Mark Bittman, a former New York Times columnist and defender of sustainable food systems wrote a poignant op-ed in The New York Times May 21 about animal factory farming.
In the article he recommends that the World Health Organization, who will select a new director general, tackle factory farming, a major threat to our health and environment.
It's a short read, but here are a few notable factoids that stuck out:
In the article he recommends that the World Health Organization, who will select a new director general, tackle factory farming, a major threat to our health and environment.
It's a short read, but here are a few notable factoids that stuck out:
- Factory farming operations generate more green house gas emissions than all forms of transportation combined.
- Meat eaters are responsible for twice the greenhouse gas emissions of people on plant-based diets.
- In 2015 over half a million deaths were linked to diets high in processed and red meats.
- Superbugs are used among confined animals in factory farms. Humans unwittingly consume low doses of antibiotics from the meat they eat. As bacteria develop resistance to antibiotics, many may be powerless against pneumonia or urinary tract infections.
