Guest guest Posted June 4, 2007 Report Share Posted June 4, 2007 Now I know this guy is a total prat and hates any green issues or the people who support them, but I thought it amusing, and some of the comments at the bottom are good................ Save the planet, eat a vegan Jeremy Clarkson Good news. It seems that your car and your fondness for sunken light bulbs in every alcove are not warming up the planet after all. In fact, according to new research, power stations and transport produce lots of carbon dioxide, but in addition they also produce lots of aerosols that, in the short term at least, help keep the planet as cool as a deodorant model’s armpits. So who has come up with this new theory? Some half-crazed nitwit with a motoring show to protect? George Bush? A bloke in the pub? No. In fact it comes from an organisation called EarthSave, which is run and funded, so far as I can tell, by the usual array of free-range communists and fair trade hippies. The facts it produces, however, are intriguing. Methane, which pours from a cow’s bottom on an industrial scale every few minutes, is 21 times more powerful as a greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide. And as a result, farmed animals are doing more damage to the climate than all the world’s transport and power stations put together. What’s more, demand for beef means more and more of the world’s forests are being chopped down, and more and more pressure is being put on our water supplies. Plainly, then, EarthSave is encouraging us to go into the countryside at the first possible opportunity and lay waste to anything with more than one stomach. Maybe it wants me to shoot my donkeys. Happily what it’s actually saying is that you can keep your car and your walk-in fridge, but you’ve got to stop eating meat. In fact you’ve got to stop eating all forms of animal products. No more milk. No more cheese. And if it can be proven that bees fart, then no more honey either. You’ve got to become a vegan. Now of course if you don’t like the taste of meat, then it’s perfectly reasonable to become a vegetablist. It’s why people who don’t like, say, John Prescott become Conservatives. But becoming a vegan? Short of being paraded on the internet while wearing a fluffy pink tutu, I can think of nothing I’d like less. Eating a plate of food that contains no animal product of any kind marks you down as a squirrel. Eating only vegetables is like deciding to talk using only consonants. You need vowels or you make no sense. Of course there are certain weeds I like very much. Cauliflower and leeks particularly. But these are an accompaniment to food, useful only for filling up the plate and absorbing the gravy. The idea of eating only a cauliflower, without even so much as a cheese sauce, fills me with dread. There are wider implications, too. Let us imagine that the world decided today to abandon its appetite for sausage rolls, joints of beef and meat-infused Mars bars. What effect would this have on the countryside? Where now you find fields full of grazing cows and truffling pigs, there would be what exactly? Hardcore vegetablists like to imagine that the land would be returned to the indigenous species, that you could go for a walk without a farmer shooting your dog, and that you’d see all manner of pretty flowers and lots of jolly new creatures. Wolves, for instance. In fact if animal farmers were driven away, the land would be divided up in two ways. Some would be given over to the growing of potatoes – the ugliest crop in Christendom – and the rest would be bought by rock stars. Either way, Janet Street-Porter and her ridiculous gaggle of ramblers in their noisy clothes and stupid hats would still get short shrift. What’s more, there’d be no grassland because there’d be no animals to graze. And there’d be no woods either because without pheasants what’s the point? I’m sure EarthSave dreams of a land as pristine as nature intended but it’d be no such thing. Within about three weeks Britain would look like Saskatchewan. So plainly the best thing we can do if we want to save the world, preserve the English countryside and keep on eating meat, is to work out a way that animals can be made to produce less methane. Scientists in Germany are working on a pill that helps, but apparently this has a number of side effects. These are not itemised, but I can only assume that if you trap the gas inside the cow one of the drawbacks is that it might explode. Nasty. And unnecessary. We all know that the activity of our bowels is governed by our diet. We know, for instance, that if we have an afternoon meeting with a bunch of top sommeliers in a small windowless room it’s best not to lunch on brussel sprouts and baked beans. Recently I spent eight days in a car with my co-host from Top Gear James May, who has a notoriously flatulent bottom. But because he was living on army rations – mashed up Greenpeace leaflets to which you add water – the interior was always pine fresh and lemon zesty. So if we know – and we do – that diet can be used to regulate the amount of methane coming out of the body, then surely it is not beyond the wit of man to change the diet of farmyard animals. At the moment, largely, cows eat grass and silage, and as we’ve seen, this is melting the ice caps and killing us all. So they need a new foodstuff: something that is rich in iron, calcium and natural goodness. Plainly they can’t eat meat so here’s an idea to chew on. Why don’t we feed them vegetarians? Have your say Loved the humor and sensible nature of your article. Funny how these inconvenient-truth-believing-holier-than-thou blue noses are so much like temperance union Calvinist protestant teetotalers, all, in effect, buttoned up with their tight collars and laced corsets, glaring down at all the "irresponsible" people having fun and enjoying delicious feasts. You said "eat the vegans"; it's funny, but in all these environmentalist's "unquestionable certainty" and "100% scientific consensus," they remind me of 18th century missionaries, thinking it was their mandate to bring "the Lord" to the South Pacific Polynesians to save them from their life of naked savagery, free love, and imagined cannibalism. I'm really not quite sure why, but it seems that every era needs to be burdened by some society of intolerants who make it their business to put limits on the activities of everybody else. The false, distorted manipulation that they think is a science is merely this group's "Holy writ". Tom Osborne, Los Angeles, California Jeremy never fails to make me laugh, but it's always frustrating that in the name of humour factual accuracy and logic is lost. I don't wish to embark upon a rant about how everyone should go vegan and only wear hemp forevermore, neither am I about to bury my teeth in some raw bloody steak to prove I'm not an 'effing hippy'... However, I do reccomend a touch of the middle ground, the shades of grey instead of the usual black-white conundrum. Maybe you'd advocate cutting down on meat without having to forgoe it? Of course, I understand there's no sweeping statement of personality in being rational, it's just not self serving, after all it's only funny to be extreme - but some readers short of a few opinions of their own actually take your humour as gospel - and that's not helping anybody, except your ratings. Keep up the good work, but make mention of the truth eh Jezzer?! Rebecca Vegan, Manchester, if god hadn't wanted us to eat meat substitutes, he wouldn't have made them taste so good. I feel the real problem here is that poor jemmers doesn't have much imagination when it comes to food. there is a bit more to the veggie diet than caulis and leek. given a personal cook, he'd no doubt be happy. and with the health and clear conscience benefits, he could devote more time to being mean to the french. then he'd just a need a decent haircut. keep up, jeremy... when you get a vegan from germany joking about nutmilk, you know the game's up. deep down, everyone knows climate changes according to a natural cycle. people take jets to get to warmer places, so the world heats up, so they don't need to travel, leading to cooling... and so on. er... I think. anyway.... meanwhile, eating animals is