Take Extinction Off Your Plate
Adventures in Sustainable Living Podcast
Episode 17
Take Extinction Off Your Plate
Welcome back everyone to the Adventures in Sustainable Living Podcast. This is your host Patrick and this is episode #17 which is called Take Extinction Off Your Plate.
You may find it interesting that scientist have a better understanding of how many stars there are in our galaxy than how many species there are on planet Earth.
There was a study that was conducted in 1980 in the tropical forests in Panama. This one study included only 19 trees. And to give you a perspective, there are on average about 200 trees per acre of land in a tropical forest. So that is about 20 trees per 1/10 of an acre. Anyway, there were 1,200 beetle species that were noted in this study. 80% of those species were previously unknown.
Presently, it is estimated there are about 100 million known species on the planet. There is on average a 1% yearly extinction rate. So that means at the least 10,000 species go extinct every year. The experts call this natural extinction rate the “background extinction” rate. This simply means the rate of species extinctions that would occur if we humans were not around.
Until recently, scientists generally agreed that there were five mass extinction events in geologic history. Each of these events wiped out huge numbers of species and marked the ends of their respective geological eras. However, scientist now believe that there were actually six mass extinctions.
At any rate, there are numerous theories about what exactly caused these mass extinctions. Current thinking on some of the causes are enormous volcanic eruptions, significant falls in sea levels, global warming, global cooling, impact events such as a large asteroid or comet, significant changes in the oceans causing huge release of hydrogen sulfide. Now there are other theories but I just wanted to mention a few.
The point being, species extinction is going to occur naturally. And there have been massive waves of extinction due to various causes.
Obviously from the 1980 study conducted in Panama, there are many more species out there than what we are aware of. So in a manner of speaking, we don’t even know what we don’t know. Consequently, if we don’t know how much is there to begin with, how can we possible assess exact what we are loosing on a yearly basis just from the back ground extinction rate.
Now, allow me to change gears here for a minute by posing a question. Let’s just say for the sake of argument that this company called Laundry Madness Inc, just invented this fabulous machine that saves you an enormous amount of time and effort. All you have to do is put your clothes in one end of my machine, they get washed, rinsed, dried and come out the other end folded and ready to put away. It is sort of the bread machine of laundry. Just pour in the ingredients and it comes out with the finished product.
Now as you can imagine there is absolute consumer madness over their product and they make billions of dollars a year due to high demand. Furthermore, they limit the amount of product they produce so they can command a higher price. And as long as people are willing to purchase their machine, they are going to continuing producing them.
But, what you don’t know is they have 12 global factories that operate 24/7. And in order to produce their products they need a special compound found only in tropical forests. And in order to get that product, they are destroying 250,000 acres of forest each month. But, their product is in high demand so they keep right on mowing down the trees.
This is the underlying principle of supply and demand. As long as there is a demand, meaning people are willing to buy, the companies are willing to produce that product no matter what the cost. Because they are making billions and no one really sees what goes on in the back ground because most of their factories are in another country.
But what most people do not realize is that the very same sort of thing goes on with our food production, but in a very different way.
Unknown to most people our planet is now experiencing another mass extinction event. But, unlike any other mass extinction event recorded in geologic history, the current extinction challenge is one in which a single species appears to be wholly responsible, and that species is human beings.
Now, I know there is a lot of argument about this fact. But there can be little debate over the fact that there is a very serious biodiversity crisis.
But, let’s look at our current situation. I just want to quote something from an article published by the World Wildlife Fund.
Just to illustrate the degree of biodiversity loss we're facing, let’s take you through one scientific analysis…
- The rapid loss of species we are seeing today is estimated by experts to be between 1,000 and 10,000 times higher than the natural extinction rate.*
- These experts calculate that between 0.01 and 0.1% of all species will become extinct each year.
- If the low estimate of the number of species out there is true - i.e. that there are around 2 million different species on our planet** - then that means between 200 and 2,000 extinctions occur every year.
- But if the upper estimate of species numbers is true - that there are 100 million different species co-existing with us on our planet - then between 10,000 and 100,000 species are becoming extinct each year.
There was an article published by Scientific American titled “Humans Are Driving One Million Species to Extinction”. That article discusses an analysis that distills information from over 15,000 government studies and reports. It focuses on the loss of biodiversity. And I quote:
Up to one million plant and animal species face extinction, many within decades, because of human activities, says the most comprehensive report yet on the state of global ecosystems.
