Yeah, no shit. I'm totally vegan and 80% of what I eat grows in California. The growing season here in the northland is short, and you can't produce a decent sweet potato to save your life. So what do you think my environmental impact is to eat 1,000 pounds a year of vegetables planted and harvested in the San Joaquin Valley, trucked 2,000 miles to Minneapolis, stored at 59º in a refrigerated warehouse, trucked to the co-op, etc.??
I'm not trying to challenge anyone who's concerned about these environmental issues. I'm with you. I imagine that eating beef has a helluva impact. But I'm just trying to point out that so does consuming ANYTHING else. The best way any of us can lessen our impact on the environment is to drop dead.
I mean, lets face it:its not going to make meat-eaters stop eating meat. And it isn't going to bolster vegans to keep the faith.
All of internal combustion engines on Earth put out a small fraction of the green house gases as world-wide volcanic activity does. And guess what: we don't stand a snow ball's chance in Hell of stopping a single volcano from erupting, much less all of 'em.
We can't control global warming. Its the volcanoes. Our planet recently exited an Ice Age, remember? No shit its going to get warmer. A lot warmer. Riding a bike to work and eating salmon isn't going to stop it. Humanity may have the ability to decimate this planet, but each of us individually can't even find our car keys.
Politicized environmentalism just serves to instill irrational fears, like most of what passes for 'debate' these days. If you're scared of shit thats outside your control, you'll be willing to assent to all kinds of idiotic laws. If you're going to support stupid shit, at least make sure it lines YOUR OWN pockets, and not some Washington fat cat's.
You want to save the world? Teach a kid to read. Be nice to an old person. Grab a guitar and play Woodie Guthrie in public spaces for free. Give a stranger a hug. Don't vote. Something. But for god's sake -- don't worry about stuff that is genuinely outside of our, very limited, sphere of influence.
Sorry for the semi-rant, but I live in a (rapidly declining) rural area, and it gets my ass-hairs up to see stuff like this get the banner space of the environmental movement while our parks and open wilderness get bulldozed for condos.
Mother Nature will be just fine. Our job is to make sure WE'RE just fine, too.
8ernal said:
Does anyone REALLY care about this article?
I mean, lets face it:its not going to make meat-eaters stop eating meat. And it isn't going to bolster vegans to keep the faith.
All of internal combustion engines on Earth put out a small fraction of the green house gases as world-wide volcanic activity does. And guess what: we don't stand a snow ball's chance in Hell of stopping a single volcano from erupting, much less all of 'em.
We can't control global warming. Its the volcanoes. Our planet recently exited an Ice Age, remember? No shit its going to get warmer. A lot warmer. Riding a bike to work and eating salmon isn't going to stop it. Humanity may have the ability to decimate this planet, but each of us individually can't even find our car keys.
I have emphysema from my work. Should I quit smoking?
Domo_Kun
Rockford, IL
March 2005
JUL 22, 2007 11:48 AM