inefficient and cruel. and there is no way shawn's ancestors were ever at the top of any food chain. jem, london, uk As a vegan I guess I feel some need to raise to the bait (carrot?) of this article. It is true that cattle are a huge environmental problem. Putting aside methane, cattle production is responsible for a huge amount of land-clearing/degradation (much land clearing is either for directly to raise cattle or to indirectly to raise crops to feed cattle). I don't mind people saying they can't live without their daily meat fix, but it's disingenuous to disagree with the facts. Perhaps it's worth remembering that our daily meat fix is a relatively recent phenomenon: people were largely vegetarian only a couple hundred years ago. The mass production of cattle is a recent phenomenon. I find it somewhat amusing/ironic that an Englishman would be worried about only having to eat cauliflower as a vegan. Lots of cuisines around the world offer many vegan choices: try Italian, Greek, or Asian. I have even some very nice vegan dishes from the classic English curry house over the years. patrick wilken, magdeburg, germany It really seems that most of the posters here do not actually understand what the column is about, why it is written, how debate is stimulated or what humour is. But then most are American. A totally vegan diet would certainly have the major benefit of making ones lifetime feel much longer. Keep challenging Jeremy Alex, London, England Joel Dignam, Thanks mate for given me just one more reason for avoiding Adelaide kike the plague Steve , Sunshine Coast, Australia Looks like mankind's advancement is impossible without global warming. We're all here for a reason. Environmentalists do their bit by demanding more efficient technologies. They drag us back to the stone age when in fact they ensure our quick development. Now everyone go back to work and stop being selfish, hateful and stupid. Vlad, Sofia, Bulgaria But, but, I don't WANT to eat a vegan! They're all stringy, and I bet they have lost of gristle! Ewww! Psst, Mr Burgess, I'm a greenie (not a veggie, though, I think especially veganism is totally unnatural, and I only know extremely unhealthy, pale looking vegans). starling, Lancaster, Amusing article with some good points as always Mr Clarkson! Two points for the vegetable munching brigade to consider: 1) Rice production currently accounts for approximately 13 percent of global methane emissions. The rice paddies contain methane producing bacteria. 2) Much farmland given over to meat production is wholly unsuitable for cereal/vegetable crops. I don't think you're going to see combine harvesters going up hills in Wales for example. Pete, Bristol, Engalnd Mike from NY I disagree with you. What have you got to say about that? No one argues climate change? Rubbish. The main influence on our climate is the big orange thing in the sky. Let's hope it stays nice and warm so that we can avoid another ice-age in 40,000 years or so. Mark H, Lausanne , Switzerland I reckon if we hung up the vegans to dry for a few days and then grind them up into feed the cows probably would enjoy them, with all that lettuce the veggies eat they probably taste like grass. Here in France Vegans are almost inexistant (thank god) so how do we feed our cows, should we breed English vegans in "vegan farms" to feed them to our cattle? John-Paul, Mondeville, France Another belter from Jezza! I cannot believe that people are taking him seriously! More fool them!!! Mike Rigby, Leicester, UK Mr. Clarkson, it is shameful how amazingly uninformed and arrogant you are. I understand your job is to write ridiculous columns so people will read them, but you can still do that while being informed. Your "reporting" of EarthSave's positions is entirely incorrect, and you clearly don't understand the issues involved in the environmental, or even diet, debates. Dave, Chicago, IL, USA Your arrogance about his arrogance bothers me. I don'e like it. Marc, Cardo, MT To Geoff Russell. You may, or may not know that Clarkson is a humourist, NOT a Scientific Journalist. You missed the point by such a wide margin. It does prove one generalisation, everything that comes from Adelaide is boring and pointless. Michael Holloway, Sydney, Australia/ NSW Ha ha - the veggie, tree hugger, greenies have little or no sense of humour - I'm surprised they are not all in 'psychotherapy'. Lighten up, have a laugh and eat a hot dog - go on, you know it makes sense. Ian Burgess, Bristol, So now it's aerosols helping keep the planet cool and Angus and Jersey cattle heating it ?? Just an udder day in crazy enviro la-la land. Save my sanity, eat a Greeny Group. Justin, Wuhan, China If we stopped eating animal products all together to "save the animals" and thus no longer needing domesticated cows, pigs, etc. What would become of those species, to be honest I really believe that farmed pig, cattle, etc, are all a pseud-endangered species, in that if the demand for them as a food product was no longer, they as a species would no longer exist, since they only exist on farms. rob fussell, huntsville, alabama The food available for people that choose not to eat meat is far beyond your assumed experience it seems (why people choose to write about things they know nothing of is beyond me... and it makes them look rather silly, and frankly, dumb). No one is arguing climate change: it's happening and everyone agrees. What people are arguing is whether or not it's due to industrialization. Leading reports suggest that man is the cause of the exponential changes dawning exactly with the onset of the industrial age. Not eating meat is just one thing we could do in an attempt to stall our additions to the current changes in our climate, not to mention the plethora of health benefits of not eating meat, especially in the form that most American's eat. And lastly, to just throw your hands in the air and say "bah, there's nothing we can do anyway" is exactly the kind of lazy, greedy drivel that creates these messes in the first place. The world would be a better place without people like that in it. Mike, New York, NY I'm a vegan from Germany and I found this article amusing. What Jeremy (which I remember from my time in The Netherlands where BBC is in the standard cable package) forgets however is that most plants grown today are fed to animals. A vegan nation would require about a third of the land that is used today, so to go totally vegan does not only help the climate, but on the other two thirds freed farm land, biomass for energy production could be grown. So no more fossils... And as for the diet itself, the mistake Jeremy is making is very common. In fact, the vegan diet is much richer with a great variety of over 30.000 eatable plants and other vegan foods. It's just that people don't know about it. Just look for example at the milks we have. There is soymilk, ricemilk, nutmilks (nothing naughty), oatmilk, cocomilk and even potatomilk which I haven't tried yet as that is just available in the U.S. But it's very common for people to just see the hole on their plate when thinking vegan food. Anna Schwerdtfeger, Berlin, Germany I knew it! Cows have always been the major contributor to the methane problem. But consider this; Cows eat grass and not much else, and that alone makes them windier than James May? So why are we all encouraged to turn veggie? After living on a diet of vegetables and pulses some years back for an experiement, I know what it is like to be a social hermit! The gasses eminating from my direction were neither fragrant nor gentle on the environment. The answer is a chemical one. Eat like Dr Atkins says and you get smelly feet and breath. Eat a vegetarian diet and lose all your friends. Balance, That's what's needed. As long as you eat a whole head of broccoli with your pound of Sirloin you digestive system will thank you for it, and so will the ozone layer! Life On Mars, Honsea, East Yorkshire if god did not want you to eat meat he would not have made it taste so nice rob street, gold coast, aus I'm sick of hearing how great a vegetarian diet is. If we all moved to a vegan life style more stress would be put on current farmland and to relieve it. The continued destruction of