I have read a few articles lately that I find to be infuriating. In the great debate of whether or not the planet is doomed to heat or cool exessivley, pets have become a target of environmentalists as supposed enemies of the planet. Some have stated that a medium sized dog carries a carbon footprint(paw-print?) larger than that of an SUV. They say this is due to the large amounts of meat that our dogs and cats eat. I find this to be a completely laugable attempt at driving the attention away from the true issue here. I am capable of seeing the problem; that factory farming is a serious issue; an industry that is used in excess by humans since their creation. Feed lots are toxic places, and It's ridiculous that they are releasing these articles, suggesting that we rid the world of pets and somehow that will solve the problem.
If we reduced the number of pets on the planet, we would indeed, reduce the amount of manufacturing facilities dedicated to making pet products, yes. But what about changing the globalization of the market? The millions of pounds of products shipped around the world EVERY day is something these writers aren't going to talk about? Is it easier to make the little guy pay for what big industry is doing? Of course it is.
I'm angered by the fact that the resonsibility for the influence people have on climate change is placed solely on the individual. Yes, I recycle, I take the bus, I do what I can, so why aren't they looking to the real violators, instead of guilting people into more rituals of futility.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20091220...inganimalsfood
http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post...anet-eat-a-dog
All of the supposed violations committed by our beloved pets are committed around the globe by millions of human beings, ten-fold. To point a finger at one aspect of the massive issue - the destruction of the environment, is short sighted and insulting.
