WayOfTheBern

welshTerrier2

The "standard American diet" (aka SAD) is killing us in many ways. 70% of the US population is either overweight or obese. The consequences to our health care systems, and our lives, are devastating. Heart disease and diabetes are out of control.

Add to this the destruction of soil, water, and air, especially in tropical rain forests, and the environmental impacts are not sustainable.

Add to this the incredible cruelty of slaughtering roughly 80 billion land animals a year and bringing fish stocks to the breaking point just because humans want to consume meat and fish when they aren't necessary for good health.

Something needs to happen to radically alter the status quo. I can already hear the whining of all the libertarians. "How dare those globalists take away my freedom!"

Well, if you want to talk about global corporate dominance and exploitation, how about taking a look at the damage the meat and dairy industries, you know Big Ag, are doing to the public health and to the environment?

I'm not at all familiar with this C40 project. I have no interest in condoning their specific program or their draconian methods. I also have no interest in any position that condones the status quo of today's meat and dairy industry.

Researchers I trust believe we could reduce major diseases (and their associated costs) by roughly 80% or more by switching to a plant-based diet. Long before we need to talk about bans on meat and dairy, we need to take back control of our government to serve the public interest instead of the interests of Big Ag. And once we've done that, perhaps we can start with something much "softer" like a public education campaign.

Protesting the methods of C40 without recognizing that we have a serious problem is, in my view, irresponsible. There's no question the realities of climate devastation are going to lead to government-imposed restrictions. Like them or not, some policies are going to become necessary. Knee-jerk libertarianism doesn't solve the underlying problem. If we're going to debate this, let's start there. What is the problem and how should it be addressed?