(Jed Tallo/GazetteStaff)
I was heartened to read Angus Ross’s letter last week on the Climate Action Plan Working Group.
One reduction strategy that I hope won’t be overlooked in the County’s plan to mitigate climate change is large-scale animal agriculture. Equally important are the supports that could be provided to farmers who may be willing to move toward a more sustainable food system.
Animal agriculture is a leading driver of climate change. It contributes significantly to the greenhouse gases that lead to global warming. According to the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization, “Livestock production accounts for 14.5% of global greenhouse gas emissions.” The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change concurs, “Livestock production is a substantial driver of greenhouse gas emissions, estimated at 14.5 percent of total global emissions.”
Methane emissions from ruminant animals are 25 times more potent than carbon dioxide in trapping heat in the atmosphere. The production of animal feed and clearing of forests for grazing land further exacerbate the problem. Deforestation, driven by the need for land to grow animal feed, contributes to the loss of trees, reducing the planet’s ability to absorb carbon dioxide.
There are also resource inefficiencies with animal farming. It takes approximately 2,000 gallons of water to produce just one pound of beef, compared to only 20 gallons for a pound of vegetables.
Reports from both the World Economic Forum and Our World in Data stress the inefficient land use: “animal agriculture occupies about 80 percent of global farmland but provides only 18 percent of the world’s calories.”
I can understand the economic implications that change presents for many farmers. I appreciate how tradition and the crucial contributions made by farmers are intertwined and embedded in our rural community. What we can acknowledge and act upon, nonetheless, is that animal agriculture is a significant contributor to climate change.
Even reducing the amount of meat, dairy, and eggs we consume has beneficial impacts to our health and the health of the planet. A well planned, plant-based diet is appropriate at any stage of life, according to nutritional science and health professionals. Millions already eat this way and thrive.
Discussing how to support farmers to grow more plant-based proteins locally, such as beans and pulses for human rather than animal consumption, is one approach. Grants and incentives for building greenhouses for longer growing seasons, and investigating alternative crops such as hemp and flax, are others. If well planned and executed, moving to plant-based agriculture is possible and could be rewarding for both the environment and our local economy.
I look forward to learning if livestock was included in the GHG inventory undertaken, and thank the Climate Action Plan Working Group for their efforts.
Christine Renaud, Picton
The vote you cast on April 28th will be one of the most important ballot decisions you’ll ever make. Our country’s autonomy is under attack like never before.
On an almost daily basis, an unhinged U.S. president continues to launch unprovoked economic attacks on our country — even to the point of threatening our very existence as a sovereign nation.
During this unprecedented period, we rely on our Canadian news media to provide us with timely and factual information regarding ongoing events and to distinguish between factual information and the abundant stream of misinformation that is readily available.
In the U.S., reputable and unbiased public broadcasters like NPR and PBS have been called a “total scam” by Donald Trump, who has vowed to cut all federal funding to both media organisations.
Sadly, one political party in our own country, Pierre Poilievre’s Progressive Conservatives, is following Trump’s lead. Mr. Poilievre continues to advocate for the complete defunding of our public broadcaster — the CBC.
The CBC belongs to all Canadians. During a time when it has become paramount to communicate effectively with Canadians across all regions of our country, we need to stand up for the CBC and ensure it remains a uniting voice across all regions of Canada.
We expect our politicians to do the same.
B. Kalt, Picton
Many people become ineligible for medical assistance in dying (MAID) because they have already entered the early stages of a condition that erodes their capacity — dementia, Parkinson’s or Huntington’s disease — to make decisions.
An advance request is a written request for an assisted death before one experiences intolerable suffering from a known grievous and incurable condition. If one ever loses the capacity to make medical decisions for themselves — and, importantly, reaches a point where their suffering becomes unbearable — the formal request already made could be honoured.
Such an advance request could save a person from having to suffer for years.
The lack of any access to advance requests is a critical gap in our country’s assisted dying legislation — and it must be corrected.
Marie Lloyd, Kingston
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