From "How cats and dogs affect the climate – and what you can do about it" (The Conversation).
So much to think about! But maybe if you would consider "[f]eeding your pet the appropriate amount" for the good of the environment and also to "tackle pet obesity," you ought to consider doing the same for yourself. And maybe if you'd consider getting a smaller breed of dog to "[r]educ[e] the environmental burden," you could feed yourself less, reach and maintain leanness, and thereby acquire a carbon offset entitling you (morally) to that larger breed you really want. Win-win. Another big win is that you can let go of any guilt about feeding your pet dry food, while your neighbor, perhaps, is flaunting her participation in "the humanisation of pet foods." You are the one fighting climate change. Take a bow.
Photo by Meade, from the blog Puparazzo, 2014.
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102 comments:
If you're worried about climate change, worry about China not the size of your dog.
""So, how much should we worry about the harm our pets are doing to the environment?""
These people love to worry. I used to think I was a worrier, but I'm a piker in comparison.
Perhaps feed the big breeds to the little breeds. It's a twofer. But you'll need a freezer, so there's that.
"So, how much should we worry about the harm our pets are doing to the environment?"
"We"? How about you mind your own fucking business? I'm not worried. If you think pets are a problem, don't have one.
More liberals trying to dictate to Normal folks how they should order their lives. Ignore the assholes, or better yet, whatever they recommend, do the opposite.
However, perhaps the most concerning aspect of owning pets is the climate impact of the food they eat
"I went down to the pound and adopted a puppy."
"You are going to destroy the ozone with your evil ways."
"you could feed yourself less"
You could, but that would violate prog body positivity. What will force the bp vs. alarmism contradiction?
By moving towards smaller breeds, we can keep the benefits of pet ownership
Raise your hand everybody who thinks this person is only concerned about large pets and will stop complaining if we move to smaller pets? Anybody? Nobody? The answer is nobody. Nobody believes this person will go away happy if we get smaller pets .
I consider myself an environmentalist. Recycle like crazy. Think climate change is real and urgent problem. And find these sorts of articles utterly tiresome. People who think They Know Better and want to Tell Us How to Live want the rest of us to be constantly worried and anxious about everything we do. Sheesh we can't even enjoy pets.
Yet more efforts to impose sumptuary laws on us.
SMFH
Idea for a comic book
Nice scientist becomes obsessed with climate change and when he thinks about it he gets so mad and he becomes a giant green monster, he can't even keep his pants on, and he goes around smashing anybody exhaling carbon dioxide, including people, dogs, farting cows, all you mouth-breathers got to die, and some of you nasal-breathers have to die, too, oh my God I'm just trying to save the world, I have to destroy it to save it,
smash, smash, smash
and then he wakes up naked in some public library, with the AC on, and he wraps himself in New York Times newspapers and runs out the door
"I'm so embarrassed. I'm a scientist! Why did I get so green?"
and then he sees a tree
and falls in love all over again
"thank you for sucking up our evil carbon dioxide, Mr. Tree! You are the only one who deserves to live!"
but while he was hugging the tree he forgot to hold up his newspapers, and now he's naked again, and all the Karens are blowing their rape whistles, and now he's sprinting in the woods like an animal, like a wild naked beast who has to die because he's destroying the ozone
and he gets lost in the woods
naked and alone
no wallet
no cell phone
and he gets so hungry
and then, he comes out of the woods and he sees...
a cow
a farting cow
just standing there
and he picks up a pointed stick...
"So much to think about!"
Especially if you are a college-educated white woman. Really gets the old wheels a-spinnin', doesn't it. Pets and the environment! God, the virtues just signal themselves!
Must everything now be measured with respect to its climate impact?
Too many people out there trying to tell so many others how to live. Why isn't the #1 used name Hector?
“Not at all” would seem like the default answer from the sane.
The biggest pet-related environmental impact that I’ve observed is caused by the psychopaths who put their dogshit in a plastic bag and then leave the bag on the trail, thereby making the problem ten times worse. I can’t even begin to fathom the thought process behind this. Faux-virtue on crank, I guess.
it must be so exhausting having to consider "climate change" in every single decision you make. no wonder these people are losing their minds.
what about the food Our Children Make?? What about the CHILDREN our children make???