Without drastic action to conserve habitats, the rate of species extinctions—already tens to hundreds of times higher than the average across the last ten million years—will only increase, says the analysis by a United Nations-backed panel, the International Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES).
The report also finds that agricultural activities have had the largest impacts on ecosystems that people depend on for food, clean water and a stable climate. The loss of species and habitats is as much a danger to life on Earth as climate change.
We are eroding the very foundations of our economies, livelihoods, food security, health and quality of life worldwide,”
There is not doubt that human activity has completely reshaped our planet. Approximately 75% of the land on Earth and 66% of ocean areas have been “significantly altered” by human activity. And this alteration is driven mostly by the production of food. Crop and livestock operations currently utilize about 33% of Earth’s land surface and 75% of its freshwater resources.
Agricultural activities account for roughly 25% of total green house gas emissions due to the use of fertilizers and the conversion of areas such as tropical forests to grow crops or raise livestock such as cattle. It is clear that agricultural threats to our ecosystems will only increase as the world’s population continues to grow.
The next biggest threats to nature are the exploitation of plants and animals through harvesting, logging, hunting and fishing, in addition to climate change; pollution and the spread of invasive species.
Now, what exactly is my point?
I am willing to bet that it never occurred to you that what you have on your dinner plate is responsible for the rate of species extinction on our planet.
Meat production is one of the most environmentally destructive industries on the planet, responsible for massive amounts of water use, pollution, greenhouse gas emissions and habitat destruction.
You know as Americans we eat a lot of meat, including beef, chicken, and pork. On average we eat 222 lbs of meat per person per year. And the rest of the world is starting to follow in our footsteps.
But without even considering the environmental impact, let’s just look at this from the perspective of protein requirements. At 222 pounds per person per year, that is about 0.6 lbs per day. And if you look at the protein content of beef, that means we are consuming twice as much protein on a daily basis than what we really need.
Ideally, what is healthier is to obtain your daily protein from a mixture of food. That can easily be done by consuming moderate amounts of protein rich food such as meat, and dairy, mixed with vegetable sources.
And just to give you a few figures:
The recommended daily protein intake is 46 grams for women and 56 grams for men.
There are about 44 grams of protein in a cup of chopped chicken
There is about 20 grams of protein in a cup of tofu
There is about 18 grams of protein in a cup of lentils or three eggs.
So, my question is “Why are we consuming such high amounts of protein. Well the simple fact is that protein has achieved a venerated status in the dietary world for many years. Consuming protein is promoted for building muscle and preventing weight gain. Some protein drinks contain as much protein as an 8 oz steak.
But, as is usually the case in our culture, so many things are market driven, demand driven. Food marketers have been pushing high protein consumption for years now. When in reality, we consume twice as much protein as we really need.
And of course, the question remains as to what we can do. What should we do? Well, the reality is that there are many things that we can do. In fact, developing an Earth friendly diet is likely a good subject for another podcast episode. But for now, let’s focus on the topic of meat.
So, back to my example of the clothes washing machine. In that example, that product is obviously market driven. And certainly, all of us would love to have a product just like that. But the production of that product is enormously detrimental to the environment. Despite that, people are going to purchase it anyway.
So, back to the question of meat. The agricultural industry is enormously detrimental to the environment. But, people are not going to stop eating meat. And that is NOT by any means what I am suggesting.
But, being sustainable, or incorporating sustainable practices into your life is about making better choices. The simple fact is that all of us are influenced to some degree by advertising and marketing. It is almost inevitable. But, as you likely know very well, many, many things in our culture are market driven. If there is no demand, there is no profit, and eventually, there is no product.
That being said, when it comes to meat consumption, we all have the ability to make better choices. Additionally, those choices can and will eventually drive the market in the right direction.
And if you remember from one of my previous episodes titled “Fast and Fatal” I discussed that half of the world’s habitable land is used for agriculture. Of that agricultural land use, 77% of that is used for livestock. Yet that livestock only provides 18% of the world’s calories and 37% of the total protein. What this means is that meat production, in particular beef, is by far the most destructive to the environment.
Additionally, what this means is that if we do not make better choices, then what you have on your dinner plate pushes the continued destruction of the environment, continued habitat loss, and the continued extinction of various species on the planet.
And of course, I want to give you some tips and just how you can change that.
What I would propose is the less meat, better meat strategy. And you must know, that I have no intention of becoming a vegetarian. But, I am interested in making changes that will help the environment in light of what I now know.
