It was a spring morning when Elise Rustad saw the creature loping down a Toronto sidewalk. At a distance, it looked like a dog, but no owner was nearby. As it drew closer, she was struck by its size and its thick black, white and grey coat.
“It was big. I’ve seen a wolf before,” she said. “And that really looked like a wolf.”
After watching the video she hadrecorded, her husband suspected it could be something else.
Experts say eating WFPB meals instead of animal products is much better for the environment, boosts immunity and reduces risks of chronic diseasesCalorie for calorie it can also be US$750 a year cheaper, research has found – useful savings as food costs around the world soar
A whole-food plant-based (WFPB) lifestyle includes eating foods derived mainly from plants, such as whole grains, beans, legumes, nuts, seeds, vegetables and fruits, and few or even no animal products. Photo: Shutterstock
Food prices are soaring around the world, while recent global events, including the Covid-19 pandemic, have led to food shortages and disruptions in our food supply chains.
Food producers are also having to deal with issues related to climate change. One-third of global food production will be at risk by the end…
Experts say eating WFPB meals instead of animal products is much better for the environment, boosts immunity and reduces risks of chronic diseasesCalorie for calorie it can also be US$750 a year cheaper, research has found – useful savings as food costs around the world soar
A whole-food plant-based (WFPB) lifestyle includes eating foods derived mainly from plants, such as whole grains, beans, legumes, nuts, seeds, vegetables and fruits, and few or even no animal products. Photo: Shutterstock
Food prices are soaring around the world, while recent global events, including the Covid-19 pandemic, have led to food shortages and disruptions in our food supply chains.
Food producers are also having to deal with issues related to climate change. One-third of global food production will be at risk by the end of the century if greenhouse gas emissions continue to escalate at their current rate, according to research from Aalto University in Finland, published in May 2021 in the journal One Earth.
Other challenges – from pollution and land degradation to water scarcity – also pose a growing threat to our food supply.
On World Health Day 2022, on April 7, the World Health Organization (WHO) launched the “Our Planet, Our Health” campaign, highlighting the interconnectedness between our well-being and that of the planet, urging us all to consider how our actions exacerbate human health and environmental problems.
“The climate crisis is a health crisis,” says Maria Neira, director of the WHO’s department of public health and environment. “Let’s reimagine a world where clean air, water and food are available to all. Where economies are focused on health and well-being. Where cities are liveable, and people have respect for their health and the health of the planet.”
One of the easiest and most practical ways we can contribute to this endeavour is by adopting a whole food plant-based (WFPB) lifestyle. This includes eating foods derived mainly from plants, such as whole grains, beans, legumes, nuts, seeds, vegetables and fruits, and few or even no animal products.
Eating animal products such as hamburgers instead of WFPB foods can significantly increase your carbon footprint. Photo: Shutterstock
A WFPB lifestyle benefits the environment in a number of ways, says dietitian Anna Herby, who is the nutrition education programme manager with the US-based Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, a non-profit that promotes a plant-based diet, preventive medicine, and alternatives to animal research.
For one, a WFPB helps reduce greenhouse gas emissions, she says. “By avoiding meat, you can significantly reduce your carbon footprint.”
A 2018 report by independent non-profit researcher Grain and the US Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy found that the world’s five largest meat and dairy companies – JBS, Tyson Foods, Cargill, Dairy Farmers of America, and Fonterra – were responsible for more combined greenhouse gas emissions than ExxonMobil, the biggest oil and gas producer, Herby explains.
Dietitian Anna Herby.
“Eating one fast-food-style hamburger – about 75g of beef – each day for a year contributes the same greenhouse gas emissions as driving a car across the United States 2.5 times, or 7,196 miles [11,580km],” she says.
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“If you compare this to eating a third of a can of beans each day for a year, it would be like driving a car only 93 miles.”
She adds that a report in medical journal The Lancet showed that shifting toward more plant foods and less animal products is optimal, and that a vegan and vegetarian diet is linked to the greatest reductions in greenhouse gas emissions.
Switching to a WFPB lifestyle also uses less water, because animal products require more water than most plant-based foods. For example, water is used to grow crops such as corn and soy, which are then fed to farmed animals – which also require water to grow and survive.
Rather than using all this water to feed people with animal products, we can be more efficient by eating the crops directly and cutting out the middle step of animal agriculture, Herby says.
The water used per calorie of beef is about 20 times as much as for whole grains and starchy vegetables, according to a 2010 report from the Institute for Water Education. Per gram of protein, milk, eggs and chicken require about 1.5 times more water than legumes like beans, chickpeas and lentils, while beef requires six times as much water per gram of protein than legumes.
A balanced plant-based diet can provide all the nutrients you need except vitamin B12. Photo: Shutterstock
The same concept applies to land use.
