ONeill

Sarah ONeill
Professor Jackie
English 101
October 23, 2015
Food for Thought
The article UN urges global move to meat and dairy-free diet written by Felicity Carus
discussed the impact of consuming meat and dairy on the environment. The article informed the
reader that as the worlds population and developing countries continue to increase and afford
animal products, the demand of these foods will also increase. This will leave the world in a state
that cannot support the demands of the people. One report stated,
Last year the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization said that food production would have to
increase globally by 70% by 2050 to feed the world's surging population (Carus,
paragraph ).
The interviewees in the article proceeded to state that a worldwide effort is needed to conserve
animal product consumption to avoid an epidemic in climate change and resources. Panel
experts often compared the possible to crisis to that of emissions fuels, stating
Agriculture was on a par with fossil fuel consumption because both rise rapidly with
increased economic growth (Carus, paragraph 3). It was noted that the difference was
Unlike fossil fuels, it is difficult to look for alternatives: people have to eat. A substantial
reduction of impacts would only be possible with a substantial worldwide diet change,
away from animal products. (Carus, paragraph 3)
Felicity Carus appeared to have written this article as an informative piece to share with
the readers the impact of eating animal products. Several of the experts Carus referenced gave

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statistics on the subject matter of worldwide consumption. Carus focused on reporting material
of the negative effects of continuing to consume at the current worldwide rate and projected
future increases, listing
climate change, habitat change, wasteful use of nitrogen and phosphorus in fertilizers, overexploitation of fisheries, forests and other resources, invasive species, unsafe drinking
water and sanitation, lead exposure, urban air pollution and occupational exposure to
particulate matter (Carus, paragraph 10)
as potential areas of concern. The author created a sense of urgency to command the audiences
attention by quoting the damage and destruction on the worlds agriculture and climate.
A global shift towards a vegan diet is vital to save the world from hunger, fuel poverty and the
worst impacts of climate change (Carus, paragraph 1)
Several strong and valid points supporting a worldwide change were provided by Felicity
Caurus. However, Caurus neglected to bring to light any opposing studies showing a bias in the
reasoning of the article. In order to have a complete argument, the article needed to provide
contrasting viewpoints and evidence to reflect that all aspects have been considered before taking
a position. In addition, portions of the article appeared to lack complete evidence. The study
stated that the western countries were a negative model for the
developing countries where much of this population growth will take place must not follow
the western world's pattern of increasing consumption (Carus, paragraph 13).
The author did not include details supporting the research. For example, the study may have
neglected the baby boomers that will succumb to death during these projected years and will
decrease population at a more than usual rapid rate, just as they were born at an unusual rate.

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Since Caurus relied heavily on quotes from experts and provided very little additional
information, it was crucial that the reporting of the studies provided sufficient information. For
example, Caurus reported that the panel of experts found that
Agriculture, particularly meat and dairy products, accounts for 70% of global freshwater
consumption, 38% of the total land use and 19% of the world's greenhouse gas
emissions (Carus, paragraph 11).
This statement was problematic for the reader as there was little to no explanation provided to
support the claim. Caurus presented the information in a way that leaves the reader questioning
the validity of the claims and statistics.

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Works Cited
Carus, Felicity. UN urges global move to meat and dairy-free diet. Guardian News and
Media Limited 2010. <http://guardian.co.uk>