The single largest source of greenouse gasses AND of polution is...

[Binkie The Clown]

... animal agriculture. Far greater than all the transportation sources, cars, trains, trucks, airplanes, in the whole world put together.

And, you, all by yourself, could conserve over 11,000 gallons of water per day by not eating meat.

But, of course, few people are willing to do something so drastic to save the planet. Yet they are willing to blame somebody else: The oil industry, the auto manufacturers, fracking (which releases a TINY fraction of the methane released by animal agriculture). Yet everybody talks about what the OTHER guy needs to do, without being willing to make the biggest contribution they could possibly make toward saving the planet. Change all your bulbs to compact fluorescent, switch to a hybrid car, turn down your thermostat, take shorter showers, plant your yard with drought-tolerant plants so you don't have to water them, recycle, compost your waste and use it in your home garden,... all wonderful things to do. But eat ONE Big Mac and you've wiped every good thing you did for an entire year in one selfish act of I-don't-give-a-damn-about-the-planet.

http://www.cowspiracy.com/ Watch it on Netflix instant.

(Standing by to have everyone tell me I'm wrong. Sorry. I'm not wrong. But it IS easier to blame the other guy, so that's what people will do.)

[Duppers]

1. Eating ~75% less meat in the last 3 yrs. It's a start.

Bigger problem: do we need to kill our meat eating pets?

Having only one child helps!

[RiverLover]

2. I hear you, I eat less meat now & then only free range, but my dog & 2 cats?

Not eco-friendly whatsoever. I wish I could change that. But there it is.

[Duppers]

3. Thanks, RiverLover.

All our dogs have truly been furkids to us, bringing us more joy than any extended family members have.
Had to give up the last of our many kitties a few decades ago due to hub's major allergy and asthma. Found her The Best Home! She died at age 23!!

Our current Lab loves beans, a good source of protein. She makes the house's atmosphere "interesting". Just this morning I awoke to a puppy poot.

[RiverLover]

8. LOL! You are a GOOD liberal! I think you should get a medal.

That is too funny. But very very good of you (& brave!).

[OKIsItJustMe]

5. Greenhouse Gas Emissions by Economic Sector

Last edited Sat Oct 3, 2015, 11:39 AM - Edit history (1)

https://www.ipcc.ch/pdf/assessment-report/ar5/wg1/WG1AR5_Chapter08_FINAL.pdf

Figure 8.34 | Net global mean temperature change by source sector after (a) 100 and (b) 20 years (for 1-year pulse emissions). Emission data for 2008 are taken from the EDGAR database. For BC and OC anthropogenic emissions are from Shindell et al. (2012a) and biomass burning emissions are from Lamarque et al. (2010), see Supplementary Material Section 8.SM.17. There are large uncertainties related to the AGTP values and consequentially also to the calculated temperature responses (see text).



[HR]

Total U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions by Economic Sector in 2013
http://www3.epa.gov/climatechange/ghgemissions/sources.html


Greenhouse gas emissions, by source sector, EU-28, 1990 and 2012
http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php/File:Greenhouse_gas_emissions,_by_source_sector,_EU-28,_1990_and_2012.png

[OKIsItJustMe]

6. Agriculture and Livestock Remain Major Sources of Greenhouse Gas Emissions

http://www.worldwatch.org/agriculture-and-livestock-remain-major-sources-greenhouse-gas-emissions-0

[font face=Serif][font size=5]Agriculture and Livestock Remain Major Sources of Greenhouse Gas Emissions[/font]

[font size=4]Increased growth in agricultural production has resulted in increased agricultural greenhouse gas emissions—with a huge proportion of emissions coming from livestock production.[/font]

BY LAURA REYNOLDS | MAY 8, 2013

[font size=3]In 2010, global greenhouse gas emissions from the agricultural sector totaled 4.7 billion tons of carbon dioxide (CO₂ ) equivalent, up 13 percent over 1990. Agriculture is the third largest contributor to global emissions by sector, following the burning of fossil fuels for power and heat, and transportation. In 2010, emissions from electricity and heat production reached 12.5 billion tons, and emissions from transport totaled 6.7 billion tons.

Despite their continuing rise, emissions from agriculture are growing at a much slower rate than the sector as a whole, demonstrating the increasing carbon efficiency of agriculture. From 1990 to 2010, the volume of agricultural production overall increased nearly 23 percent, according to data compiled by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) for its program, FAOSTAT. FAO released a new Greenhouse Gas Emissions database for agriculture, forestry and other land use changes in December 2012, which can be found here.

According to FAO, methane accounts for just under half of total agricultural emissions, nitrous oxide for 36 percent, and carbon dioxide for some 14 percent. The largest source of methane emissions is enteric fermentation, or the digestion of organic materials by livestock, predominantly beef cattle. This is also the largest source of agricultural emissions overall, contributing 37 percent of the total.

Livestock contribute to global emissions in other ways as well. Manure deposited and left on pastures is a major source of nitrous oxide emissions because of its high nitrogen content. When more nitrogen is added to soil than is needed, bacteria convert the extra nitrogen into nitrous oxide and release it into the atmosphere. Emissions from manure on pasture in Asia, Africa, and South America together account for as much as 81 percent of global emissions from this source. These emissions from the three regions increased 42 percent on average between 1990 and 2010, reflecting an increase in range-based livestock populations; elsewhere, these emissions either decreased or stagnated.

…[/font][/font]

[OKIsItJustMe]

7. Infographic: The World’s Biggest Sources of Greenhouse Gas Emissions

http://inhabitat.com/infographic-the-worlds-biggest-sources-of-greenhouse-gas-emissions/

[muriel_volestrangler]

9. Where does the 11,000 gallons per day from meat come from?

That's over 41,000 litres per day.

The Water Footprint Network website says:

The water footprint of meat from beef cattle (15400 litre/kg as a global average) is much larger than the footprints of meat from sheep (10400 litre/kg), pig (6000 litre/kg), goat (5500 litre/kg) or chicken (4300 litre/kg).

http://waterfootprint.org/en/resources/interactive-tools/product-gallery/

41,000 litres per day would be 1 kg of beef, and 1 kg of lamb, and 1 kg of pork, and 1 kg of goat, and 1 kg of chicken, per person, per day. Or 2.7 kg of beef, if you thought that might fill you up a bit. That's 6lb of beef per person per day.

[cprise]

10. Definitely about more than just greenhouse gasses: water, deforestation, food scarcity

...these are all part of the picture that is making beef look very, very bad. When people insist on using their money to reward beef production, they are causing deforestation and crowding out crops that could feed many more poorer people.

[muriel_volestrangler]

11. Since the figures looked about 10 times too big, I looked for "1100 gallons", and that's the figure

From the website the OP linked to:

Each day, a person who eats a vegan diet saves 1,100 gallons of water, 45 pounds of grain, 30 sq ft of forested land, 20 lbs CO2 equivalent, and one animal’s life.

http://www.cowspiracy.com/facts/

The OP has added a zero on to the end.

[Binkie The Clown]

13. Oops! My bad. But hey, "zero" is "nothing", right? n /t

[madokie]

12. I hope no one brings that sniffer around my place

I'd be history in a hurry.
I am a notorious gas emitter, the smelly methane kind

[OKIsItJustMe]

14. Ironically...

Methane is odorless...