So let’s talk first about eating less meat.
Based on what I stated above about the average meat consumption of Americans, we already could easily cut our meat consumption in half and still be consuming too much protein. Additionally, adding vegetable based sources of protein such as quinoa, beans and rice, lentils, peanuts, almonds, spirulina, chia seeds and even broccoli, and kale would easily allow you to reduce your meat based protein even further.
What about just eating better meat and what does this mean?
Some people will tell you that pasture raised beef, meaning grass fed, is better for the environment. Well, after much research I have found that there is a lot of controversy over whether grass fed or industry raised animals produce more environment damage. There is a lot of research and science behind each argument so I am going to have to say make up your own mind about that. But I did learn that a significant portion of the grass fed beef in the US is actually produced abroad.
But, one thing I did concluded from my research. Raising chicken and pork produces significantly less environmental damage.
Think in terms of flavor and not portion size.
There are numerous ways to use meat as flavoring for an entire meal as opposed to using it as the main course. For example, you can use various spice blends, use a chicken or a beef based broth to flavor food, or you can use smaller chunks of meat to put in a salad, on top of a pizza, or in a pasta dish.
Now I am a big foodie person anyway. In fact, I have a digital notebook on my iPad with literally hundreds of recipes. I am always looking for something new. Now I have no desire to become vegetarian much less vegan but I have to tell you I have been experimenting with various vegetarian and vegan meals and I have consistently found recipes that are down right tasty.
I also found this app called Food Monster that has over 15K vegan recipes. And just so happens that I work with a couple of people that are vegan and they have been giving me wonderful tips on things I can add to my food that are plant based instead of meat.
So, I am just saying I am not going to recommend or discuss something I have not tried myself. In fact, I think it was in my episode on “The Most Sustainable Countries” where I discussed how some countries, in particular Finland, are experimenting with insect based protein sources simply because they are highly nutritious and their production is sustainable. And of course in the interest of good science I had to try it. And just so you know, chipotle grasshoppers are really pretty good.
I guess my bottom line is just to say keep an open mind and try different things. Now if you want to try and tackle the beef industry because of their environmental impact, good luck with that. That would be similar to trying to tackle the oil industry. Good luck with that as well. There are so many opposing opinions about who produces the worst environmental impact. For example, just try and sort out what produces the worst environmental impact grass fed beef versus confined industrial production. I tried and gave up because there are numerous articles with opposing opinions.
However, it cannot be dismissed that we now live in a global economy. Our globalization has produced an international community of nations and we are now all neighbors. There is no arguing that our global food production has a significant impact on the environment and the climate. When it comes to tackling climate change, the focus tends to be on clean energy solutions such as various forms of renewable energy. However, global food production is responsible to 25% of greenhouse gas emissions.
As you know, I try to bring things down to a personal level, meaning giving you something that you can actually take action on instead of saying “write letters to your congressman, petition city hall, participate in a protest” . Knowing that our global food production has a significant impact on climate change, environmental degradation, and species extinction is something that cannot be argued against but it is also something that each and everyone of us can take action against by simply changing the way we eat.
Now I hope I have gotten you to the point where the next time you put a big slab of meat on your plate you stare at it and ask yourself “Why am I doing this?”. You can in fact doing something about that by simply eating less meat, eat better meat, use meat as flavoring instead of the main course that fills you up, and oh by the way I have a piece of broccoli on the side.
In closing I would like to remind you of a quote from a United Nations study that I mentioned earlier. That study was backed my over 15K government reports.
This report concluded that agricultural activities have had the largest impacts on ecosystems that people depend on for food, clean water and a stable climate. The loss of species and habitats is as much a danger to life on Earth as climate change.
We are eroding the very foundations of our economies, livelihoods, food security, health and quality of life worldwide.
So that’s it folks. Sustainable living is about making better choices. So take extinction off your plate.
And as usual, I will have several links to articles in the transcript of this episode in case you want to do further reading on your own. And if you have enjoyed this episode, then please subscribe to the Adventures in Sustainable Living Podcast as well as Off Grid Living News.
Until next week, remember always live sustainably because this is how we build a better future.
Links to articles for further reading.
Environmental Impacts of Food Production
World Wildlife Fund: Biodiversity Loss
Five Ways the Meat on Your Plate is Killing the Planet
Environmental Impact of Agricultural Runoff
UN Report: Nature’s Dangerous Decline “Unprecedented"
