The Greenhouse Hamburger; February 2009; Scientific American Magazine; by Nathan Fiala; 4 Page(s)

Most of us are aware that our cars, our coal-generated electric power and even our cement factories adversely affect the environment. Until recently, however, the foods we eat had gotten a pass in the discussion. Yet according to a 2006 report by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), our diets and, specifically, the meat in them cause more greenhouse gases¿carbon dioxide (CO2), methane, nitrous oxide, and the like¿to spew into the atmosphere than either transportation or industry. (Greenhouse gases trap solar energy, thereby warming the earth¿s surface. Because gases vary in greenhouse potency, every greenhouse gas is usually expressed as an amount of CO2 with the same global-warming potential.

The FAO report found that current production levels of meat contribute between 14 and 22 percent of the 36 billion tons of ¿CO2-equivalent¿ greenhouse gases the world produces every year. It turns out that producing half a pound of hamburger for someone¿s lunch¿a patty of meat the size of two decks of cards¿releases as much greenhouse gas into the atmosphere as driving a 3,000-pound car nearly 10 miles.