Environment and Global Warming
Killing Fishes for Fuel?
Published August 13, 2009 @ 01:53PM PT
As noted in the past, I have a love-hate relationship with TreeHugger when it comes to the site's animal-related coverage, and when I saw this headline this morning--"LiveFuels to Farm Fish to Make Biofuel = Bad Idea"--I initially groaned, not processing the "Bad Idea" part right away. But it turns out TreeHugger and I agree this time. Writer Matthew McDermott too thinks that the following is a preposterous and unethical proposal:
Bat Spirals and Wildlife High-Rises
Published August 05, 2009 @ 10:34AM PT
Emily over at the Stop Global Warming blog has an interesting post up titled "Architecture for Bats." Before beginning a brief discussion of the plight of bats--and the recently designed Bat Spiral habitat--Emily asks, "As we continue to transform the climate at a blistering pace, what responsibilities do we have to help other species adapt and thrive to the fast-warming world?"
And her post reminds me of another post I included in a mid-June roundup: "Building with Animals in Mind," from Glenn of Liberation BC, about proposed plans in England to build high rises for urban animals.
Glenn writes,
What I really like about it is that these people are thinking about building with animals in mind. And not just how to keep them out of our spaces or how to build to hold them, but rather building for the animals, so that they can have habitat within our habitat.
That architects and planners are thinking about this gives me hope that we might actually start planning our spaces so that the other inhabitants of the earth can exist here too.
Check out both posts. Interesting stuff.
Climate Change Reality Checks for Locavores and Omnivores
Published July 29, 2009 @ 02:59PM PT
It's possible that those of you not tapped into the world of Facebook and Twitter (yes, there are people who don't use Facebook and Twitter, my friends) have been missing a few stories here and there. So let me fill you in.
First, the Ezra Klein piece at Washington Post, which I've seen posted by no fewer than 15 people today: "Gut Check: The Meat of the Problem." It's unfortunate that after all this time and all this evidence, it's still news-worthy whenever someone in the mainstream makes the connection between eating animals and climate change. I don't expect Klein to go vegan anytime soon (if ever), and I've been periodically frustrated by the wall he always seems to hit while contemplating his food choices, but this article is circulating like mad, to the satisfaction of some and the displeasure of others (this panicking National Review writer not only tells us how aghast he is at Klein's reduce-your-meat-consumption commentary, but also proclaims veganism and vegetarianism both to be "immoral").
One aspect of Klein's piece that does annoy me still is his "livestock"=meat premise. A few articles on this topic, even in the mainstream, have done a good job of pointing out that it's not just a "meat" problem--that replacing flesh with cheese and cream dishes, for example, isn't the solution. Klein fails to make that point. But what does Klein do that I love? Call out mainstream enviro organizations (such as Natural Resources Defense Council--Klein mistakenly wrote "National," but this is the group he meant) that have irresponsibly refused to deal with and publicize this enormously important issue.
And on a similar topic, there's "The Locavore Myth" in Forbes by James E. McWilliams. The conclusion to his article? "If you want to make a statement, ride your bike to the farmer's market. If you want to reduce greenhouse gases, become a vegetarian." Or much better, of course, go vegan.
FoodWatch chart (featured previously in Researchers: Even "Organically Raised" Cows Are a "Climate Bomb"):
"Guilt-Free" Sushi Doesn't Include Bits of Fish
Published July 29, 2009 @ 08:21AM PT
Apparently, between yesterday's post and this one, we have a theme going: foods that require the killing of animals are not greed- and guilt-free just because they don't require the killing or exploitation of some other animals. Yesterday, I wrote about the problem of referring to Fair Trade milk chocolate as free of "greed" and as a win for the "socially conscious" when dairy consumption and "production" involve some of the greediest, cruelest human acts. And today, I'm writing in response to a Christian Science Monitor article titled "Guilt-Free Sushi."
Three Reasons Not to Eat Fish
Published July 07, 2009 @ 01:54PM PT
With a hat tip to the Twitterin' Mary Martin of Animal Person, I give you this smart, short video on the fish issue, which I'd not seen before last night:
Stay Home to Watch HOME This Weekend
Published June 12, 2009 @ 08:40AM PT
Lots and lots of people have been talking--raving, in many cases--about the documentary HOME. I planned to wait until I'd watched it myself to post about it, but given that time got away from me, and the chance to view it online for free is almost up, I'll have to change my plans--I want to be sure you get to see it too. You have just until June 14, this Sunday, to catch it online for free at YouTube (I assume it will be available all the way through Sunday, but I'm really not clear on that detail).
From the synopsis:
Endangered: Blue-Throated Macaws
Published June 01, 2009 @ 10:05AM PT
Search for "blue-throated macaw," and above and below links to sites covering their plight, you'll also find links providing info on the birds as pets. And that's frustrating considering that the (now illegal, but still alive) pet trade in blue-throated macaws is a primary reason that the species is critically endangered. The other major reason they're in trouble? The same reason so very many other wild, free-living animals are losing their homes and seeing their numbers dwindle: habitat destruction for cattle ranching.
