Climate Change and National Public Radio

[Alistair]

Might seem an odd place to put this but there is a connection - read on.

NPR is currently asking people to tell them what they want to learn about climate change. I am not a US citizen so they might ignore my note but for those that are in the US, please ask about the relationship between greenhouse gases and livestock.

Please ask your question here. (http://www.npr.org/contact/climate.html)

My note to them is below.
I saw the reports of the UN FAO, talking about "the long shadow of livestock" making more greenhouse gas than transport. Since then I have heard a little about methane being a critical greenhouse gas that has it's main effects in the first 20 years, making it 60 times more potent than CO2, but because it is looked at over 100 years, the effect is only quoted as about 20 times stronger than CO2.
If this is the case, doesn't this mean that we could have a significant effect on global warming in our lifetimes by cutting down on methane emissions? Since livestock are one of the largest methane sources; maybe we should stop breeding the huge herds that the UN FAO was referring to.
I would like to learn more about the impact that could be made in the short term, if we limited the dependence on livestock.

[my3labs]

Nice job Alistair. I'll compose and send them something this weekend.

[Alistair]

Thanks my3labs.

I hesitate about openly saying ''vegan'' just because I don't want to unduly prejudice my suggestion by giving the person reading it a chance to understand the question in the framework of their concept of vegan, instead of looking at it as a free-standing question worth looking into.

Just my approach however. I am quite happy them learning that we are right, all on their own. :D

[Oracl]

That is a great comment, Alistair. :agree: I know what you mean about using the 'vegan' word. :sigh:

[my3labs]

I think we can all relate to the instant judgment and dismissal after saying that we're "vegan". Good call.

[Gliondrach]

Yes, it's probably better not to mention veganism.

[Alistair]

I have to be very careful at times when saying that I am from Animal Liberation. People have their own ideas about that too. The connection with ALF is regretable in our opinion (ALSA) because it is a label for a range of reprehensible acts as well as positive advocacy. It's almost impossible for one to not tar the other.

[Gliondrach]

You could say that you are an anti-cruelty or anti-injustice campaigner.