Comfortably Unaware (20 page)

degradation of land,
29

livestock consumption,
115

atmosphere, purposes of,
15
–16

B

beef.
See
meat

Beyond Beef
,
83

biodiversity,
23
–24,
32
,
33
–36,
47

biomes,
32
–33

Bittman, Mark,
88
–89,
121

bottom-fishing,
48

Brazil's Atlantic coast,
22
,
23

Broom, Donald,
140

bykill,
51
–52

C

Campylobacter,
76
–77

cancer,
60
–61,
75
,
101

carbon,
17

carbon dioxide,
4
,
5
,
12
,
16
,
17
–18

cardiologists,
101

Caribbean islands,
29
,
118
–120

cattle ranching,
22
,
31
.
See also
livestock

Centers for Disease Control (CDC) obesity study,
66

chemical waste,
55
,
56
–57

chickens,
124
,
141
–142

children and eating animals,
137
–138

climate change.
See
global warming

Coleman, Mary Sue,
72

Colorado River,
42
–44

Commodities Credit Corporation (CCC),
105

concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs),
123
,
139

consumers, influencing farmers,
132
–133

controversy, avoiding.
See
treading lightly

Convention on Biological Diversity,
33

Copenhagen Accord,
87

copper sulfate,
57

corporate influence,
89
–90

cows,
143
–145.
See also
livestock

D

Dairy Council,
104

dairy industry,
4
,
61
,
64
,
85
–91,
103
,
105
,
145

dairy products

consumption,
61
–62

contaminants,
77

predicted production,
110

dead zones,
55
,
57

death, leading cause of,
127
–128

deforestation,
6
,
86
–87

desertification,
28
,
29
–30

dieticians,
101
–102,
111
–112

dioxins,
56
,
77

diseases and health conditions related to meat-based diet

generally,
60
,
66
–67

cancer,
60
–61,
65

food-borne pathogens,
91
–94

heart disease,
60

lactose intolerance,
63
–64

obesity,
66

osteoporosis,
61
–62

zoonotic,
76
–77

doctors,
75
,
100
–102,
111
–112

drinking water.
See
fresh water

E

economic issues,
109
–110

ecoregions,
32
–33

ecosystems, destruction of,
18

ecotax,
108
–109,
112
–114

ecotourism,
115

education about diet in other countries,
114
–115

eggs,
93
–94

Einstein, Albert,
111

endangered species,
50

endemism rate,
48

erosion,
54

Ethiopia, hunger and grain exports,
36

excrement produced by livestock,
54
–55

extinction,
33
,
49

F

factory farms,
123
,
139

farmers,
56
,
106
,
118
.
See also
dairy industry; fishing industry; meat industry; pork industry

