Comment on PRIHODA: Putting responsibility for climate change onto our own plates by NM

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It officially started with the disappearance of information about climate change from federal websites. Then, President Trump barred the Environmental Protection Agency from publishing studies or data prior to review by his notoriously anti-environment political appointees. As journalist/activist Naomi Klein points out, the resistance to environmentally-friendly policy is not in fact, actual disbelief in the science, but rather a deep-seated fear of the inevitable change in markets that would necessarily come with environmentally responsible policy. One of the world’s leading climatologists, Professor Michael Mann of Pennsylvania State University, has called for a “rebellion” by scientists against Donald Trump – but of course, climate change is not just a scientist’s issue; it is everybody’s issue. Though writing letters, calling our representatives, and protesting are legitimate ways of influencing how policy is shaped, we must recognize our power as consumers in shaping the future of our world.
Fortunately, we have the opportunity to exercise this power approximately three times a day when we sit down (or grab something) to eat.
While turning off the faucet while we brush our teeth, going out of our way to separate recycling and compost, or even opting for a used/hybrid car over a gas-guzzler, the lifestyle changes recommended to consumers to reduce their ecological footprint seem either insignificant or few and far between. Recently, our dietary habits have come under increasing scrutiny. In January this year, Forbes stepped out and made the following statement: the best thing we can do as individuals to combat climate change is to “become a vegetarian, or better yet a vegan”.
Let’s look at the logic behind this statement: If you trace the origins of any animal-based calorie, it is far more resource-intensive than the average plant-based calorie. Consider that animal-based foods require first and foremost the bodies of animals, and like our own, animal bodies ...


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