“We are using land to grow crops to feed animals and then using up more land to graze these animals,” Herby says. “If we switched to eating beans instead of beef, 42 per cent less cropland would be needed. Because feeding livestock takes up about one-third of the earth’s ice-free land mass, this shift to beans could make a huge difference.
“In addition, we are losing forests, especially rainforests, because they’re being cleared for growing crops to feed animals. Trees and forests are important for keeping our air clean; we don’t want to lose them.”
A WFPB lifestyle is also associated with numerous positive health outcomes, says Cyrus Luk Siu-lun, a dietitian at Matilda International Hospital in Hong Kong and an executive committee member of the Hong Kong Dietitian Association.
These include better weight management (healthier weight and lower body fat); a reduced risk of high blood pressure, high blood sugar and high cholesterol; and a reduced risk of chronic diseases such as constipation, gout, diabetes, liver disease, heart disease and some types of cancers, he says.
It also improves our gut health and strengthens our immunity against infection and disease, Luk says.
Dietitian Cyrus Luk.
You’ll find key nutrients like iron in foods such as lentils, beans, kale, spinach and pumpkin seeds; calcium in cabbage, bok choy, almonds and oranges; iodine in sea vegetables; zinc in soy products, seeds and nuts; and omega-3 fats in flax seeds and walnuts.
“Make sure your meal is balanced,” Luk says. “Approximately half your plate should consist of fruit and vegetables. Aim for different colours and varieties so you get a range of nutrients.
“Whole grains are high in fibre, vitamins and minerals, and are thus preferable to refined grains like white rice and white bread,” he adds. “Protein is important, too. Plant-based sources include tofu, beans, legumes, nuts and seeds.”
Eating animal products contributes to more deforestation – more land is needed for crops to feed animals, and to graze those animals. Photo: Shutterstock
A balanced plant-based diet can provide all the nutrients you need except vitamin B12. A supplement or B12-fortified foods may come in handy in this case, Herby advises.
Tips for an economical plant-based diet
With rising food costs on everybody’s minds, it helps to know that whole plant foods are generally more affordable because the ingredients are simple and widely available. Herby says that beans and whole grains are cheaper when bought dry and in bulk.
Luk recommends buying produce that’s in season, when it’s less expensive. You can also stock up on frozen fruit and veggies, which are affordable, convenient and available year-round.
“Frozen produce can be as nutritious as the fresh variety,” Luk says. “They’re often washed, blanched, frozen and packaged within a few hours of being harvested.
“This preserves their freshness as well as their nutrients. Frozen fruit and vegetables are still a good source of dietary fibre, vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients like phytochemicals and antioxidants.”
Other ways to slash your grocery bill include shopping at wet markets and farmers’ markets, and investing in kits that let you grow vegetables, fruit and herbs in your kitchen or on a balcony. You can even rent rooftop gardens or small parcels of land to grow your own organic produce.
The economic advantages of a WFPB lifestyle are well-documented. A 2015 study published in the Journal of Hunger & Environmental Nutrition compared two meal plans, both 2,000 calories. One followed a typical, omnivorous, Western dietary pattern and the other was plant-based. For the same number of calories, the plant-based plan resulted in savings of US$750 a year.
“This is just what you save at the supermarket,” Herby says. “The health benefits of eating plant-based, like fighting obesity, heart disease, diabetes, certain types of cancers, and other chronic illnesses, can keep you off medications and out of the doctor’s office, ultimately saving more money in the long run.”
The amount of methane in the atmosphere has spiked to historic highs and is increasing at its fastest recorded rate, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
The greenhouse gas — which is the second-biggest contributor to Earth’s warming — is more potent than carbon dioxide, the primary driver of climate change, but also breaks down much quicker, which makes its impacts more short-lived.
Reining in methane emissions could be one of the easiest and most effective immediate actions to slow down climate change, some experts say.
Atmospheric methane levels rose by 17 parts per billion in 2021, NOAA said in a Thursday news release. Total levels of atmospheric methane are 162 percent greater than preindustrial levels and about 15 percent higher than they were several decades ago.
Carbon dioxide in the atmosphere remains the primary and long-term driver of climate change. Its levels also continue to increase and reach new highs, the agency said.
Reducing methane pollution has become a recent focus during international climate talks. Even though it is a short-lived driver of climate change, methane can have a pronounced effect because it absorbs much more heat and energy than carbon dioxide.
“Our data show that global emissions continue to move in the wrong direction at a rapid pace,” NOAA Administrator Rick Spinrad said in a news release. “Reducing methane emissions is an important tool we can use right now to lessen the impacts of climate change in the near term, and reduce the rate of warming.”
The most recent United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change analysis estimated that methane’s potential contribution to global warming is more than 81 times that of an equivalent amount of carbon dioxide when impacts are measured over 20 years.
