Global Climate Change

1. Global Climate Change

2. Organic Agriculture • Capture atmospheric carbon dioxide and stores it in the soil, due to the building of soil organic matter • 23 year experiment, Rodale Institute Farming Systems Trial, has shown an increase in soil carbon of 15-28%, while the conventional system has shown no statistically significant increase • http://www.rodaleinstitute.org/ob_31

3. GHG by meat • Beef: 78% • Pork: 14% • Chicken: 8% • Roughly half of the GHG emissions due to human diets come from meat even though beef, pork and chicken together account for only about 14 percent of what people eat. • substituting all beef production for chicken would cut meat’s projected carbon footprint by 70 percent

4. Grassfed Beef • Animals are not finished on grain, but continue to consume grass • Animals do not receive hormones, growth promoting additives, or antibiotics • less total fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, and calories

5. Better for the Environment? • Recent study states: “We do see significant differences in the GHG intensities [of grass vs grain finishing]. It’s roughly on the order of 50 percent higher in grass-finished systems.” • “It’s related to the much higher volumes of feed throughput and associated methane and nitrous-oxide [GHG] emissions.” He added that most pastures were highly managed, and subject to “periodic renovations and also fertilization.” Finally, with grass-fed cattle “there is also a high [grass] trampling rate. So the actual land area that you need to maintain magnifies that [GHG] difference,” Pelletier said.

6. Swedes putting carbon emissions on food items They recommend that Swedes favor carrots over cucumbers and tomatoes, for example. (Unlike carrots, the latter two must be grown in heated greenhouses here, consuming energy.) They are not counseled to eat more fish, despite the health benefits, because Europe’s stocks are depleted. Sweden could cut its emissions from food production by 20 to 50 percent.

7. Calculate Your Footprint • http://www.climatecrisis.net/takeaction/carboncalculator/

8. Kyoto Protocol • Protocol to UNFCCC • goal of achieving "stabilization of greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that would prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system.“ • Adopted Dec 11, 1997 • Entered into force Feb 16, 2005

9. Kyoto Protocol • Currently ratified by 184 countries; 39 industrialized countries (Annex I countries) • Committed Annex I countries to reduce their collective GHG emissions by 5.2% (based on 1990) in 2008-2012 • The United States, responsible for 36.1% of emission levels, is the only Annex I country to not ratify the protocol

10. Flexible Mechanisms • Emissions Trading • Clean Development Mechanism • Joint Implementation

11. Why not the US? • Neither the Clinton or Bush Administration submitted the protocol to the Senate for ratification • In 2001, Bush cited economic concerns and the exemption of developing countries from the protocols as reasons for not ratifying the protocol • http://www.treehugger.com/files/2009/11/stephen-colbert-global-warming-al-gore.php

12. Currently • In June, the House the American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009 by a vote of 219 to 212. • Forty-four Democrats voted against the measure and only eight Republicans yes. • Cut GHG production by 17% in 2020 and 83% by 2050 • On Nov 5, despite GOP boycott, the bill was passed by the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee.