One Simple Action to Ease Climate Anxiety

There have been a number of news stories this week about climate anxiety or eco-anxiety, including a piece by Discover Magazine titled “The Rise of Climate Anxiety”. Have you felt anxiety over climate change? I live in California and the wildfires and drought certainly make me anxious.

The relentless reports on the effects of climate change can lead to anxiety and a sense of helplessness, something psychologist are referring to as “Eco-Anxiety”. Psychologically, when people feel hopeless, they feel disempowered, and they give up. I believe that part of the issue with eco-anxiety is that people need to see solutions that they can practically implement.

Would you like something concrete, practical, and simple to do that helps addresses climate change?

According to the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, most plant-based foods have substantially lower greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions compared to animal products. A recent article in the Economist says beef emits 31 times more carbon dioxide (CO2) per calorie than tofu. Switching to a plant-based diet is something most people have direct control over that can help fight climate change, as well as reduce food insecurity and water stress.

On November 15th, John Letzing, Digital Editor, Strategic Intelligence, World Economic Forum, wrote a piece summarizing the COP 26 climate talks, “What will it take to hit the increasingly elusive target of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius?” Two focus areas of the piece are halting forest loss and reducing methane emissions. In the methane reduction section, there is a bullet that acknowledges the role of animal agriculture in methane emission.

Some of the reasons for the focus on methane (CH4) include.

• It being the second most abundant?anthropogenic (human generated) greenhouse gas?after CO2, accounting?for about 10% of U.S. and 20% of global?GHG emissions
• It traps about 25 times more heat in the atmosphere than CO2
• And it has a much shorter lifespan in the atmosphere than carbon dioxide.

So significantly reducing methane emissions can quickly generate a large impact on global warming.

When livestock and manure emissions are combined, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) found that animal agriculture is the largest source of CH4?emissions. And the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations says, global livestock represent 14.5% of all anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions, which includes methane, carbon dioxide, and nitrous oxide (N2O). Nitrous oxide is even worse than methane trapping about 310 times more heat in the atmosphere than CO2, and the livestock sector (primarily chickens, cows, and pigs) produces 65 percent of anthropogenic nitrous oxide emissions.

Have you driven by Harris Ranch on Interstate 5 in California? You can smell it in the air, right?

Animal agriculture which includes livestock and animal feed is also a significant driver of deforestation, and the biggest cause of deforestation in most Amazon Forest countries. According to the World Economic Forum, 8.2 million hectares of forest were replaced by soy production between 2001 and 2020. Sixty eight percent of harvested soy is processed into soy meal, and 98% of soy meal is used as animal feed. Yet animal agriculture is an inefficient means of feeding a growing population.

While there is debate over the “Feed Conversion Ratios” which is a measure of how much food (calories, protein, and nutrients) is lost by cycling crops through animals for meat vs eating the crops directly, there is no arguing that the feed resources outweigh the animal output. A study by Cornell University, estimated 800 million people could be fed with the animal feed used for livestock in the United States alone.

I think it makes more sense to feed people directly what about you?

Another area of focus at COP 26 was the role that overfishing has on climate change. ?According to the World Economic Forum oceans absorb almost a third of carbon emissions, and overfishing significantly impacts that absorption. Panama, Ecuador, Colombia, and Costa Rica committed to creating a fishing-free corridor covering more than a half million square kilometers. And on Ocean Action Day over 100 countries pledged to protect at least 30% of the global ocean by 2030. Once again, a plant-based diet is something you can do on a day to day basis to improve the climate impact.

You have the power to impact climate change by simply making a choice to eat a plant-based diet. I acknowledge that while it is a concrete, practical, and simple action it is not “easy” because changing any long-term behavior takes effort. I love the taste bacon and honestly, I have not found a good substitute yet. Do any of you have suggestions?

However, there are many tasty substitutes for burgers, sausages, and other foods. Heck even Burger King opened its first fully vegetarian restaurant in Madrid. Try just reducing the number of animal products you eat each week. ???

One common argument against plant-based diets is not getting enough protein. Did you know some of the world’s top athletes eat a plant-based diet? A web search for plant-based diet will give you a wide array of resources to help with meal planning and nutrition questions.

I also acknowledge that a plant-based diet on its own will not solve climate change, but is something concrete, practical, and simple you can do that will make an impact. It also reduces the risk of heart disease, diabetes, and cancer, as well as reducing food insecurity and water stress.

So, what do you think? Do you want to reduce eco-anxiety? Fight climate change? Improve health? Reduce water stress? Increase food security?

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