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Loading...Cattlemen Ready To Slug It Out With the EPA
It’s no surprise that cattle ranchers are concerned about the EPA “endangerment finding” that greenhouse gasses “threaten the public health and welfare of current and future generations.”
The lagoons full of manure create methane, a gas that’s about 20 times worse than CO2 in contributing to climate change. A single pound of beef produces 16 pounds of CO2 equivalent emissions, according to researchers.
But instead of showing concern over the impact that their industry has on our environment, The National Cattlemen’s Association is more concerned with the impact that cleaning it up would have on their bottom line. To protect the industry, The National Cattleman’s Beef Association (NCBA) just recently filed a challenge to the EPA’s endangerment finding on GHG gases. In a statement, a spokesman for the organization said,
“It’s premature to issue this kind of finding, especially given the recent controversy surrounding the scientific validity of alleged human contributions to climate change. Regulation of greenhouse gases should be based on science, and it should be thoughtfully considered and voted on by Congress through a democratic process, not dictated by the EPA.”
In other words, they’d like politicians rather than scientists to decide the science, since they didn’t like the outcome. The statement also says “Rather than being subject to overly-burdensome regulations, agriculture should be rewarded for the carbon reductions we provide”, which makes it pretty clear what the they hope to get out of this move.
As is the case with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, cattle ranchers are trying to protect “business as usual”, in the face of overwhelming evidence that it has to change. But rather than focus on a practical roadmap for more responsible business practices, it seems to be easier to challenge the science. Don’t be fooled: Dollars and cents are what are behind most of the attacks on the science.
Unfortunately, even U.S. action won’t be enough, and cattlemen do have a legitimate “beef” with an EPA approach to greenhouse gas regulation: 1/3 of beef consumed in the U.S. already comes from non U.S.ranches, and it is critical to avoid any approach that simply shifts the emissions problem offshore. This highlights the need for the type of global cooperation we tried to get in Copenhagen, and a domestic policy which recognizes that imports into the U.S.. need to be held to the same standards we apply to our domestic industries.
And in the meantime? Reducing your meat consumption by just 20 percent (a day and a half per week without meat) would be the equivalent of switching from a pretty good sized standard sedan to a hybrid. How’s that for a new year’s resolution!
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Read more: beef, climate change, epa, global warming, methane
Phot copyright http://www.flickr.com/photos/36144637@N00/ / CC BY-SA 2.0
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Recent Comments from Causes
Is SCOTUS listening? Their egos and self important attitudes keep getting in teh way.
Colin Powell is one of the very few Republicans left with class!
This is really sad.
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84 comments
+ add your ownA shame to see cattle ranchers choosing to continue to freeload on the public instead of attempting to make their operations more efficient.
Thanks
thanks for the posting.
thanks
Lori K. ; reminds me of a time in biblical historywhen they made a golden "calf" and worshipped it.
I see it as one of the many ways it is impossible for man to change in his own strength as it is a blood lust.
But possible with God.
I think some of you want to make it illegal to eat meat?? Anyway I think cigarettes and alcohol are likely worst and they arent against the law.
BTW havent you heard Global Warming is a huge SCAM anyway......
I agree with Lori K the poll actually confused me and I voted the wrong way. I'm a vegetarian and won't be eating meat full stop.
I also agree with everything else Lori said and would like to add that the article made some very good points.
Personally, I believe that all the so called animal industries are and will put a good fight but in the end they will have to die. So why make it a slow and painful death? Why not prepare themselves and seek respectable employment? Instead being part of the problem they should become part of the solution.
And one of the major problems concerning this is issue is the consumer. Consumers of animals need to also give up their addiction to eating the animals and then the cattle rangers etc will have no industry and we have finally eliminated a huge problem contributing to climate change.
Animal industries and animal eaters need to throw in the towel now because sooner or later it will end whether you like it or not.
The poll is silly. How can you eat less beef when you don't eat meat at all? Oh well, I'll just answer "yes", and be done with it.
It's not just the cattlemen, though. It's the legions out there who appear to be intelligent, then demand the right to poison the planet by asserting that "eating beef is my God given right!"
It is so depressing. It seems as if people are finally willing to change their habits to consume less (and produce fewer carbon emissions) then they all start saying that climate change is a hoax and go back to their greedy ways. Augh!
Thanks for the info.
great article,
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