إنتاج اللحوم والاحتباس الحراري

Today Doug and Rasha talk about the effects of meat production on the environment.

A leading climate change expert says that people should eat less meat to reduce global warming.

Dr Rajendra Pachauri, who is the chairman of the UN's intergovernmental panel on climate change, has been looking at how much various industries contibute to greenhouse gas emissions. He concludes that meat production accounts for 18 percent of humanity's emissions.

There are several ways in which meat production affects the environment.

Firstly fossil fuels are needed to make fertilisers and to process meat. However burning of fossil fuels is considered to be the largest contributing factor to the release of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.

Secondly, large areas of forests are cleared to gather wood and to create grazing for animals. And finally, cows and sheep release a greenhouse gas known as methane into the atmosphere while digesting their food.

So what can be done? Dr Pachauri, who is a vegetarian, says that we need to have a change in our lifestyles to have a positive impact on the environment. He advises that if we eat less meat and switch off lights we would be better off.

Tell us your ideas for reducing global warming. Should we reduce our meat consumption or does more need to be done?

أنقر هنا للاستماع للكلمات

meat production
إنتاج اللحوم

global warming
الاحتباس الحراري

greenhouse gas emissions
انبعاثات غازات الدفيئة/ الغازات التي تؤدي لارتفاع حرارة كوكب الأرض

fossil fuels
الوقود الحفري، مثل البترول والفحم

cleared
إزالة لإفساح المجال لشيء آخر

grazing
الرعي

methane
الميثان

vegetarian
نباتي

change in our lifestyles
تغيير في أنماطنا الحياتية

better off
أفضل حالا

Munzir Gaboura, Khartoum, Sudan
Global warming has been an important issue for almost the past decade. The Antarctic has been melting and we are losing our normal earth equilibrium. Being a vegetarian will not cause a dramatic response. The top industrial countries are the ones who could save the planet and make a difference by decreasing their burning of fossil fuels.

Mohammed, Dubai
I think that the most important thing is to stop the wars which is the main reason for global warming so it is the responsibility of the UN, EU and the normal people everywhere to say: "Stop the wars."

Ashraf Soubh, Mansoura, Egypt
I think we should not take this important issue as an isolated case. The environmental conservation is an integrated process, so it is not logical to remove all cows to reduce the global warming consequences. This is a proportional process by applying a good system to save our planet from these emissions and to urge all the people worldwide to stick to this law. On the other hand we should do our best to design a newly scientific way to clear up all the pollutants in a very safe way to protect the people from this imbalanced ecosystem.

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