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Anti-meat activists focus on environmental impact

Anti-meat activists have been stepping up their attacks by focusing on the environmental impact of meat.

They claim meat production is a significant emitter of greenhouse gases and a major contributor to climate change.

That’s a false narrative, says Hannah Thompson-Weeman with the Animal Agriculture Alliance.

“It’s very frustrating to continue to hear that narrative when we in agriculture realize that livestock in the U.S. is responsible for less than four percent of greenhouse gas emissions and is really an incredibly efficient production system,” Thompson-Weeman says.

She says the recent news that the Golden Globe Awards would feature a meatless meal is another example of the misinformation being spread about meat.

“(They) went vegan because they said they want to decrease their environmental footprint. If those stars really wanted to think about their  climate footprint, what about the flights they took to get there? What about the outfits they bought that they’ll only wear once and never pull out again?

“There a lot of other sustainability initiatives that could be undertaken, rather than continuing to use animal agriculture as a scapegoat.”

Thompson-Weeman says by attacking meat, dairy, poultry and eggs from all angles, animal rights and vegan activist groups hope to make consumers second-guess putting them on their plates.