World history was favorably changed this past week (November 26, 2013) when the former US Vice President and environmental activist Al Gore declared that he was no longer consuming animal foods. As a former Black Angus cattle rancher and a long-time indulger in all foods fattening, many people doubted that he would ever come to his senses. But he has. He is now vegan.
Mr. Gore has been grappling with this decision for seven years—at least—since the time I pointed out the inconsistency of Al Gore being the world's leading spokesperson on climate change and his own high-meat diet. This was the year (2006) that Mr. Gore rose above being a politician to a far more important role as "savior" with the release of the Oscar-winning documentary, An Inconvenient Truth; it was also the year that the World Health Organization released a groundbreaking study showing that raising livestock (cows, pigs, chickens, etc.) to feed people produces more greenhouse gases than all the transportation (cars, trains, airplanes, etc.) combined. Since 2006 the estimated greenhouse gas contribution from people eating meat, poultry, dairy, and eggs has risen to over 50%. Al Gore's public disclosure of his personal change in diet marks a time in history when Big Food is losing ground to humanity, and people's interest in preserving their home, planet Earth, is gaining steam. |