Half a degree of devastation
Announcement posted by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) Australia 09 Oct 2018
Dear Editor,
We used to laugh about six degrees of separation, now it’s time to cry about half a degree of devastation.
The latest IPCC report on global warming issued this week in Korea has detailed the catastrophic difference half a degree of warming will make. The report, based on more than 6,000 scientific references and the contribution of thousands of expert and government reviewers worldwide, warns that global temperature rises must be kept to 1.5 degrees or less above pre-industrial levels. If the rise reaches two degrees, the results will include the loss of all coral reefs, an extra 10cm sea level rise causing flooding of coastal cities and the inundation of many Pacific nations, and many other ruinous impacts on ecosystems, human health and well-being.
The report states that, to limit global warming to 1.5°C, net human-caused emissions of carbon dioxide would need to fall by about 45 percent from 2010 levels by 2030, reaching 'net zero' around 2050.
Waiting for governments to agree on action is a recipe for disaster. We can take our own immediate actions to reduce our carbon footprints. Breeding and slaughtering animals for their milk and meat results in a significant percentage of greenhouse emissions. For example, cattle produce methane, which is a greenhouse gas about 20 times more potent than carbon dioxide. The livestock sector is responsible for about 37% of human-caused methane emissions, and about 65% of human nitrous oxide emissions (mainly from manure). One of the main ways in which the livestock sector contributes to global warming is through deforestation caused by expansion of pastureland and arable land used to grow feed crops.
We can’t all afford to go solar or buy a hybrid vehicle tomorrow. But we can all make a difference today by going vegan and refusing to buy the meat, eggs and dairy products that are warming the earth, blocking our arteries and causing massive suffering to billions of innocent animals every day.
Mimi Bekhechi
Campaigns Consultant,
PETA Australia
PO Box 20308 World Square
Sydney, NSW, 2002
(+618) 8556-5828
mimib@peta.org.au
We used to laugh about six degrees of separation, now it’s time to cry about half a degree of devastation.
The latest IPCC report on global warming issued this week in Korea has detailed the catastrophic difference half a degree of warming will make. The report, based on more than 6,000 scientific references and the contribution of thousands of expert and government reviewers worldwide, warns that global temperature rises must be kept to 1.5 degrees or less above pre-industrial levels. If the rise reaches two degrees, the results will include the loss of all coral reefs, an extra 10cm sea level rise causing flooding of coastal cities and the inundation of many Pacific nations, and many other ruinous impacts on ecosystems, human health and well-being.
The report states that, to limit global warming to 1.5°C, net human-caused emissions of carbon dioxide would need to fall by about 45 percent from 2010 levels by 2030, reaching 'net zero' around 2050.
Waiting for governments to agree on action is a recipe for disaster. We can take our own immediate actions to reduce our carbon footprints. Breeding and slaughtering animals for their milk and meat results in a significant percentage of greenhouse emissions. For example, cattle produce methane, which is a greenhouse gas about 20 times more potent than carbon dioxide. The livestock sector is responsible for about 37% of human-caused methane emissions, and about 65% of human nitrous oxide emissions (mainly from manure). One of the main ways in which the livestock sector contributes to global warming is through deforestation caused by expansion of pastureland and arable land used to grow feed crops.
We can’t all afford to go solar or buy a hybrid vehicle tomorrow. But we can all make a difference today by going vegan and refusing to buy the meat, eggs and dairy products that are warming the earth, blocking our arteries and causing massive suffering to billions of innocent animals every day.
Mimi Bekhechi
Campaigns Consultant,
PETA Australia
PO Box 20308 World Square
Sydney, NSW, 2002
(+618) 8556-5828
mimib@peta.org.au