[Iyrp-gcg] [pastoralist-hub] What if the whole world went vegan?

[Ilse Köhler-Rollefson]

Dear Maryam,

thanks for this and I totally agree with Paul that a rebuttal must be sent
to the BBC on behalf of IYRP. The BBC piece was already ridiculed on social
media (Twitter) for this by people who are into regenerative grazing.

The same points that Paul is making were recently assembled in 'Livestock
for a Small Planet' (which Paul edited and lay-outed) - it is attached here
and maybe it could be one of the technical documents accompanying the
letter to the BBC.

I want to also add one point to be sent in the rebuttal to the BBC and this
is the protein efficiency of extensively raised beef. Cattle and other
ruminants CREATE protein - and its protein that the world needs, not more
carbohydrates which are easily available and in excess.

Please see this crucial recent research by CSIRO debunking the cattle myth:
https://www.farmonline.com.au/story/7542239/csiro-debunks-cattle-myths/

Lets hope the BBC listens!

Thanks for your efforts!

Kind regards
Ilse

On Fri, 28 Jan 2022 at 00:58, Maryam Niamir-Fuller <mniafull2 at gmail.com>
wrote:

>
> TIME SENSITIVE: FOR YOUR ACTION
>
> Dear GCG members
> Please see below a message from Paul Mundy, who points out several of the
> misunderstandings and fallacies of the "no-meat" argument as reported by
> BBC recently. Jim, Ann, Barbara and I agree that we in the IYRP GCG should
> try to balance the argument by sending the BBC a rebuttal. This would
> include:
>
> 1.  Concisely drawing out Paul's good points into a short text
> 2.  Adding 3-4 scientific and technical documents for reference to back
> these points
> 3.  And recommending that the BBC carry out a balanced report on
> pastoralism (and we can give them references for this too).
>
> The message would be sent to the BBC using the new IYRP email account, and
> copied for info to the ISG.
>
> If you are in agreement, we would kindly seek your inputs for any of these
> 3 key points by monday 31st January. Please feel free to add more points if
> necessary.
>
> thank you and best regards
>
> Maryam
>
>
> ---------- Forwarded message ---------
> From: Paul Mundy <paul at mamud.com>
> Date: Wed, Jan 26, 2022 at 12:43 PM
> Subject: [pastoralist-hub] What if the whole world went vegan?
> To: Forum of the Pastoralist Knowledge Hub <pastoralist-hub at dgroups.org>
>
>
> Video on the BBC about the problems of livestock-raising and the impact of
> going vegan.
>
>
> https://www.bbc.co.uk/ideas/videos/what-if-the-whole-world-went-vegan/p082l2r8
>
>
>
> It’s obviously not possible to squeeze all the details of such a complex
> issue into 2.5 minutes. While the video does point to the benefits of
> traditional grazing, it does make some rather misleading comments.
>
> Below is the transcript, with my comments (labelled 1 to 4).
>
>
>
> VIDEO TRANSCRIPT
>
> “The average person eats about 40kg of meat per year. In developed
> countries, it’s double that… or about the same weight as an adult dolphin.
>
> But experts now advise cutting down the amount of meat we eat, to help
> reduce climate change. So, here’s a thought experiment… What if the whole
> world turned vegan?
>
> Around 15% of all greenhouse gases emitted by humans are from livestock
> production. If we all became vegan, these emissions would be slashed.
>
> Eating meat takes up space… a lot of it. Around 80% of all farmland is
> dedicated to meat and dairy production. That’s about the size of Europe,
> the US, China, and Australia combined. (1)
>
> Meat and dairy typically provide 18% of our calories, but account for 60%
> of greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture.
>
> A report by the UN’s climate body, the IPCC, recommends we all reduce the
> amount of meat we eat. And also how much we waste. The report found 8-10%
> of all global emissions are down to food loss and food waste.
>
> But not all meat is the same.
>
> Large-scale farming of beef has a particularly high impact, and has been a
> big factor in the loss of the Amazon rainforest.
>
> When cows digest their food, they produce methane a powerful greenhouse
> gas that’s about 28 times more powerful than carbon dioxide over 100 years.
> And when cows burp, this methane is emitted. One cow releases between 70
> and 100kg of methane every year, and there are around 1.5 billion cattle in
> the world today. (2)
>
> But it’s not that simple. A lot depends on how the meat is produced.
>
> Most meat is mass-produced by large-scale industry, and this can come with
> a heavy environmental impact.
>
> But small-scale farming of animals can have a lower environmental
> footprint. And sometimes - for example in the case of traditional grazing
> it can be beneficial in terms of biodiversity. (3)
>
> Vegan alternatives can also come with their own problems. For example,
> almond production requires huge amounts of water.
>
> But if everyone switched to a plant-based diet, it could bring several
> positive health benefits. One study estimated that if everyone ate a vegan
> diet with lots of fresh fruit and veg around eight million deaths could be
> avoided around the world by 2050. (4)
>
> There are no simple answers. But if everyone were to change how they look
> at food, cultivate it, and eat it in a sustainable way, we could,
> potentially, change the world.”
>
>
>
> COMMENTS
>
> (1) Yes, but most of this land cannot be used for anything else.
>
> (2) Yes, but removing grazing ruminants would mean other animals would
> fill their ecological niche. they would also produce methane.
>
> (3) And in other ways too: water infiltration, carbon storage. Not to
> mention the economic, social and nutritional value of livestock production.
>
> (4) If everyone were suddenly to become vegan, millions of people would
> lose their livelihoods. The result would be famine, mass migration and
> millions of refugees.
>
>
>
> Best wishes
>
> Paul
>
>
>
> Paul Mundy
>
> development communication
>
> paul at mamud.com, www.mamud.com
>
> Müllenberg 5a, 51515 Kürten, Germany
>
>
>
> You are receiving this message because you are a member of the community Forum
> of the Pastoralist Knowledge Hub <https://dgroups.org/fao/pastoralist-hub>
> .
>
> View this contribution on the web site <https://dgroups.org/_/rxrdsvka>
>
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>
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-- 
Dr. Ilse Köhler-Rollefson
Butibagh, Sadri 306702, District Pali, Rajasthan, India
Mobile+91-9829477535
Skype ilse.kohler.rollefson
www.ilse-koehler-rollefson.com


Projects Coordinator
League for Pastoral Peoples and Endogenous Livestock Development
- We move the world of pastoralists -
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Tel. +49-6154-53642, mobil 015785676849
email ilse at pastoralpeoples.org
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