Hi,
My name is Ari BC. And I feel like crying every time I see a picture of a starving polar bear stuck in the middle of a melted iceberg ocean.
Planet earth sure is taking an ominous turn. It seriously kills me that we still put our efforts into debating wether yes or no, human activity causes climate change, rather than putting our efforts into reversing it. I mean, science is the most reliable tool we have to orient our thoughts and actions, and 97 per cent of climate experts agree that humans are causing global warming [1] . Ninety-seven per cent! Are we seriously going to gamble the human and animal race on a 3 per cent of hesitant scientists? Because let’s just remember that it’s humanity that is facing mass extinction, not planet earth. Planet earth always has the final say. Just like the ocean has the final way when it comes to surfing (I’ve learned this one the hard way).
The subject might seem depressing as fuck and turn you off. Countries signing out of the Kyoto protocol, the twisted relationships between our governments and the oil and petrol industry (and our dependence on them), corruption, multinational businesses refusing to change their way of operating etc. When you start digging on the subject, you probably feel overwhelmed, powerless and then, defeated. The problem appears to be much bigger and twisted than expected. Sometimes it can feel like the ones that can make a significant change are the same people that don’t seem to be motivated to operate that change because of the economic loss it could incur. And can we blame them? This is a downside result of our economic model. It would be so damn easy to ‘’EVILise’’ these companies, give them all the blame and responsibility. But it would also be so damn hypocritical. We, as a society, create these monsters. How? By not doing our homework of educating ourselves and by encouraging them by buying into their products and image-oriented marketing. So we, as a society, need to embody the fact that as customers we have power and we can vote for change.
THE GOOD NEWS IS, you sensitive-to-the-polar-bear image people, change can start right there, at home. Because you have more power than you possibly think.
REALLY?
Yeah baby, I have reasons to believe so.
A brilliant guy named Paul Hawken, which is also an environmentalist and activist, edited a book named Drawdown—The Most Comprehensive Plan Ever Proposed to Reverse Global Warming.
”Drawdown maps, measures, models, and describes the 100 most substantive solutions to global warming. For each solution, we describe its history, the carbon impact it provides, the relative cost and savings, the path to adoption, and how it works. The goal of the research that informs Drawdown is to determine if we can reverse the buildup of atmospheric carbon within thirty years. All solutions modeled are already in place, well understood, analyzed based on peer-reviewed science, and are expanding around the world.”[2]
Which let’s be honest, for once, it gives the world a little bit of hope and positivity. So basically, these solutions all reduce greenhouse gases by avoiding emissions and/or by sequestering carbon dioxide already in the atmosphere. And guess what figures in third and fourth position of the ranking?
Reduce food waste and adopt a plant-rich diet.
(I could put a picture of a heart shape made with veggies and fruits just right here but I am not going to do it, for obvious reasons)
Which means, that we all have THE POWER FOR CHANGE through our food choices and food management. And it looks like its actually some of the mosts effective ways to positively impact the environment! How cool is that?
If you would like to know more on the subject of global warming, here are some pieces of work that I liked:
www.drawdown.org and its book Drawdown—The Most Comprehensive Plan Ever Proposed to Reverse Global Warming
because they offer a concrete plan of action based on credible complete studies (UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change). Some of the solutions are super accessible for individuals.
Demain (tomorrow) documentary, www.demain-lefilm.com
Because they had the balls to rethink and question the economic model in a concrete and credible way. It relies on hope, positivity, good examples rather than drama and sensationalism.
Before the flood documentary, www.beforetheflood.com
Because… well: Leo Di Caprio… 😉
So cheers to you current and future plant eaters!
And to encourage you to take action, I’ll be sharing tips and info on this beautiful subject that is nutrition and environment, right here, on this blog. You can also join the Salty Club to get more plant-rich diet recipes, info on how to adopt this diet and discover ingredients often used in this diet.