whole ecosystems would result, all to feed the masses. This has already caused the local extinction of many animals. In short we all have blood on our hands and vegans who think they don't have no clue where their food comes from. (My ancestors did not claw their way to the top of the food chain for me to become a vegetarian.) Shawn, St. Paul, USA / Minnesota This is a strange thing. Cows are vegetarians and the methane they are farting is warming the planet . So, in fact we need to forbidden peoples to be vegetarians, because a veg diet is worst than a meat-based diet, considering the question of warming of planet Earth(a stupid thing, which are costing hundreds of billions of dollars and at max 70 years, will have a mini-ace age and AL Gore will be in your grave, laughing of us and his descendants, very, very rich, because Mr. Gore invest your fortune in renewable energy). Eric, Araucária, Brazil/Paraná It is not a matter of black or white but instead the shifting of preferences towards a more healthy lifestyle, we could eat vegan during working days, because meat is no good anyway and causes a slowing and sleepy digestion, and enjoy a steak or chicken on the weekend, that way we could have a cleaner working atmosphere. Enrique, La Paz, Bolivia So Mr. Clarkson, England would look like Saskatchewan after about three weeks. Would that be like the northern half of the province with all the trees and lakes or the southern part with the rolling prairie and Cypress Hills? John Corkery, Calgary, Alberta, Canada O.K. Everyone stops eating meat, no more meat animals that eat plants and fart methane. So, everyone eats bushes, and all 5 - 6 billion people start farting methane. So? What's the difference?? LameBear, Small Town, WY Next thing you know, oxygen will be declared a pollutant. Because breathing makes you grow old and die. Never mind what not breathing does to you, we have a scientific consensus, with charts and graphs and stuff. Climates change. There is no one perfect mix of atmospheric gases that will turn the whole world into a fertile utopia, or even bring the weather under our direct control. All the greens are going to do is starve thousands, maybe millions, of people to death over climate changes that the entire human race, working together, couldn't do a single damn thing to prevent, let alone cause. Tatterdemalian , Slapout, AL I strongly disagree with two points made in this article: 1) The facts of this "new" theory... It has been known for a very long time that methane is far more potent than carbon dioxide as a greenhouse gas. Any "new" research into this was a waste of time and money. Oh, and those aerosols that 'cool' the planet? What are they, how do they do it, and what is the environmental impact? Are they toxic? Are they therefore a viable 'temporary solution?' These are important questions I would ask right away (which are not addressed at all here). 2) ...farm animals are doing more damage as a result... Simply not true. Just because methane is more potent as a GHG, doesn't mean it contributes more to the greenhouse effect; CO2 is more abundant by far and contributes much more than methane to the greenhouse effect. Get your facts straight before writing any more articles, Mr. Clarkson. Eddie, Bloomington, USA/IN typical 'how stupid that must be to think cows are causing global warming!'. listen, i'm not a vegan, but you're an idiot if you don't think it adds up that billions of these huge animals are doing this every day. not to mention people suffer and die from starvation which would be inexistant if we instead focused on grains rather than meat. also not to mention several ancient and modern religious texts which describe abstaining from meat as a method to attain spiritual purity. yeah, i do enjoy meat, i probably won't stop, but i'm not going to sit here and let you say stupid things like 'save the world, eat a vegan' and act like you're funny or correct over it. Matt, Coram, NY As a vegan, I feel this author is very misinformed. Not eating animal products is nothing outlandish, especially with all the cruelty-free alternatives available today. Perhaps next time the author could do so much as a Google Search, to find out if their statements are even remotely accurate. Courtney Babcock, East Lyme, USA, CT Like this one, Jeremy. I assume it will end up in your next book? As for farting cows being bad for the planet. Complete and utter dross, coughed up by an eco-zealot without a clue. Some of the biggest sources of methane are termites and bogs, and rumminants have been around in abundance long before humans appeared without the planet overheating. Upon release Methane slowly oxidises to water and carbon-dioxyde. The carbon atoms in those farts were previously in the grass that the cow ate, grass which grew by absorbing the carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Ed Zuiderwijk, Cambridge, UK nice to see he cites all his sources and evidence; this guy isn't an actual climatologist or any sort of scientist. why does he think he is qualified? Edd, Tunbridge wells, UK As you point out a vegan diet would help our global warming situation. However a vegan lifestyle has huge (probably the best) health benefits, as well as having the bonus of not falling into speciesism and the torture of non-human animals. If you 'need' to eat meat, try alternatives as the person above has suggested. However the idea of pumping MORE hormones and chemicals into livestock (which ultimately will come out in the milk and go into you) is insane, inhumane and unnecessary. Nicola, Wiltshire, Although methane lasts less long in the atmosphere, in the short term it is far more damaging. Therefore, while reducing Carbon Dioxide levels is necessary, it's the long-term solution. In the short term, we should do what we can to limit the amount of methane being produced. It's interesting that you mock this argument, yet fail to set up any serious criticism rather than your own wit. Even becoming a vegetarian would be a significant step in terms of reducing the amount of methane entering the atmosphere, being a vegan is simply going one better. The land which would become available if this lifestyle was more widespread could be used to grow crops such as the soya bean, which is a far more energy efficient source of sustenance. Joel Dignam, Adelaide, Australia Somehow, I knew the post about vegetarian mock-meat came from a Malaysian long before I got to the end. I second SD Goh, lol! There is a solution, and it lies in the Malaysian Vegetarian Restaurants where you can order a hamburger and save the world at the same time. YJ Tan, PJ, Malaysia I havent looked at the study, but it seems to me that the animals would not be adding any carbon to the atmosphere - since they eat plants which pulled carbon out of the atmosphere when they grew. Its not like the cows are eating petroleum coming out of the ground and putting carbon in the air. Alex, slc, UT, USA mw in Hong Kong: The greenhouse effect is real, it's the reason we exist. If it wasn't real, temperatures would be about 80C colder. Jez: I think we can now safely say you've not quite grasped the science. Entertaining read though! Andy G, Manchester, UK In your heart, Mr. Clarkson, I believe you desire a better world; for yourself, and for the generations to come, including those of your family. It has been proven beyond question that a vegan diet is compassionate, healthy, and better for the environment. It is the sane, responsible choice when it comes to eating. Meat-eating, on the other hand, does not contribute to the creation of a better world. Those who consume animal products are directly responsible for the cruelty inflicted on the animals, and for contributing to an unsustainably high level of destruction to our one and only planet Earth. I enjoy watching Top Gear. I'm rather disgusted, however, to read this irresponsible, misinformed, ill-conceived diatribe. For your sake, and for everyone else's, please think, speak, and write more carefully. Please use your talents and your notoriety to heal our world. Sincere thanks, Loren Hart Loren Hart, Chapel Hill, North Carolina Hi Jeremy Great article and you're right. Manmade made CO2 isn't the problem . The biggest problem