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Methane accounted for about 18 percent of all greenhouse gas emissions in 2019, according to the latest IPCC report.
Methane has many sources. It is the primary component of natural gas, a byproduct of raising livestock like cows and a gas that’s released as organic matter decays in wetlands.
“It’s both good news and bad news. Its human-related sources are quite varied, many of which are relatively straightforward to tackle,” Edmonds said in an interview about the newest IPCC findings.
Capturing methane produced by landfills, eating less meat from ruminant livestock, shifting how livestock are nourished and “tightening up” the production and transportation of natural gas could make a sizable difference in global warming by reducing methane emissions.
The IPCC estimated about 6 percent of global methane emissions are “fugitive emissions” leaked during the production and transportation of fossil fuels.
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Two bills in the Vermont Legislature that were originally set up to ban two hunting practices in the state have been watered down as they exit the Senate.
MONTPELIER, Vt. (WCAX) – Two bills in the Vermont Legislature that were originally set up to ban two hunting practices in the state have been watered down as they exit the Senate.
Both have created dialogue about trapping in the state and hunting coyotes with hounds. It’s leaving advocacy groups on both sides of the hunting spectrum watching closely.
“It seems like we have reached that middle ground that makes sense,” Vt. Fish and Wildlife Commissioner Chris Herrick said.
Herrick says two Senate bills advancing are reflective of compromise happening in Vermont’s everchanging landscape around…
It’s not hard to hunt feral hogs in Texas. That’s partly because there are so many of them here– the most of any state, experts think – and partly because it’s state policy to make hog hunting as easy as possible.
Feral hogs are amongthe most destructive invasive speciesin the United States. Every year, they cause over $1 billion in damage nationwide to crops and property. So landowners and government agencies like the U.S. Department of Agriculture are invested in decreasing their population.
Texas is a hog hunting paradise. Before 2019, hunters were required to have a license to hunt them. But the Legislaturegot rid of that requirement. Now, only a hunter’s education…
As fishing vessels scour the oceans for fewer and fewer fish, the trail of each one can be tracked via satellite. Each ship crosses and recrosses the paths left by others until the seas of the world start to resemble the fishing nets they play host to. Within this tangled web, the paths of two vessels caught the attention of the investigative team at my organization, the Environmental Justice Foundation — their strange, parallel movements didn’t look right.
This chance observation, unremarkable to most, was the start of a year-long investigation to expose the Israr fleet — three vessels illegally fishing for tuna, damaging our already over-exploited ocean ecosystems, threatening the food security and livelihoods of coastal communities, and using every means possible to evade detection. These vessels, and others like them, fish illegally and often indiscriminately, outcompeting local fishers and putting at risk the food security and livelihoods of over 100 million people who rely on small-scale fishing.
The operator controlling this fleet knew how to work the system. They knew the chronic lack of transparency, communication and accountability across the global fishing sector could be used to their advantage to keep the fleet’s illegal and destructive activities off the radar.
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They are by no means the first to notice and exploit this weakness — the systemic lack of transparency across global fisheries is one of the most significant enablers of illegal fishing around the world. Crucial information on vessel ownership, records of illegal activity and fishing authorization are not publicly available, forcing authorities to make uninformed decisions on which vessels are allowed to fish their waters. The lack of data flow hinders collaboration between NGOs, governments and regional fishing authorities working to apprehend illicit operators and makes it far too easy for illegal fishing to thrive. It also creates a lawless environment ripe for human rights abuses to flourish, with no oversight and no escape.
There is a proverbial playbook of tried-and-tested tactics that exploit the flaws in the system. The owner of the Israr fleet knew them all.
Practiced Deception
Israr 1 and 2, taken by a crew member onboard Israr 3
All fishing vessels are required to sail under the flag of a nation, and, in theory, abide by the laws of that state. The Israr fleet not only went “stateless” for a time, illegally sailing under no flag, the sailors repeatedly changed their flags. Swapping flags may not be illegal, but it is used by illegal operators to create confusion around who is responsible for monitoring and sanctioning the vessel, or to adopt a flag of a state they know simply can’t or won’t monitor their operations and enforce laws and regulations. Under cover of this uncertainty, they can continue their criminal activity uninterrupted, damaging our oceans and decimating fish populations.
To add to this confusion, the owners changed the names of the vessels, with crew switching digital ID codes mid-voyage and physically painting over the name on the side of each vessel with bright white paint. This tactic is only effective because of our disjointed system. Universal vessel identification systems do not apply to all fishing vessels, not all nations have national vessels identification schemes for non-eligible vessels, and many of these registries are not publicly available to check vessels committing illegal acts against. There is currently no truly universal, openly available system of vessel identification — a unique number or code, a so-called unique vessel identifier (UVI) — that stays with each vessel from shipyard to scrapyard, regardless of name or flag changes. Without such records, it is almost impossible to uncover the illegal history of a vessel, and to hold the owners and operators accountable.
