McCartney urges vegetarianism to fight climate ills

"The biggest change anyone could make in their own lifestyle would be to become vegetarian. I would urge everyone to think about taking this simple step to help our precious environment and to save it for the children of the future."

Scientists flesh out plans to grow (and sell) test tube meat

In five to 10 years, supermarkets might stock vat-grown meat that is cheaper to produce than livestock and less damaging to the environment. According to a new economic analysis presented at the In Vitro Meat Symposium in Norway, meat grown in giant tanks known as bioreactors would be cost competitive with European beef prices. With a rising global middle class projected by the UN to double meat consumption by 2050, and livestock already responsible for 18 per cent of greenhouse gases, the symposium is drawing a variety of scientists, environmentalists and food industry experts.
• From Wired.com - April 11, 2008

Seizing the moment, PETA is offering a million dollar reward to the first to make in vitro meat at competitive prices by 2012. Whether it is ethical or not (i.e: GMOs), PETA has generated a lot of media buzz including a feature article in this week's issue of Toronto's Now Magazine, where they are quoted: “For people who are addicted to the cholesterol and saturated fats in flesh, we’re rooting for science to provide an eco-friendly ‘methadone’ for their ‘heroin.’”

Is changing our diet the key to resolving the global food crisis?

People are dying because of the global food shortage, which has sparked a sudden surge in food prices. Even in Toronto there are reports of small-scale rice-hoarding in Asian neighbourhoods, spurred by tales of shortages and rationing worldwide. Some stores have imposed caps on how much rice customers can buy.Fortunately, a simple solution to the food crisis exists – eat less meat.  Meat is a very inefficient way of producing food. "It takes 8 kg of grain to produce 1 kg of beef, and large tracts of forest have been cleared for grazing land that might have been used to grow crops. To maximize food production, it is best to be vegan. According to Simon Fairlie, in his magazine The Land, it would take just 3 million hectares of arable land to meet Britain's food needs, half the current total, if the population were vegan."
• From The Independent, UK - April 16, 2008

Adapted from the April edition of VegE-News' monthly news and events email service. It is free to subscribe. Their April issue's environmental stories also include:

• Seafood not so healthy after all - for us or the planet.
• Toxic fumes, blisters & brain damage: Got milk? After years living next to Willet Dairy, the largest industrial farm in New York State, Strecker and her neighbors are reporting serious health problems.