is water vapour which accounts for nearly 80% of greenhouse gases, so maybe what we need is a great big pair of sunglasses for the planet to keep out the pesky sun. Apart from that, global warming ha occurred many times in the past and has only ever lead to greater prosperity and abundance of food. Even the Polar bears loved it the last time otherwise they would have been extinct centuries ago. Personally I think the uk could do with a few extra degrees then we can get back to making wine in Yorkshire just like the Romans did. Their Carbon emissions must have horrendous, what with all those horse drawn charriots belching out methane! a bientot Max Ashton Savoie, France Max Ashton, Lescheraines, France Are you hoping all the veggies/vegans will write in in droves because you've upset them all? Well as a veggie I agree with you about most of this - but feeding me to a cow won't help. They're not carnivorous for a start and I'm no more healthy, full of goodness and calcium rich than you are. A Vegan/Vegetarian diet won't save the planet it will turn it into a desert. The world has heated up and cooled down since it first formed and there's nothing me, you or anyone/anything else can do about it. Jan , London , I've just finished a week on a vegan diet. It was the longest, most depressing week of my life (oh there was no caffeine or alcohol either). Constantly hungry and depressed, I almost lost the will to live. Also, given that I was theoretically eating a fraction of what I could before, it was vastly more expensive. Three times the normal price, to buy a bag of pasta apparently made from tree-bark and spit. Pork pie anyone? Suzie, Cornwall, England I'm intrigued by the so called scientific and logical reasonings in your write-up that to save our planet we should turn into strict vegan , b'cos our cows and buffalos fart too much and pollute our environment. So keep away from all farm products, no more milk, or cheese or even eggs and poultry , or chicken tikkas anc curries etc. if someone comes up with the idea of chickens and eggs spouting off. It's tough to buy out this argument, my bowels don't chew up .As a matter of fact more than half of our Indian society believes in strict and pure vegetarianism, where even garlic and onion are abstained off from their puritanical diet. Going by the logic, India should be saved of its green house effect and global warming. On the contrary , the changes in the climate and its uncertainity , even freak weather conditions are now noticeable.Eating beef is nothing short of a sin in our society.Emission of industrial gases, fossilised fuels, ozone depletion etc need to be put under control. Sandy, New Delhi, India Non-meat should never pretend to be meat. Seriously. bill, Minneapolis, usa How about putting the cows in a nice big shed and sucking the methane out with a fan. Methane burns real well - you might be able to run your car on it with a bit of tinkering. Everyone's happy. Redcliffe, London, Much of what Clarkson has to say I agree with. Its his arrogance I dont. Michael, London, When we're going to start battling nature and natural processes, we're way off, simple as that. The cow eating the grass is something that would've happened with or without man (Without the cows would probably have been bigger though) so... Well... Don't. Soon enough we're going to try to block out the sun because it gives alot of people cancer... That'll be great............. Richard Slade, Ystad, Sweden Does "Meltwater pulse 1A" mean anything to you? You could try reading some scientific journals, but Wikipedia might be more your style. Sea level rises of 1m every 20 years for about 400 years. That period of warming was intiated by the Sun --- about 1/4 watt/sq meter is the difference due to changes in the earths orbit which caused us to enter and leave ice ages. We are currently causing an imbalance of about 1.5 watts/sq meter over the surface of the planet, which is why scientists who actually know about Meltwater pulse 1A (or any other of the rapid warmings that have occured in the past 1/2 million years) aren't laughing. I suggest you read Fred Pearce's book "With Speed and Violence". Pearce is a science journalist with New Scientist. I am hoping that he will produce a cartoon version of the book suitable for for motoring journalists. P.S. Very little methane come from the back end of cattle --- it comes from the front. Geoff Russell, Adelaide, Australia To start off .. i do not believe in green house effect .. but just for your information ... methane decompose in the atmosphere at a rate much faster than carbon dioxide .. (something like less than 30 days) .. whereas carbon dioxide takes millions of yrs to decompose .. therefore must scientist only focus on eliminating carbon dioxide .. rather than the NOx and SOx alternatives. Personally i think designing a way to kill cow farts is a stupid waste of time and money .. since it would decompose itself anyway .. mw, Hong Kong, Jeremy, the ingenious Chinese chefs of the vegetarian restaurants here now sprouting all over the place and elsewhere in East Asia like wild lingzhi mushrooms, have found a way of weaning diehards carnivores like yourself from a meat-based diet to a vegetarian one, in line with the philosophy (religious belief apart) that abjuring meat will make us less carnal and aggressive.They have done this by replacing meat/fish items with mock ones made mainly from textured veg (soya) protein which is so convincing in its verisimilitude that it can fool even a veteran gastronome! Mock duck/chic drumstick, mock fish steak, mock pork cutlet etc. (A skeptic will say, why this mockery and illusion, you either eat the real thing or not at all! ) Their wide range and choice of dishes can satisfy even the most jaded palate and believe you me, once you have tasted them you will not miss the original, though, in my case, the occasional craving for roast beef and Yorkshire pudding is, well, hard to resist! SD Goh, PJ, MALAYSIA Jeremy, You sound like you're starting to believe that global warming is something mankind is either responsible for or can control. Secondly, don't grey squirrels eat fledgling birds from the nest? That hardly makes then vegan. Mark McGiffin, Singapore, SingaporePeter H Mail is the world's favourite email. Don't settle for less, sign up for your free account today. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 5, 2007 Report Share Posted June 5, 2007 He is a prat, always has been, and he's also amusing. Best ignored. Jo , peter VV <swpgh01 wrote: > > Now I know this guy is a total prat and hates any green issues or the people who support them, but I thought it amusing, and some of the comments at the bottom are good................ > Save the planet, eat a vegan Jeremy Clarkson > > > Good news. It seems that your car and your fondness for sunken light bulbs in every alcove are not warming up the planet after all. > In fact, according to new research, power stations and transport produce lots of carbon dioxide, but in addition they also produce lots of aerosols that, in the short term at least, help keep the planet as cool as a deodorant model's armpits. > So who has come up with this new theory? Some half-crazed nitwit with a motoring show to protect? George Bush? A bloke in the pub? No. In fact it comes from an organisation called EarthSave, which is run and funded, so far as I can tell, by the usual array of free-range communists and fair trade hippies. > The facts it produces, however, are intriguing. Methane, which pours from a cow's bottom on an industrial scale every few minutes, is 21 times more powerful as a greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide. And as a result, farmed animals are doing more damage to the climate than all the world's transport and power stations put together. > What's more, demand for beef means more and more of the world's forests are being chopped down, and more and more pressure is being put on our water supplies. > Plainly, then, EarthSave is encouraging us to go into the countryside at the first possible opportunity and lay waste to anything with more than one stomach. Maybe it wants me to shoot my donkeys. Happily what it's actually saying is that you can keep your car and your walk-in fridge, but you've got to stop eating meat. > In fact you've got to stop eating all forms of animal products. No more milk. No more cheese. And if it can be proven that bees fart, then no more honey either. You've got to become a vegan. > Now of course if you don't like the taste of meat, then it's perfectly reasonable to become a vegetablist. It's why people who don't like, say, John Prescott become Conservatives. But becoming a vegan? Short of being paraded on the internet while wearing a fluffy pink tutu, I can think of nothing I'd like less. > Eating a plate of food that contains no animal product of any kind marks you down as a squirrel. Eating only vegetables is like deciding to talk using only consonants. You need vowels or you make no sense. > Of course there are certain weeds I like very much. Cauliflower and leeks particularly. But these are an accompaniment to food, useful only for filling up the plate and absorbing the gravy. The idea of eating only a cauliflower, without even so much as a cheese sauce, fills me with dread. > There are wider implications, too. Let us imagine that the world decided today to abandon its appetite for sausage rolls, joints of beef and meat-infused Mars bars. What effect would this have on the countryside? > Where now you find fields full of grazing cows and truffling pigs, there would be what exactly? > Hardcore vegetablists like to imagine that the land would be returned to the indigenous species, that you could go for a walk without a farmer shooting your dog, and that you'd see all manner of pretty flowers and lots of jolly new creatures. Wolves, for instance. > In fact if animal farmers were driven away, the land would be divided up in two ways. Some would be given over to the growing of potatoes – the ugliest crop in Christendom – and the rest would be bought by rock stars. Either way, Janet Street-Porter and her ridiculous gaggle of ramblers in their noisy clothes and stupid hats would still get short shrift. > What's more, there'd be no grassland because there'd be no animals to graze. And there'd be no woods either because without pheasants what's the point? I'm sure EarthSave dreams of a land as pristine as nature intended but it'd be no such thing. Within about three weeks Britain would look like Saskatchewan. > So plainly the best thing we can do if we want to save the world, preserve the English countryside and keep on eating meat, is to work out a way that animals can be made to produce less methane. > Scientists in Germany are working on a pill that helps, but apparently this has a number of side effects. These are not itemised, but I can only assume that if you trap the gas inside the cow one of the drawbacks is that it might explode. Nasty. > And unnecessary. We all know that the activity of our bowels is governed by our diet. We know, for instance, that if we have an afternoon meeting with a bunch of top sommeliers in a small windowless room it's best not to lunch on brussel sprouts and baked beans. > Recently I spent eight days in a car with my co-host from Top Gear James May, who has a notoriously flatulent bottom. But because he was living on army rations – mashed up Greenpeace leaflets to which you add water – the interior was always pine fresh and lemon zesty. > So if we know – and we do – that diet can be used to regulate the amount of methane coming out of the body, then surely it is not beyond the wit of man to change the diet of farmyard animals. > At the moment, largely, cows eat grass and silage, and as we've seen, this is melting the ice caps and killing us all. So they need a new foodstuff: something that is rich in iron, calcium and natural goodness. > Plainly they can't eat meat so here's an idea to chew on. Why don't we feed them vegetarians? > > > var show=false; var articleID = " 1874673 " ; var sHaveYourSay = 'Have your say'; var sCollapseForm = 'Hide the form'; var sHideMostComments = 'Show fewer comments'; var nTotalCharacters = 1000; // Value for the total number of characters that can be submitted - change to suit requirements // // Array of required fields for the named form var aFormEnterViewCommentValidation = new Array ('your_view','name','email','town_fs_city'); /* get the cookie string in cookie associated with cookiename */ function getCookie (Name) { var search = Name + " = " ; var CookieString = document.cookie; var result = null; if (CookieString.length> 0) { offset = CookieString.indexOf(search); if (offset != -1) { offset += search.length; end = CookieString.indexOf( " ; " , offset); if (end == -1) end = CookieString.length; result = unescape (CookieString.substring(offset, end)); } } return result ; } /* set the cookie string in cookie */ function setCookie (name, value, > lifespan) { var cookietext = name + " = " + escape(value); if (lifespan != null) { var today=new Date() ; var expiredate = new Date() ; expiredate.setTime(today.getTime() + 1000*60*60*24*lifespan); cookietext += " ; expires= " + expiredate.toGMTString(); } document.cookie = cookietext; return null; } /* validating whether required fields are being entered before submitted */ function PostingValidate(objForm) { // if remember me is checked, the information is saved into the cookies if (objForm.remember_me){ setCookie ('TimesOnlinecomment_name',objForm.name.value,30); setCookie ('TimesOnlinecomment_email',objForm.email.value,30); setCookie ('TimesOnlinecomment_city',objForm.city.value,30); setCookie ('TimesOnlinecomment_countryState',objForm.countryState.value,30); } // seting the title to article headline so that the moderator get to know on which article, comment is made objForm.title.value = " Save the planet, eat a vegan " ; > if(objForm.body.value.length== " 0 " ){ objForm.body.focus(); document.getElementById( " enter-view-comment-error- container " ).innerHTML = " Error: Please enter the comment " ; return false; } if(objForm.name.value.length== " 0 " ){ objForm.email.focus (); document.getElementById( " enter-view-comment-error- container " ).innerHTML = " Error: Please enter the Name " ; return false; } if(objForm.email.value.length== " 0 " ){ objForm.body.focus (); document.getElementById( " enter-view-comment-error- container " ).innerHTML = " Error: Please enter Email " ; return false; } if(objForm.city.value.length== " 0 " ){ objForm.body.focus (); document.getElementById( " enter-view-comment-error- container " ).innerHTML = " Error: Please enter the city " ; return false; } return true; } var sReadAllComments = " " ; > > Have your say > > fGenerateHaveYourSayLink('have-your-say-link-1', 'comments- form', sHaveYourSay); //--> > > > Loved the humor and sensible nature of your article. Funny how these inconvenient-truth-believing-holier-than-thou blue noses are so much like temperance union Calvinist protestant teetotalers, all, in effect, buttoned up with their tight collars and laced corsets, glaring down at all the " irresponsible " people having fun and enjoying delicious feasts. You said " eat the vegans " ; it's funny, but in all these environmentalist's " unquestionable certainty " and " 100% scientific consensus, " they remind me of 18th century missionaries, thinking it was their mandate to bring " the Lord " to the South Pacific Polynesians to save them from their life of naked savagery, free love, and imagined cannibalism. I'm really not quite sure why, but it seems that every era needs to be burdened by some society of intolerants who make it their business to put limits on the activities of everybody else. The false, distorted manipulation that they think is a science is merely this group's " Holy > writ " . > > Tom Osborne, Los Angeles, California > > Jeremy never fails to make me laugh, but it's always frustrating that in the name of humour factual accuracy and logic is lost. > > I don't wish to embark upon a rant about how everyone should go vegan and only wear hemp forevermore, neither am I about to bury my teeth in some raw bloody steak to prove I'm not an 'effing hippy'... However, I do reccomend a touch of the middle ground, the shades of grey instead of the usual black-white conundrum. > > Maybe you'd advocate cutting down on meat without having to forgoe it? > > Of course, I understand there's no sweeping statement