farming, local,
121
–124

fast-food industry,
67
–69

fertilizers,
55

Fields, David,
106

fish,
46
–52

fish farms,
55
–58

fish oil,
55
–56

fishing industry,
48
,
49
,
53
,
100
–101,
105

fishmeal,
52
,
55
–56

flu pandemics,
77
–79

Foer, Jonathan Safran,
121

food, defined,
9

food-borne illnesses,
91
–94

food depletion,
36

Food Matters: A Guide to Conscious Eating
,
88
–89

food poisoning,
91
–94

Food Politics
,
89
–90

food pyramid,
64
,
103
–104,
112

“footprint” (ecological),
30
–31

forests

amount cleared in the U.S.,
28

deforestation,
6
,
86
–87

greenhouse gases,
4

losses from destruction of,
26

fossil fuel,
17
–18

Franklin, Benjamin,
142

fresh water

food production use of,
12

livestock use of,
12
,
42
–46,
116
,
126

pollution,
54
–58

sources of,
41
–42

Fuentes, Martin,
144

future predictions and solutions,
110
–117

G

Georges Banks,
50

Glickman, Dan,
105

global depletion

defining,
xvii
,
1
–8

facts and figures,
11
–13

Global Footprint Network (GFN),
30

global warming

causes of,
5
,
11

food choices,
2

overview,
3
–4

Gore, Al,
4
–5

government subsidies,
105
–107,
112

grain, amount fed to livestock,
12
,
44

Grand Banks,
50

“green” movement,
7
–8

greenhouse gases,
87
–88,
125

global warming cause,
3
–4

livestock,
16
–17

quantities and sources of gases,
4
–7

ground water pollution,
54
–55

Gulf of Mexico,
55

H

health conditions.
See
diseases and health conditions related to meat-based diet

health-risk tax,
114

heart disease,
60

heavy metals,
46

herbicides,
54

High Plains area of the U.S.,
44

H1N1 (swine flu),
77
–79

hogs,
78
–80

hormones used in livestock,
54
,
77

Horton, Tony,
131

hospitals, reluctance to change,
70
–71

humans

ecological footprint of,
30
–31,
33
–34

helping the planet,
131
–132

influencing others,
132
–133

lack of concern for health,
74
–75

overfishing,
49
–50

population,
31
–32,
81

why we eat animal products,
65
,
98
–100

hunger,
13
,
36

I

An Inconvenient Truth
,
4
–5

India, meat consumption,
76

industrial farm waste,
55

influenza pandemics,
77
–79

information suppression,
102
–103.
See also
media control of information

International Whaling Commission (IWC),
118
–119

Iowa Beef Processors,
45

J

Japan and whaling,
119

Jean, Ignatius,
119

Journal of Animal Science
,
144

K

“K-Pax” theory,
110
–111

kale,
129
–130

Kentucky Fried Chicken,
23

Kyoto Protocol,
5
–6,
87
–88

L

lactose intolerance,
63
–64

land

depletion levels,
31

destruction of,
28
–29

livestock and food production use,
12
–13,
123
–124

pollution of,
29
–30

land value,
115

Latin America,
29

legal coercion,
110

legislation to end meat consumption,
110
,
116
–117

livestock

air quality,
16

carbon balance of the land,
17

fishmeal,
52

fossil fuel used in production of,
18

fresh water and grain given to,
12
,
39
–46,
116
,
126

grass-fed,
117
,
120
–128,
138
–139

land depletion and degradation due to,
29
–30,
31

land used by,
12
–13,
28
,
40
–41,
123
–124

overgrazing of,
28
–29,
31

pathogens and transmission of disease,
76
–77

rainforest destruction,
22

Livestock, Environment, and Development (LEAD) report,
90
–91

logging,
6
,
86
–87

M

malnurishment,
13
,
36

manure,
54

marine life,
47
–51

meat

bacteria contamination,
77

consumption,
76
,
127
–128

defined,
10

predicted production,
110

as unhealthy,
59

meat industry,
4
,
64
,
85
–91,
103
,
105
,
145

meatless Mondays,
132
–133

media control of information

generally,
81
–84

books,
86
–90

contaminated food reports,
91
–94

opening pathways of communication,
111

scientific reports,
90
–91

talk shows,
82
–86

medicines derived from plants,
24

mercury,
46
,
77

methane,
4
,
6
,
12
,
16
,
17
–18,
125

milk,
63
–64,
104

Moreno, Ramon,
144

myths.
See
media control of information

N

Nagoya (Convention on Biological Diversity),
33

National Cattlemen's Beef Association (NCBA),
84

National Institute of Child Health and Development,
104

National Institutes of Health,
99

National School Lunch and Breakfast Programs,
104
,
105

Nestle, Marion,
89
–90

nitrogen,
54
,
55
,
57

nitrous oxide,
4
,
6
,
12
,
17
–18

nonrenewable resources, defining,
2
–3

nutrients,
10
,
126
–127,
129
–130

O

obesity,
66

oceans,
46
,
48
–49,
54
–58

omega-3 fatty acids,
47

oncologists,
101

Ope's,
68
–69

O'Reilly, Bill,
85
–86

organic wastes,
54
–57

osteoporosis,
61
–62,
104

overfishing,
47
–52

overgrazing,
28
–29,
31

oxygen,
4
,
18

ozone,
4

P

PCBs.
See
polychlorinated biphenyls

Peanut Corporation of America,
92
–93

pediatricians,
102

pesticides,
54
,
57
,
77

pharmaceuticals derived from plants,
24

phosphorus,
54
,
55
,
62

phosphorus-to-calcium ratios,
62

physicians,
75
,
100
–102,
111
–112

Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine,
75
,
104

Physicians for Responsible Medicine,
59

pigs,
78
–80,
123
–124,
140
–141

plant-based diet,
59
–60,
98
–99

plants

amount of water and land used for production,
12
–13

defined,
9
–10

medicinal uses,
24

use of fossil fuel in production,
18

political issues,
109
–110