Jamgirl – I’m allergic to gluten and soy, totally dysfunctional on a low-protein diet. My blood sugar goes nuts, can’t stay awake much, get migraines. I try to eat organic and, whenever possible, free range meat and eggs.

I’d also point out that no one’s ever managed to create proper nutrient cycle system for farming without the inclusion of animals. They’re necessary parts of any ecosystem, including agroecosystems.

The answer, in my view, resides in working together, against the individualist movement going on in the Western World. Furthermore, trade barriers should be re-enacted to protect the sovereign countries against the transnationals closing down our local companies while announcing that it’s “good for us”, which is a blatant lie.

And for the fools who feel corn ethanol is the answer, remember it breaks your engine… yikes!

I think your piece was great and certainly highlighted most of the core issues, but thought I should point out you may be dooming yourself as surely as the suicidally inactive leaders you criticize by remaining with the ‘high protien’ aka meat diet.

If you find the idea of abandoning meat consumption altogether too hard to consider just bear in mind that if everyone in the US only halved their meat consumption, that would mean between 5 and 10 BILLION ( Yes that’s right BILLION) animals would not need to be raised and the emissions reductions from that single act alone would cut national greenhouse gas (GHG) pollution by between 10 or 20%, depending on if you look at direct emissions alone or include associated industries as well. That’s not actually a big ask, in terms of dietary changes, and yet it would have an enormous effect. Halve consumption again in a year and your emissions could be cut by as much as a third through that one act alone.

It’s simply the most effective thing any one individual can do to halt climate change, especially when that act shows the government how serious the population is about making the changes needed to address the issue. Any population willing to make those sorts of deep personal commitments is empowered enough to elect whomsoever they think will get the job done best, and I guarantee it would put the wind up more than a few!

Another important aspect to consider is that Methane, the main gas emitted by the livestock industry is 20/25 times more potent as a GHG. So any reductions made in that area are that much more effective that in other areas. Not only that, but methane breaks down in 8-12 years, while carbon takes between 100 and 1000 yrs to be drawn out of the system, depending on how many trees and other chlorophilic organisms are engaged in the task.

So clearly there is a huge advantage to reducing the high protein meat based diet significantly in favour of the alternative high protein plant based alternative.

Personally, I like the comforts of modern western civilization as well – lights, refrigeration, network communication etc, and I think commitment to it’s preservation deserves a little personal adjustment, as a starting point with which to buy the time to deal with the bigger, more expensive, more complicated contributors to this, the biggest threat facing humankind today.

I contemplate the discussion of those who are holing up and preparing for post-Peak Oil catastrophes and wonder: what can or should I do? I’m not likely the pioneering farmer. But, am I dooming my household?

But, on reflection of Global Warming, I do not see holing up and hiding as a viable option. We, humanity, are in this together, to sink or swim, whether people realize it or not. We all are and will be harmed (even if to differing degrees). Much less expensive to solve this problem than to have to live with it.