of personality in being rational, it's just not self serving, after all it's only funny to be extreme - but some readers short of a few opinions of their own actually take your humour as gospel - and that's not helping anybody, except your ratings. > > Keep up the good work, but make mention of the truth eh Jezzer?! > > Rebecca Vegan, Manchester, > > if god hadn't wanted us to eat meat substitutes, he wouldn't have made them taste so good. > > I feel the real problem here is that poor jemmers doesn't have much imagination when it comes to food. there is a bit more to the veggie diet than caulis and leek. given a personal cook, he'd no doubt be happy. and with the health and clear conscience benefits, he could devote more time to being mean to the french. then he'd just a need a decent haircut. keep up, jeremy... when you get a vegan from germany joking about nutmilk, you know the game's up. > > deep down, everyone knows climate changes according to a natural cycle. people take jets to get to warmer places, so the world heats up, so they don't need to travel, leading to cooling... and so on. er... I think. anyway.... > > meanwhile, eating animals is inefficient and cruel. and there is no way shawn's ancestors were ever at the top of any food chain. > > jem, london, uk > As a vegan I guess I feel some need to raise to the bait (carrot?) of this article. It is true that cattle are a huge environmental problem. Putting aside methane, cattle production is responsible for a huge amount of land-clearing/degradation (much land clearing is either for directly to raise cattle or to indirectly to raise crops to feed cattle). I don't mind people saying they can't live without their daily meat fix, but it's disingenuous to disagree with the facts. Perhaps it's worth remembering that our daily meat fix is a relatively recent phenomenon: people were largely vegetarian only a couple hundred years ago. The mass production of cattle is a recent phenomenon. > > I find it somewhat amusing/ironic that an Englishman would be worried about only having to eat cauliflower as a vegan. Lots of cuisines around the world offer many vegan choices: try Italian, Greek, or Asian. I have even some very nice vegan dishes from the classic English curry house over the years. > > patrick wilken, magdeburg, germany > > It really seems that most of the posters here do not actually understand what the column is about, why it is written, how debate is stimulated or what humour is. But then most are American. > > A totally vegan diet would certainly have the major benefit of making ones lifetime feel much longer. > > Keep challenging Jeremy > > Alex, London, England > > Joel Dignam, Thanks mate for given me just one more reason for avoiding Adelaide kike the plague > > Steve , Sunshine Coast, Australia > > Looks like mankind's advancement is impossible without global warming. We're all here for a reason. Environmentalists do their bit by demanding more efficient technologies. They drag us back to the stone age when in fact they ensure our quick development. Now everyone go back to work and stop being selfish, hateful and stupid. > > Vlad, Sofia, Bulgaria > > But, but, I don't WANT to eat a vegan! They're all stringy, and I bet they have lost of gristle! Ewww! > > Psst, Mr Burgess, I'm a greenie (not a veggie, though, I think especially veganism is totally unnatural, and I only know extremely unhealthy, pale looking vegans). > > starling, Lancaster, > > Amusing article with some good points as always Mr Clarkson! > > Two points for the vegetable munching brigade to consider: > > 1) Rice production currently accounts for approximately 13 percent of global methane emissions. The rice paddies contain methane producing bacteria. > > 2) Much farmland given over to meat production is wholly unsuitable for cereal/vegetable crops. I don't think you're going to see combine harvesters going up hills in Wales for example. > > Pete, Bristol, Engalnd > > Mike from NY > I disagree with you. What have you got to say about that? > No one argues climate change? Rubbish. > The main influence on our climate is the big orange thing in the sky. Let's hope it stays nice and warm so that we can avoid another ice-age in 40,000 years or so. > > Mark H, Lausanne , Switzerland > > I reckon if we hung up the vegans to dry for a few days and then grind them up into feed the cows probably would enjoy them, with all that lettuce the veggies eat they probably taste like grass. > Here in France Vegans are almost inexistant (thank god) so how do we feed our cows, should we breed English vegans in " vegan farms " to feed them to our cattle? > > John-Paul, Mondeville, France > > Another belter from Jezza! I cannot believe that people are taking him seriously! More fool them!!! > > Mike Rigby, Leicester, UK > > Mr. Clarkson, it is shameful how amazingly uninformed and arrogant you are. I understand your job is to write ridiculous columns so people will read them, but you can still do that while being informed. Your " reporting " of EarthSave's positions is entirely incorrect, and you clearly don't understand the issues involved in the environmental, or even diet, debates. > > Dave, Chicago, IL, USA > > > Your arrogance about his arrogance bothers me. I don'e like it. > > Marc, Cardo, MT > > To Geoff Russell. > > You may, or may not know that Clarkson is a humourist, NOT a Scientific Journalist. You missed the point by such a wide margin. It does prove one generalisation, everything that comes from Adelaide is boring and pointless. > > Michael Holloway, Sydney, Australia/ NSW > > Ha ha - the veggie, tree hugger, greenies have little or no sense of humour - I'm surprised they are not all in 'psychotherapy'. Lighten up, have a laugh and eat a hot dog - go on, you know it makes sense. > > Ian Burgess, Bristol, > > So now it's aerosols helping keep the planet cool and Angus and Jersey cattle heating it ?? > > Just an udder day in crazy enviro la-la land. Save my sanity, eat a Greeny Group. > > Justin, Wuhan, China > > If we stopped eating animal products all together to " save the animals " and thus no longer needing domesticated cows, pigs, etc. What would become of those species, to be honest I really believe that farmed pig, cattle, etc, are all a pseud-endangered species, in that if the demand for them as a food product was no longer, they as a species would no longer exist, since they only exist on farms. > > rob fussell, huntsville, alabama > > The food available for people that choose not to eat meat is far beyond your assumed experience it seems (why people choose to write about things they know nothing of is beyond me... and it makes them look rather silly, and frankly, dumb). > > No one is arguing climate change: it's happening and everyone agrees. What people are arguing is whether or not it's due to industrialization. Leading reports suggest that man is the cause of the exponential changes dawning exactly with the onset of the industrial age. Not eating meat is just one thing we could do in an attempt to stall our additions to the current changes in our climate, not to mention the plethora of health benefits of not eating meat, especially in the form that most American's eat. > > And lastly, to just throw your hands in the air and say " bah, there's nothing we can do anyway " is exactly the kind of lazy, greedy drivel that creates these messes in the first place. The world would be a better place without people like that in it. > > Mike, New York, NY > > I'm a vegan from Germany and I found this article amusing. What Jeremy (which I remember from my time in The Netherlands where BBC is in the standard cable package) forgets however is that most plants grown today are fed to animals. A vegan nation would require about a third of the land that is used today, so to go totally vegan does not only help the climate, but on the other two thirds freed farm land, biomass for energy production could be grown. So no more fossils... And as for the diet itself, the mistake Jeremy is making is very common. In fact, the vegan diet is much richer with a great variety of over 30.000 eatable plants and other vegan foods. It's just that people don't know about it. Just look for example at the milks we have. There