The argument that individual actions don’t matter in the climate change fight has gotten a lot of clout in recent years, and I tend to agree with it -- but not when it comes to meat and dairy production. I wrote about it for Earth Day:
Kenny Torrella
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Kenny Torrella
@KennyTorrella
- Another shot fired in the milk wars, this time from @oatly with full-page ads in NYT, LAT, and WaPo: oatly.com/en-us/things-w…
- The Colorado River, which provides water for 1 in 8 Americans, is running dry partly due to climate change. But at least half of the water goes to meat & dairy production (a driver of climate change). My thoughts on dietary adaptation on a warming planet:
- I've been working on this for the last couple months and now I get to share it: Meat/Less — a 5-part @voxdotcom newsletter to help people eat well & do good. Tips on what to eat/cook/buy, but also a detailed look into the impact of our food choices.
- Aubrey Plaza's "got milk?" ad asserts that only "real" milk is from cows. It's an odd argument for Big Dairy to stake its future on -- humans have made milk from plants for centuries, and 2/3 of people have difficulty digesting lactose. That's not all...
- If you’re “pro-ribeye,” you have to grapple with what that entails: supporting an industry that’s fueling climate change, water/air pollution, labor violations, zoonotic risk, animal suffering. I get it, meat tastes good, but it’s weird to oppose humane/sustainable alternatives.The beauty of democracy: people can join the pro-bio slop caucus, but I’m in the pro-ribeye one.
- A new study found that one out of every four land animals raised for food in 2019 wound up in the trash. That’s 18 billion animals total, or 2.4 for every human on earth. It’s incredibly bad in the US where it’s 7.1 animals wasted per person. vox.com/future-perfect…
- Fish farming is supposed to give overexploited oceans a break. But a new study finds that it may be taking way more fish out of oceans to feed farmed fish than previously thought. New story of mine up on Vox today, replete with new charts:
- 1/Today we launched a 10-story series called How Factory Farming Ends about the past and future of the fight against factory farming. To commemorate it, I'm going to share thoughts on each piece as they roll out this week.
- Great to see NYT cover where most of the Colorado River's water goes -- feed for beef cattle and dairy cows -- and the need for dietary change. For a (maybe too) deep dive into the issue check out my piece from April on the issue:
- Tyson Foods is now selling "climate-friendly" beef. The major entities involved on the project declined interview requests when I asked to see the math. The USDA said I'd need to file a FOIA request for the most basic info to verify the claim.
- The meat industry's war on wildlife: Each year, a federal program kills 1.5 to 5 million wild animals, most of them in an effort to protect the livestock industry. Ex-employees and conservationists say it's ineffective and inhumane.
- Every state has an anti-cruelty statute, but most exempt “customary farming practices” -- as long as it's commonly used in the industry, it’s fine. The industry defines what's cruel and what isn't. A judge is now questioning that.
- 1/Some of the world’s largest environmental groups have thrown their weight behind meat and dairy greenwashing projects, including “climate-friendly” beef, “net-zero” dairy, the meteoric rise of regenerative ranching, and hyper “efficient” Frankenchickens.
