | HUMAN DISEASES
Introduction	263
A Lot of Protein	263
Altering Gut Bacteria	264
Autism	264
Bone Fracture	265
Cancer	265
Celiac Disease	265
Chronic Diseases	266
Food-borne Illnesses	267
Lactose Intolerance	267
Mercury Poisoning	267
Milk Allergy	268
Meat Allergy	268
Meat Parasites	269
Other Human Illnesses	269
Air Pollution	269
Growth Hormones	270
Nitrates	270
Conclusion	270
PART IV: CLIMATE-FRIENDLY DIET
29 | PERSONAL CHANGE
Introduction	273
Paleo Diet	273
Environmental Denialism	274
Diet Recidivism	275
The 4Ns of Carnism	276
Cognitive Dissonance	277
Consumption Differences	278
Informational Barriers	280
Conclusion	281
30 | SOCIAL ACTION
Introduction	283
Weight, Shame and Diet	283
Decrease in Carnism	285
“Climate-friendly” Diets	286
Social Activism	287
Divestment from Animal Ag	288
Meat Substitutes	289
Conclusion	290
31 | POLICY CHANGE
Introduction	291
Structural Change	291
Public Backlash	292
IPCC Priority	292
Trade Agreements	293
End Subsidies	293
Biodiversity and Human Rights	294
Regulations and Animal Welfare	294
Nutritional Guidelines	294
Procurement	295
Meat Tax	295
Awareness Campaigns	296
Conclusion	296