2019 boasts the hottest July on record—1.2˚ Celsius above pre-industrial levels, according to Copernicus Climate Change Service, menacingly close to the 1.5 ˚C cutoff that would trigger climate destabilization. Does it seem like we concerned citizens sit idly by, powerless, as signs of impending warming and weather events unravel before us? Honestly, what can we do? Will eating less meat and driving electric cars make a difference? The answer is yes, absolutely. Your personal habits count, if you make them big—Bigfoot big. Here’s why and how:
Hot off the press, the IPCC’s (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) newest report reveals how to save the world—manage land and resources by feeding people sustainably.
This call to action amounts to nothing less than a global shift towards sustainable, whole foods—grains, pulses (beans), vegetables, nuts, and fruits, and a move away from animal agriculture, to use resources efficiently. Our biggest opportunity for getting a grip on climate change is food. Food is the Mother Ship’s righting lever that’ll steer Earth towards equilibrium. We need nothing less than a restructuring of agriculture to control greenhouse gas production, save our land and water, and reduce waste.
Right now, half of all methane emissions (a potent greenhouse gas) come from cattle, which is leading the devastating effects of record deforestation, largely to support them cows, as well as water and soil degradation. Wasted food rotting in landfills and producing methane weighs in next.
So simply eating is our low-hanging fruit. It’s something that you and I can change immediately; not when our leaders hold hands and sing IMAGINE together. Every time we eat sustainably, we lower our personal carbon footprint, and most importantly, we are reminded to demand policy change. That’s where your footprint gets big. We change policy with our collective voice, (I mean our collective feet), and our VOTE, for global climate policy. So start yelling and stomping like your life depends on transformation, because it does.
Though the IPCC is imploring, they can’t do if for us, and policy-makers won’t budge from the influences that fund them. But our stomping matters, as long as we keep our eye on the prize—global policy change. We need to lead this change with every meal, every purchase, and every decision that takes us to the voting booth—that’s where our own footprint becomes bigger than Bigfoot’s. We must be the creatures of change in a visionary shift. So start stomping, running and pounding toward our only hopeful future-VOTE.
Written by Kathy Pollard, MS