We are seeing
tipping points, not just
in theoretical scenarios
anymore;
we are witnessing them
in the real world.
“A substantial reduction
of [environmental]
impacts would
only be possible with
a substantial worldwide
diet change, away from
animal products.”
That was a concluding
statement cited from a
112-page report launched
by the United Nations
Environment Program
(UNEP) and the
European Commission
on June 5, 2010,
coinciding with
World Environment Day.
It has been presented
to world government
leaders
of the United Nations.
The study, titled
“Assessing Environmental
Impacts of Consumption
and Production: Priority
Products and Materials,”
identified
two leading causes of
environmental pressure:
one is fossil fuels and
the other is agriculture,
with specific attention
given to the livestock
raising sector.
The report called for
radical change in the way
that economies use
natural resources
known to be dwindling
at alarming rates.
Production of livestock,
in particular
meat products, is an
enormously intense one
in terms of consumption
of resources.
If we seriously want to
talk about the questions
of biodiversity,
of water quality,
nitrates pollution,
of the CO2 emissions…
If we seriously want
to talk about that we
have to ask for the help
of farmers also.
In today’s program, we
present the main findings
from this UNEP report
by the Working Group
on the Environmental
Impacts of Products
and Materials to
the International Panel
for Sustainable Resource
Management.
“A wealth of studies
is available that have
helped to assess the
most important causes of
environmental impacts
from a production,
consumption and
materials perspective.
These different studies,
and different perspectives
points, paint a consistent
overall picture.
a. Agriculture and food
consumption are
identified as one of the
most important drivers of
environmental pressures,
especially habitat change,
climate change,
fish depletion, water use
and toxic emissions.
b. The use of fossil fuels
for heating,
transportation,
materials production and
the production and use of
electrical appliances is of
comparable importance,
causing the depletion of
fossil energy resources,
climate change,
and a wide range of
emissions-related impacts.
The impacts related to
these activities are
unlikely to be reduced,
but rather enhanced,
in a business
as usual scenario
for the future.
This study showed that
CO2 emissions are highly
correlated with income.
Population and economic
growth will hence lead to
higher impacts, unless
patterns of production
and consumption
can be changed.”
“Water use is
an important
environmental pressure
in various parts
of the world.
Agriculture is by far
the most important use:
over 70% of the global
freshwater consumption
is used in that sector.
Note that water pollution
problems by
production processes are
discussed in the section
on toxic substances.
Agriculture is also
the most important user
of land.
According to the FAO
database, about 38%
of the total world’s
land area is used
for agriculture in 2007.
“Findings
and Conclusions”
The production
perspective: priority
economic activities
“Perceiving the economy
in terms of activities or
sectors provides a means
of attributing
environmental impacts
to the economic system,
and allows the following
conclusions to be drawn:
- Production processes
involving fossil fuel
combustion.
Activities involving
combustion of large
quantities of fossil fuels,
such as electrical utilities,
metal production,
residential heating,
trans¬portation and energy
intensive industries
are among
the top contributors to
climate change, abiotic
resources depletion,
and sometimes
to eutrophication,
acidification and toxicity.
Particularly
fossil fuel power plants,
being responsible for
the largest fossil fuel
consumption, contribute
to these problems.
The extraction and
processing of fossil fuels
also causes
substantial impacts.
- Agriculture and
biomass using activities.
In spite of its limited
share of value added
in developed countries,
this sector is related to
many environmental
impacts.
The sector is
responsible for by far
the most of the land
and water use globally,
leading to habitat loss
and other negative
impacts on ecosystems.
The use of agrochemicals
is related to ecotoxicity,
eutrophication
and depletion of
phosphorus stocks.
Intensive agriculture
is related to
substantial energy use.
The loss of soil
and biomass carbon
can contribute to
climate change.
Invasive species problems
are also connected to
agriculture: crops, pests
and biological pest
control all are associated
with invasive
species-related problems.
On the other hand,
agriculture can also
contribute to
environmental solutions,
e.g. by binding carbon
in the soil,
increase biodiversity
through diverse habitats.
The impacts of
agriculture thus depend
to a substantial degree
on specific aspects of
the activities and hence
the resource management
regime.
- Fisheries.
Overexploitation of
resources is clearly
associated with
this sector, as well as
relatively high emissions
from industrial fisheries.
This sector certainly
deserves attention from
an environmental impact
point of view.”
The consumption
perspective:
priority consumption
clusters
“The following
consumption clusters
contribute substantially
to total environmental
pressures: - Food.
Food production is
the most significant
influence on land use
and therefore habitat
change, water use,
overexploitation of
fisheries and pollution
with nitrogen
and phosphorus.
In poorer countries, it is
also the most important
cause of emissions
of greenhouse gases
(methane
and nitrous oxide).
Both emissions
and land use depend
strongly on diets.
Animal products,
both meat and dairy,
in general require
more resources and
cause higher emissions
than plant-based
alternatives.
In addition,
non-seasonal fruits
and vegetables cause
substantial emissions
when grown
in greenhouses, preserved
in a frozen state,
or transported by air.
As total food consumption
and the share of
animal calories increase
with wealth, nutrition
for rich countries
tends to cause higher
environmental impacts
than for poor countries.
