Start right now
Right on the heels of utter devastation wrought by Hurricanes Florence and Michael comes an alarming report in the prestigious journal Nature that mitigation of global climate change will require a massive switch to plant-based eating.
The report concludes that global warming threatens the world’s very food supply, in addition to generating scorching heat, raging wildfires, devastating hurricanes, massive flooding and rising sea levels. It was compiled by an international panel of 23 climate experts and follows the latest warning about rising temperatures by the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
A 2010 United Nations report blamed animal agriculture for 19 percent of greenhouse gas emissions, 70 percent of freshwater use and 38 percent of land use.
Carbon dioxide is emitted by burning forests to create animal pastures and by operating factory farms. The more damaging methane and nitrous oxide are released from digestive tracts of cattle and from animal-waste cesspools, respectively.
In an environmentally sustainable world, just as we replace fossil fuels by wind, solar and other pollution-free energy sources, we also must replace meat and dairy products in our diet with vegetables, fruits and grains.
Our next supermarket visit offers a superb opportunity to get started.
Washi Hamada
Kailua-Kona
Suspicious letters
The third letter to the editor in a week criticizing our Sen. Mazie Hirono makes me suspicious, especially when two of them are from states whose values drastically clash with our values of aloha.
Sen. Hirono has vigorously called out men to “step up.” These critics, mostly from afar, don’t want us to have an assertive immigrant woman represent a state that is home to so many other immigrants.
We need to be vigilant to intercept attacks from places that do not appreciate the positive strength of our senator. This is slightly less invasive than the Russians trying to influence our national elections.
Lois Margaret Drake
Volcano