The Israr fleet also engaged in trans-shipment, meeting other vessels at sea to transfer catch, supplies or crew. While this can occur legally, it has become a characteristic tactic of illegal operators trying to cover their tracks. It allows them to “launder” fish caught illegally and perpetuate the abuse and enslavement of crew by enabling vessels to stay away from port for months or even years.
For example, migrant workers in Korea’s distant water fishing fleet reported being forced to work 18-hour days; a quarter of the crew we spoke to had experienced physical abuse and over 60 percent had witnessed verbal abuse. Almost all had their passports confiscated by their captain and several months’ wages deducted at the start of contracts to discourage them from escaping these abusive environments. These vessels regularly remained at sea for over a year, and in some cases over 18 months, without calling at port.
A Lucky Observation
It took over a year of investigation to build a case against the Israr fleet, but it paid off. In December 2021, the fleet was blacklisted by the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas, a significant blow to this illicit network. If properly implemented, this will prevent the fleet from selling any of the fish they catch.
We cheered this small victory the Environmental Justice Foundation — one less fleet abusing the system and damaging our oceans. But what about the next vessel, and the one after that?
The Israr fleet was caught by chance by an observant, determined NGO. Up against global illegal fishing operations catching 26 million tonnes of fish each year, this approach will barely scratch the surface. We cannot afford to continue in this hit-or-miss manner.
Systemic Change
We need a system that works for us, not for them — a system built on transparency. By opening data flow between nations and bringing vessel license lists, history of offenses and full ownership details into the public realm, we can start to protect our ocean from these damaging fleets and hold the owners of these vessels accountable.
This systemic change is needed on an international level. In the Israr investigation alone, we worked with fishing authorities in Belize, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Brazil, Senegal, Trinidad and Tobago, the U.S., France and Oman, all tuna regional fisheries management organizations, the European Commission, INTERPOL and crew members in Mauritius. This is the level of international data-sharing and collaboration we need to achieve.
This may sound daunting, but bringing fisheries out of the shadows does not require new, sophisticated technology, or unrealistic expense. It can be achieved by any country through a combination of public data-sharing, enforcement of sustainable fisheries laws, and the use of existing technology to understand, map and disclose supply chains.
If we fail to enact this change, millions of people will suffer, especially coastal communities that rely on thriving fisheries to survive. We are already seeing the consequences of apathy in Ghana, where the fundamental human rights of Ghanaian fishing communities are being threatened by the government’s failure to tackle overfishing and illegal fishing by industrial trawlers. Over half the 215 small-scale fishers, processors and traders we spoke to reported going without sufficient food over the past year, and over 70 percent reported a deterioration in their living conditions over the past five years. The vast majority of industrial trawlers in Ghana, although operating under the Ghanaian flag, are controlled and financed by distant water fishing companies based in China.
Illegal fishing is pushing ocean ecosystems toward total collapse and stripping millions of people of their food security and livelihoods. It is cause for international shame that the chronic lack of transparency can still be used get away with these crimes. Only through international collaboration can we bring fishing out of the shadows and return our oceans to their rightful glory.
German citizen Carsten Aust visited Canada to raise awareness and funds for a Philippine children’s charity, but his noble mission took a tragic turn after an ill-fated decision to join his new friends hunting for a bear ended in the death of a 59-year-old Rosengart man.
“In his wildest dreams, he never imagined he would be in a courtroom facing any charge of any kind,” his lawyer Jeff Gindin told court Wednesday. “It’s a terrible tragedy.”
A Facebook page for Vision Help International Care Foundation (Philippines) identifies Carsten and Mercy Aust as the charity’s founders.
Oleg Unruh died Oct. 5 after he was shot returning to his vehicle following a day hunting for deer in…
Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) Enforcement agents cited nine people for alleged turkey hunting violations during the opening weekend of the 2022 turkey hunting season. Turkey season opened on April 2 in all three turkey hunting areas.
On April 1 agents cited:
Jonathan Dees, 43, of Albany for hunting turkeys during a closed season and failing to comply with turkey tagging requirements in Tangipahoa Parish.
On April 2 agents cited:
Darrell L. Arnold, 75, of Alexandria, for possessing illegal turkey during an open season and failing to maintain sex identification of tag meat in Vernon Parish.
Christopher W. Carmack, 26, of Deridder, for hunting during a turkey lottery hunt without lottery permit in Vernon Parish.
Mark R. Wallace, 63, of Deridder, for hunting turkeys over a baited area in Vernon Parish.
