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We all know that global warming is a hot topic, but what is it exactly? Global warming is caused when greenhouse gases (carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide) trap the sun’s heat in our atmosphere, thus raising the Earth’s temperature. It’s a big deal and it is upon us.

Some of us have seen Al Gore’s movie An Inconvenient Truth and it probably opened our eyes to how bad the problem really is. I know it opened mine. So, you watch that movie and run out and join greenpeace, or buy a hybrid car, or CFL lightbulbs, or more energy efficient appliances. You vow to recycle everything you possibly can and go around your office rescuing scraps of paper from colleagues’ trash cans that were so carelessly thrown away instead of recycled. While all of these are noble endeavors, is it really enough?

Actually, it isn’t and sadly, it probably has little effect. But don’t despair… there is something you can do.

Consider this: You probably have no idea that animal agriculture (that is, the raising of animals for food) produces more greenhouse gases than automobiles. Cows, especially, emit massive amounts of methane and nitrous oxide. Animal agriculture produces 100 million tons of methane per year; about 85% of this is from the burps and farts from the cows themselves and an additional 15% of emissions are released from the massive cesspools used to store untreated farm waste. These cesspools, incidentally, are the number one source of water pollution in the U.S. Methane is responsible for almost half of the global warming impacting our planet and nitrous oxide has over 300 times more impact on global warming than that per mass of carbon dioxide.

That’s some scary shit.

Even scarier still is that deforestation is destroying rainforests to make grazing land for cattle and for the planting of soy crops (to feed the cattle, not for tofu dogs). Aside from the negative environmental effects of this, the effect of this on global warming is two-fold: more methane farts and burps (and pollution from waste), and NO MORE TREES TO REMOVE CARBON DIOXIDE FROM OUR ATMOSPHERE. That’s super duper scary considering that carbon dioxide can remain in the air for more than a century. Wow! The “good” news here is that methane gas cycles out of the atmosphere in just 8 years (meaning lower temperatures in 8 years if the amount emitted is significantly decreased). And who was the biggest emitter of methane gas? That’s right, animal agriculture. I think the answer is staring us all in the face.

You’re probably thinking that you, one person, going vegan has no significant impact. According to research done by PETA, by going vegan for one month, you save:

• 8,000 gallons of water
• a quarter acre of land
• a quarter ton of soil erosion
• a half ton of polluting animal manure
• the carbon dioxide equivalent of 270 pounds of greenhouse gases
• the energy equivalent of burning 7 gallons of gas
• 160 pounds of crops wasted on farmed animals

Still think you won’t have any impact? I guarantee the impact of going vegan is greater than trading in your SUV for a hybrid. It’s a collective effort. One person can inspire and educate another and, before we know it, we’re making a real impact. If we don’t do something soon, we won’t have a planet to live on. Your children and your children’s children will die. I’ve made the change to help you and your family; won’t you make the change to help too?

When Fox news writes a story about it, you know it’s got to be true.

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