r/veg • u/wewewawa • 7d ago

People often miscalculate climate choices, a study says. One surprise is owning a dog

https://apnews.com/article/climate-choices-impact-decisions-recycling-flying-meat-a85ef43fc63c666e16f29e8ca1e43beb
4 Upvotes

57% Upvoted

11 comments sorted by

26

u/kr7shh 7d ago

Damn, u should see how much unnecessary carbon emissions we humans produce which can easily be offset by making simple choices as in buying second hand, or using transit, eating less meat preferably not eat meat at all you know. But yeah, let’s blame it on the beings who haven’t done anything intentionally bad to the planet!

3

u/Dreadful_Spiller 6d ago

Not blaming the dogs. Blaming the dog owners.

15

u/Competitive-Ebb3816 7d ago

Dogs are omnivores, and there are multiple brands of veg dog foods on the market. Make part or all of their diet from those foods, and the carbon footprint will be reduced.

0

u/lucytiger 4d ago

Animal protein allergies are actually fairly common in dogs. Ours eats a fully plant-based kibble and is thriving.

8

u/chloeclover 6d ago

So anything that brings joy or comfort I guess? I just cut out meat and drive less and call it a day

5

u/Dolmenoeffect 6d ago

Yeah, this is a weird slippery slope situation to me. I would also decrease my carbon footprint if I literally cut off a limb. Lower metabolic needs and all that. Doesn't mean it's worth it.

If you really want to decrease the climate burden of pets, get them spayed and neutered.

7

u/wewewawa 7d ago

Planes emit a lot of carbon dioxide and nitrogen oxides, also greenhouse gases. Additionally, planes emit contrails, or vapor trails that prevent planet-warming gases from escaping into space. A round-trip economy-class flight on a 737 from New York to Los Angeles produces more than 1,300 pounds of emissions per passenger, according to the International Civil Aviation Organization, a United Nations agency.

Skipping that single flight saves about as much carbon as swearing off eating all types of meat a year, or living without a car for more than three months, according to U.N. estimates.

2

u/soursummerchild 7d ago

This is why I haven't flown in five years, and I refuse to do so unless there's some sort of emergency. Been a vegetarian for 12 years, too!

5

u/maxwellj99 7d ago

Dogs can easily be plant based, so the argument is stupid.

3

u/lnrael 6d ago

So, they published an article about a PhD student's research. The main source of the data appears to be https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1748-9326/ab8589

But the data doesn't support her x axis in figure one. Someone make it make sense

1

u/nobodyinnj 7d ago edited 7d ago

Depends on the dog. I know from experience (with a dog in my family) that a small (10-12 lb) dog eats 6-8 oz of food a day and maybe 20-30 % of that is meat. So, a small dog eats about 5 lb meat per month equivalent to about a single cow in his entire life of 12-15 years. A lot of pet food is also made from the byproducts of slaughterhouse industry, too. It would be a different story if he was a 200 lb dog.

IMHO, dogs are a totally frivolous creation by man. Most of them would starve if not fed and cannot take care of themselves. I see no need to keep an animal in my house and take its care for whatever benefit/pleasure it brings. But, the pet industry is like religion. It will exist forever despite having undeniable evidence against it.