is soymilk, ricemilk, nutmilks (nothing naughty), oatmilk, cocomilk and even potatomilk which I haven't tried yet as that is just available in the U.S. But it's very common for people to just see the hole on their plate when > thinking vegan food. > > Anna Schwerdtfeger, Berlin, Germany > > I knew it! Cows have always been the major contributor to the methane problem. But consider this; Cows eat grass and not much else, and that alone makes them windier than James May? So why are we all encouraged to turn veggie? After living on a diet of vegetables and pulses some years back for an experiement, I know what it is like to be a social hermit! The gasses eminating from my direction were neither fragrant nor gentle on the environment. The answer is a chemical one. Eat like Dr Atkins says and you get smelly feet and breath. Eat a vegetarian diet and lose all your friends. Balance, That's what's needed. As long as you eat a whole head of broccoli with your pound of Sirloin you digestive system will thank you for it, and so will the ozone layer! > > Life On Mars, Honsea, East Yorkshire > > if god did not want you to eat meat he would not have made it taste so nice > > rob street, gold coast, aus > > I'm sick of hearing how great a vegetarian diet is. If we all moved to a vegan life style more stress would be put on current farmland and to relieve it. The continued destruction of whole ecosystems would result, all to feed the masses. This has already caused the local extinction of many animals. In short we all have blood on our hands and vegans who think they don't have no clue where their food comes from. > > (My ancestors did not claw their way to the top of the food chain for me to become a vegetarian.) > > Shawn, St. Paul, USA / Minnesota > > This is a strange thing. Cows are vegetarians and the methane they are farting is warming the planet . So, in fact we need to forbidden peoples to be vegetarians, because a veg diet is worst than a meat-based diet, considering the question of warming of planet Earth (a stupid thing, which are costing hundreds of billions of dollars and at max 70 years, will have a mini-ace age and AL Gore will be in your grave, laughing of us and his descendants, very, very rich, because Mr. Gore invest your fortune in renewable energy). > > Eric, Araucária, Brazil/Paraná > > It is not a matter of black or white but instead the shifting of preferences towards a more healthy lifestyle, we could eat vegan during working days, because meat is no good anyway and causes a slowing and sleepy digestion, and enjoy a steak or chicken on the weekend, that way we could have a cleaner working atmosphere. > > Enrique, La Paz, Bolivia > So Mr. Clarkson, England would look like Saskatchewan after about three weeks. Would that be like the northern half of the province with all the trees and lakes or the southern part with the rolling prairie and Cypress Hills? > > John Corkery, Calgary, Alberta, Canada > > O.K. Everyone stops eating meat, no more meat animals that eat plants and fart methane. > So, everyone eats bushes, and all 5 - 6 billion people start farting methane. > > So? What's the difference?? > > LameBear, Small Town, WY > > Next thing you know, oxygen will be declared a pollutant. Because breathing makes you grow old and die. Never mind what not breathing does to you, we have a scientific consensus, with charts and graphs and stuff. > > Climates change. There is no one perfect mix of atmospheric gases that will turn the whole world into a fertile utopia, or even bring the weather under our direct control. All the greens are going to do is starve thousands, maybe millions, of people to death over climate changes that the entire human race, working together, couldn't do a single damn thing to prevent, let alone cause. > > Tatterdemalian , Slapout, AL > > I strongly disagree with two points made in this article: > > 1) The facts of this " new " theory... > > It has been known for a very long time that methane is far more potent than carbon dioxide as a greenhouse gas. Any " new " research into this was a waste of time and money. Oh, and those aerosols that 'cool' the planet? What are they, how do they do it, and what is the environmental impact? Are they toxic? Are they therefore a viable 'temporary solution?' These are important questions I would ask right away (which are not addressed at all here). > > 2) ...farm animals are doing more damage as a result... > > Simply not true. Just because methane is more potent as a GHG, doesn't mean it contributes more to the greenhouse effect; CO2 is more abundant by far and contributes much more than methane to the greenhouse effect. > > Get your facts straight before writing any more articles, Mr. Clarkson. > > Eddie, Bloomington, USA/IN > > typical 'how stupid that must be to think cows are causing global warming!'. listen, i'm not a vegan, but you're an idiot if you don't think it adds up that billions of these huge animals are doing this every day. not to mention people suffer and die from starvation which would be inexistant if we instead focused on grains rather than meat. also not to mention several ancient and modern religious texts which describe abstaining from meat as a method to attain spiritual purity. yeah, i do enjoy meat, i probably won't stop, but i'm not going to sit here and let you say stupid things like 'save the world, eat a vegan' and act like you're funny or correct over it. > > Matt, Coram, NY > > As a vegan, I feel this author is very misinformed. Not eating animal products is nothing outlandish, especially with all the cruelty-free alternatives available today. > > Perhaps next time the author could do so much as a Google Search, to find out if their statements are even remotely accurate. > > Courtney Babcock, East Lyme, USA, CT > > Like this one, Jeremy. I assume it will end up in your next book? > > As for farting cows being bad for the planet. Complete and utter dross, coughed up by an eco-zealot without a clue. Some of the biggest sources of methane are termites and bogs, and rumminants have been around in abundance long before humans appeared without the planet overheating. > > Upon release Methane slowly oxidises to water and carbon-dioxyde. The carbon atoms in those farts were previously in the grass that the cow ate, grass which grew by absorbing the carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. > > Ed Zuiderwijk, Cambridge, UK > > nice to see he cites all his sources and evidence; this guy isn't an actual climatologist or any sort of scientist. why does he think he is qualified? > > Edd, Tunbridge wells, UK > > As you point out a vegan diet would help our global warming situation. However a vegan lifestyle has huge (probably the best) health benefits, as well as having the bonus of not falling into speciesism and the torture of non-human animals. If you 'need' to eat meat, try alternatives as the person above has suggested. However the idea of pumping MORE hormones and chemicals into livestock (which ultimately will come out in the milk and go into you) is insane, inhumane and unnecessary. > > Nicola, Wiltshire, > > Although methane lasts less long in the atmosphere, in the short term it is far more damaging. Therefore, while reducing Carbon Dioxide levels is necessary, it's the long-term solution. In the short term, we should do what we can to limit the amount of methane being produced. > > It's interesting that you mock this argument, yet fail to set up any serious criticism rather than your own wit. Even becoming a vegetarian would be a significant step in terms of reducing the amount of methane entering the atmosphere, being a vegan is simply going one better. > > The land which would become available if this lifestyle was more widespread could be used to grow crops such as the soya bean, which is a far more energy efficient source of sustenance. > > Joel Dignam, Adelaide, Australia > > Somehow, I knew the post about vegetarian mock-meat came from a Malaysian long before I got to the end. I second SD Goh, lol! > > There is a solution, and it lies in the Malaysian Vegetarian Restaurants where you can order a hamburger and save the world at the same time. > > > YJ Tan, PJ, Malaysia > > I havent looked at the study, but it seems