The end of beef

Since I became passionate about climate change issues, which admittedly is still recent (from March, 2008), I've decreased my beef consumption to almost nothing. Ocassionally I have a hamburger at a pub or a steak but there's usually no meat in the house and when there is it's chicken. It helps when you live with 3 vegetarians.

I avoid beef because of the high global warming effect of producing beef (cows belch methane which is 25 times more lethal than CO2), the inhumane industrialisation and mechanization of cow slaughter through feedlots, and the chemical "enhancements" of beef into toy food with strange properties such as lasting forever and "nutritional" benefits.

However, after reading this article from Scientific America, I'm debating whether to quit beef. Forever. Turns out that the global warming effect of beef consumption is much scarier than I thought. For example, the carbon equivalent emissions of a beef hamburger patty is equivalent to driving a car for 10 miles. Also, in order to produce a kilo of beef, you basically need 10 kilos of crop which can be used to feed much more hungry people for longer time. Raising cows also require more land which contributes greatly to deforestation in developing countries, where meat demand is increasing the fastest. When forests are cut, the CO2 that trees lock up in the ground are released causing more global warming.

Why don't I just quit beef then? Well, as in everything in life there is always another side.

First of all there is locally produced and distributed, humanely treated, organic, grass fed beef at small quantities that are not mass produced, and sold at premium prices (well depicted in Omnivore's dilemma by Michael Pollan). At geogrpahic areas where forests can not be planted I can't see why it shouldn't exist. Secondly there are cultures where the preparation of a particular beef dish is a real art and part of their identity as people, and I respect that.

I guess my conclusion is that unless I face a situation with the above conditions, I quit beef. Forever.