Following food,
the next priority
consumption clusters
identified as contributing
substantially to total
environmental pressures
are: housing, mobility,
and manufactured
products (particularly
electrical appliances).
When we return, we’ll
continue with the rest
of the findings
and conclusions
of this UNEP report.
Please stay tuned to
Supreme Master
Television.
We are at the stage
where the issue of
sustainable consumption
which has long
been talked about
in the corridors
and in the backrooms
but never frontally
as an important item
in public policy has now
come to the fore, is now
very much on the tables
of governments and
the United Nations system.
And so what I see is that
meat has a higher energy
use per calorie produced
or per kilogram produced
than vegetables.
That is something
that we have found
from our studies.
If we spread our limited
resources too thinly,
and hope that everything
is profitable, we will lose.
We have to find priorities
and this report is about
finding priorities.
Welcome back to today’s
program featuring
excerpts on the findings
of the United Nations
Environment Program
(UNEP) report authored
by a Working Group to
the International Panel
for Sustainable
Resource Management.
The material
perspective:
priority materials
“From assessments of
resource categories and
materials, the following
conclusions can be drawn
with regard to their
environmental impacts:
- Fossil fuel extraction
is not only one of the
most important material
flow in mass terms,
it is also one of the
most important sources
of environmental
degradation.
It is linked to mining
and all its local
ecosystem impacts and
the combustion of
the fuels for electricity,
heat or transport causes
the largest emissions of
GHG, especially CO2.
Fossil fuels are also
the source of many
other air emissions…
- Agricultural materials,
especially
animal products, are
also a very important
material flow in terms of
their contribution
to a large number of
impact categories.
Animal products are
important because
more than half of the
world’s crops are used
to feed animals,
not people.
Land and water use,
pollution with nitrogen
and phosphorus,
and GHG emissions from
land use and fossil fuel
use cause substantial
environmental impacts.”
Integrated conclusions
and future outlook
Integration:
“As shown in Chapter 2,
economic activities
pose already a significant
strain on particularly
ecosystem health and
resource availability.
There is
over-exploitation of
fisheries and
to a lesser extent forests.
The risks related to
climate change and
related fossil energy use
have been extensively
described in the latest
Intergovernmental Panel
on Climate Change
(IPCC) review
(IPCC, 2007)
and the Stern report
(Stern, 2006).”
“From the assessment
in the previous sections,
some general conclusions
can be drawn
with regard to priorities
contributing most to the
environmental problems
indicated above:
1. Energy and fossil fuels,
and therefore the sectors,
consumption clusters
and materials that are
energy-intensive,
stand out as a very large
source of environmental
degradation.
2. Agriculture and food
is another societal area
responsible for
very large impacts
on the environment.
More than fossil fuels,
agricultural activities
directly influence
ecosystems by
occupying large land
areas and using huge
quantities of water.”
Future outlook:
“With the economic
system now already
putting significant
pressure
on the environment,
the following outline
can be given
on important factors
for future developments.
In general,
the next decades will see
still a significant
population growth.
It is expected that
by 2050, nine to ten
billion people will
populate the Earth –
a growth of 50%. …
It hence must be
expected that
the big trends of
population growth,
increasing wealth, and
increasing urbanization
will make pressures
on the environment
only higher than today,
unless patterns
of production and
consumption
can be changed.
Impact reduction
strategies may include
the shift to clean and
efficient technologies
(production perspective),
shifts to
less material-based, more
sustainable life styles,
as well as the use of
low impact products
(consumption perspective),
and the use of
low impact materials
(materials perspective).”
“Looking at
the most critical
economic activities, those
related to fossil fuels
and agriculture,
the following can be said.
1. Fossil fuels
are the subject
of energy policies.
In view of their negative
environmental impacts,
alternative sources of
energy are identified
and increasingly used.
Nevertheless, energy
scenario modelling
until 2050 shows
a continued dependency
on fossil fuels.
It takes time to develop
new technologies
and implement them
on a large scale and
alternative sources
of energy also have
drawbacks.
These considerations
call for a substitution
away from energy-
intensive production,
consumption and
materials and an increase
in energy efficiency.
The environmental and
resource implications
of new energy sources
should be carefully
assessed before their
widespread adoption.
2. Impacts from
agriculture are expected
to increase substantially
due to population growth,
increasing consumption
of animal products.
Unlike fossil fuels,
it is difficult to
look for alternatives:
people have to eat.
A substantial reduction
of impacts would
only be possible with
a substantial worldwide
diet change, away from
animal products.”
Therefore, the panel
is saying that, yes, let us
change our lifestyles.
Reducing meat consumption
is part of the solution
in a world with
soon 9 billion people.
This is a time now
for a report such as this
to help the analysis
and the decision making
of governments
and entities everywhere.
Our appreciation,
United Nations
Environment Program,
European Commission
and International Panel
for Sustainable Resource
Management scientists
for this report.
To our viewers, thank you
for your presence
on today’s program.
It is also available
free of charge online
for everyone at
As the report urgently
recommended,
may world leaders and
co-citizens alike
shift away from animal
products in their diet as
it is necessary for a safe
and livable future for all.
Now, please stay tuned to
Supreme Master
Television
for Words of Wisdom,
after Noteworthy News.
May wisdom and courage
give wings to your
planet-saving endeavors.