to me that the animals would not be adding any carbon to the atmosphere - since they eat plants which pulled carbon out of the atmosphere when they grew. Its not like the cows are eating petroleum coming out of the ground and putting carbon in the air. > > Alex, slc, UT, USA > > mw in Hong Kong: The greenhouse effect is real, it's the reason we exist. If it wasn't real, temperatures would be about 80C colder. > > Jez: I think we can now safely say you've not quite grasped the science. Entertaining read though! > > Andy G, Manchester, UK > > In your heart, Mr. Clarkson, I believe you desire a better world; for yourself, and for the generations to come, including those of your family. It has been proven beyond question that a vegan diet is compassionate, healthy, and better for the environment. It is the sane, responsible choice when it comes to eating. Meat-eating, on the other hand, does not contribute to the creation of a better world. Those who consume animal products are directly responsible for the cruelty inflicted on the animals, and for contributing to an unsustainably high level of destruction to our one and only planet Earth. > > I enjoy watching Top Gear. I'm rather disgusted, however, to read this irresponsible, misinformed, ill-conceived diatribe. For your sake, and for everyone else's, please think, speak, and write more carefully. Please use your talents and your notoriety to heal our world. > > Sincere thanks, > Loren Hart > > > Loren Hart, Chapel Hill, North Carolina > > Hi Jeremy > Great article and you're right. Manmade made CO2 isn't the problem . The biggest problem is water vapour which accounts for nearly 80% of greenhouse gases, so maybe what we need is a great big pair of sunglasses for the planet to keep out the pesky sun. Apart from that, global warming ha occurred many times in the past and has only ever lead to greater prosperity and abundance of food. Even the Polar bears loved it the last time otherwise they would have been extinct centuries ago. Personally I think the uk could do with a few extra degrees then we can get back to making wine in Yorkshire just like the Romans did. Their Carbon emissions must have horrendous, what with all those horse drawn charriots belching out methane! > > a bientot > Max Ashton > Savoie, France > > Max Ashton, Lescheraines, France > > Are you hoping all the veggies/vegans will write in in droves because you've upset them all? Well as a veggie I agree with you about most of this - but feeding me to a cow won't help. They're not carnivorous for a start and I'm no more healthy, full of goodness and calcium rich than you are. A Vegan/Vegetarian diet won't save the planet it will turn it into a desert. The world has heated up and cooled down since it first formed and there's nothing me, you or anyone/anything else can do about it. > > Jan , London , > > I've just finished a week on a vegan diet. It was the longest, most depressing week of my life (oh there was no caffeine or alcohol either). Constantly hungry and depressed, I almost lost the will to live. Also, given that I was theoretically eating a fraction of what I could before, it was vastly more expensive. Three times the normal price, to buy a bag of pasta apparently made from tree-bark and spit. > > Pork pie anyone? > > Suzie, Cornwall, England > > I'm intrigued by the so called scientific and logical reasonings in your write-up that to save our planet we should turn into strict vegan , b'cos our cows and buffalos fart too much and pollute our environment. So keep away from all farm products, no more milk, or cheese or even eggs and poultry , or chicken tikkas anc curries etc. if someone comes up with the idea of chickens and eggs spouting off. It's tough to buy out this argument, my bowels don't chew up .As a matter of fact more than half of our Indian society believes in strict and pure vegetarianism, where even garlic and onion are abstained off from their puritanical diet. Going by the logic, India should be saved of its green house effect and global warming. On the contrary , the changes in the climate and its uncertainity , even freak weather conditions are now noticeable.Eating beef is nothing short of a sin in our society.Emission of industrial gases, fossilised fuels, ozone depletion etc need to be put > under control. > > Sandy, New Delhi, India > > Non-meat should never pretend to be meat. Seriously. > > bill, Minneapolis, usa > > How about putting the cows in a nice big shed and sucking the methane out with a fan. Methane burns real well - you might be able to run your car on it with a bit of tinkering. Everyone's happy. > > Redcliffe, London, > > Much of what Clarkson has to say I agree with. Its his arrogance I dont. > > Michael, London, > > When we're going to start battling nature and natural processes, we're way off, simple as that. > The cow eating the grass is something that would've happened with or without man (Without the cows would probably have been bigger though) so... Well... Don't. > > Soon enough we're going to try to block out the sun because it gives alot of people cancer... That'll be great............. > > Richard Slade, Ystad, Sweden > > Does " Meltwater pulse 1A " mean anything to you? You could try > reading some scientific journals, but Wikipedia might be more your > style. Sea level rises of 1m every 20 years for about 400 years. That > period of warming was intiated by the Sun --- about 1/4 watt/sq meter > is the difference due to changes in the earths orbit which caused us > to enter and leave ice ages. > > We are currently causing an imbalance of about 1.5 watts/sq > meter over the surface of the planet, which is why scientists who > actually know about Meltwater pulse 1A (or any other of > the rapid warmings that have occured in the past 1/2 million > years) aren't laughing. > > I suggest you read Fred Pearce's book " With Speed and Violence " . > > Pearce is a science journalist with New Scientist. I am hoping > that he will produce a cartoon version of the book suitable for > for motoring journalists. > > P.S. Very little methane come from the back end of cattle --- it > comes from the front. > > Geoff Russell, Adelaide, Australia > > To start off .. i do not believe in green house effect .. but just for your information ... methane decompose in the atmosphere at a rate much faster than carbon dioxide .. (something like less than 30 days) .. whereas carbon dioxide takes millions of yrs to decompose .. therefore must scientist only focus on eliminating carbon dioxide .. rather than the NOx and SOx alternatives. Personally i think designing a way to kill cow farts is a stupid waste of time and money .. since it would decompose itself anyway .. > > mw, Hong Kong, > > Jeremy, the ingenious Chinese chefs of the vegetarian restaurants here now sprouting all over the place and elsewhere in East Asia like wild lingzhi mushrooms, have found a way of weaning diehards carnivores like yourself from a meat-based diet to a vegetarian one, in line with the philosophy (religious belief apart) that abjuring meat will make us less carnal and aggressive.They have done this by replacing meat/fish items with mock ones made mainly from textured veg (soya) protein which is so convincing in its verisimilitude that it can fool even a veteran gastronome! Mock duck/chic drumstick, mock fish steak, mock pork cutlet etc. (A skeptic will say, why this mockery and illusion, you either eat the real thing or not at all! ) Their wide range and choice of dishes can satisfy even the most jaded palate and believe you me, once you have tasted them you will not miss the original, though, in my case, the occasional craving for roast beef and Yorkshire pudding is, well, > hard to resist! > > SD Goh, PJ, MALAYSIA > > Jeremy, > > You sound like you're starting to believe that global warming is something mankind is either responsible for or can control. > > Secondly, don't grey squirrels eat fledgling birds from the nest? That hardly makes then vegan. > > Mark McGiffin, Singapore, Singapore Peter H > > > > > Mail is the world's favourite email. Don't settle for less, sign up for your freeaccount today. > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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