Friday, June 01, 2018
Will veganism save the world?
Be VEGAN if you want to, BUT You won't save the planet.
1. Its more costly and risky to resources (soils especially) to try and grow crops everywhere- both with or without irrigation. ( there is more of course , including dietary requirements, high risk of salinity and shocking soils in Savannah and Grassland-but not the focus here )
2 We do not live in the Garden of Eden where we might harvest parts of plants for every season .If we are going to be good conservationists, we need to be realists about where we live. Understand and use the resources we do have well.
3 Where we do live is in ecosystems called Savannah or Grassland. ( sparse trees) Time to call all greenies to recognize the right place for trees. In Savannah trees are sparse and or temporary so the right place for trees is not all over the place.
This is where we really live now Grassland
(like most of Africa , much of the US and mid latitudes) means 3-6 months of drought each year, which means temporary GRASSLAND and temporary lots of things. ( Annual plants dominate ). Grass is the main crop - not trees, as many falsely believe.
Here to compare is tropical savannah which is also grassland
(like most of Africa , much of the US and mid latitudes) means 3-6 months of drought each year, which means temporary GRASSLAND and temporary lots of things. ( Annual plants dominate ). Grass is the main crop - not trees, as many falsely believe.
Here to compare is tropical savannah which is also grassland
--The only animals that can digest grass are ruminants. (Built with a number of stomachs and teeth to chew cud ) The animals that don't die in the annual drought , or that aren't eaten while in their prime, can often starve. Even a good set of front teeth
won't last, so older animals miss out on a good feed in a grassland when the grass is short or "gone to seed “.If you want to worship nature respect the fact that animals will starve, kill and die in big numbers.
3. If we are going to help solve the real problems of sharing and have something to share ( which we can do because the earth produces abundantly in season ) we need to be realistic , not idealistic about nature.
4. We should IMO feel the hurt of death; including of our own fellow creatures , but let's not let that reality turn us away from our choices within reality . If Nature is, or appears to be cruel ; , we don't need to be ..
We often have the choice to cull, for example ; That is, culling can be considered if its not cruel. Culling can be , not only a high "calling" but a desperately dangerous ambition (eg Pol Pot ):
Difficult choices and balance in those choices.
To be truly human is be involved in the tough decisions and not, as many do, avoid the possibility and necessity of choices
Culling or population control is often the lesser of two evils, but it can be also the right thing to do . Being cruel to be kind is an inadequate phrase, but it spells out the reality we need to teach each other and our children .
We don't have to do culling cruelly or with much pain eg on a farm with animals you care about. None of this is easy but it can be necessary if we are to live inside and with nature . A gun is needed on a farm to shoot your horse / // ,,/ sick ,,, /,,,,,,,,before it suffers more after a nasty fall/ injury !
On the mutual beneficial side ; Fat is what gives flavor to the eater ( protein is tasteless which is why you don't let meat dry out ) and comfort to the owner . Enjoy the productive season while it lasts. Combine the animals enjoyable moments with yours. Share the fat and the flavor and stop pretending you don't enjoy it
Go on --do what you would do - eat up on your last days and enjoy it .
Give the old folks with no teeth a cruise .
So you don't believe me ?
try this https://qz.com/749443/being-vegan-isnt-as-environmentally-friendly-as-you-think/
Labels: animal husbandry, fattening stock, flovor, sustainablity, vegan, vegans, vegetarian, vegetarinism