CLEARLY.. For The Good Of The Planet... We ALL MUST commit suicide, and take our pets with us!
Sterilizing our daughters is a good Start.. BUT! we MUST go FURTHER!!! ALL PEOPLE MUST DIE!
'The Politicization of Absolutely Every Effing Thing,' or 'Zero-th World Problems.'
No one is damning morbidly obese people, women particularly, for their undue "climate" consequences, the food they shove in their insatiable maws, the extra fuel they expend whether driving, flying, or traveling by any means other than their rarely seen two feet. Instead, we're instructed by our betters to celebrate their jiggly wiggly beauty, to welcome them on planes where they must richly deserve to get twice or three times the normal space on the skinnies' dime rather than their own, to accept the rolls and folds as equally sexy as taut curves of those wonderful and endangered Sports Illustrated swimsuit models.
By damning Kitty and Rover, the Conversation (bad joke) is just covering for the fatties.
Do to your cats and dogs what the governments of the world are intending to do to you.
You can get a huge dog if you just put a sign on it raising awareness of climate change.
That's how they do it with personal jets, anyway.
I worry about the harm John Kerry and the other hypocrites are doing to the American public with their lectures, and hypocrisy.
Vibrant photo, Meade!
My cats are doing their part to carbon offset the excess dove population.
When everything is an issue, nothing is an issue.
First-world problems are hilarious. Or they would be, if so many credentialed people didn't take them seriously.
Sad to say, I'm often nostalgic for the impact of 9/11, when all things were suddenly in perspective for the vast majority of the country. It's those two weeks I remember fondly.
Modern day Noe only wants the small animals this time.
No Diversity Equity and Inclusion for you.
I thought there was an insect politics tag.
Our cat is a one feline wrecking crew for the invasive rabbits on our island. She kills between 2 and 6 per week... that we are aware of. What she kills and disposes of elsewhere is, of course, her business. On the other hand, she is suitably lean and petite for such a ferocious predator. Rabbit has very little fat.
I have zero regrets and no apologies to offer.
Lefties are really sick people.
That is one happy poodle!
Oh, shit! Really?
Can I be forgiven for not giving this a thought?
Another day, another journal entry documenting the endless mental contortions of the trust-fund class.
"The biggest pet-related environmental impact that I’ve observed is caused by the psychopaths who put their dogshit in a plastic bag and then leave the bag on the trail, thereby making the problem ten times worse."
That's a thing? Jeez.
That's right up there with people who throw their half-burned logs into the woods, rather than leave them in the firepit, thinking they are "cleaning up". (pet peeve of mine)
I think this concept is a ridiculous overreach. As is most of this climate alarmism.
BUT - a neighboring home has over 150 tropical birds (of all sizes, and YES they are annoyingly loud with horrible screeching). The amount of trash they produce is just unbelievable, presumably lots of newspaper for the bottom of cages (which they do not recycle). I am not one to normally be overconcerned about this type of thing, but this is so over the top and goes on endlessly every week (several totally full 55gal roll off containers at the curb weekly) that I can't help but notice. But it is a rarity - we're just lucky enough to live next door ..sigh.
Then, for those of us who ignore the idiotic climate change scam, there is also the option of ignoring this idiotic article.
Normally I am opposed to euthanasia, but I can make an exception for these climate activists so they can do their part to help save the planet.
The gods might have changed but scoldy Puritanical scolds are going to keep scolding. Its the American way.
I don't have a dog in this fight.
Trying to keep up with the things that are going to kill us by overworking the environment.
>Don't use gasoline powered vehicles.
>No gas stoves.
>No gas heat.
>No AC.
>No lawnmowers, powerboats, generators, gas ranges.
>No more oil exploration. No more plastics, or any other petroleum based products which surround our lives.
>No more meat.
>No more fish.
>No more children.
>No more pets.
>Seniors need to die earlier.
>No more fashion- clothing needs to be simple and universal.
>No more cinema.
>No more restaurants- unless they operate via solar power, using only local products that are either vegan, or naturally raised, served only by POC or trans persons, and only if they are not triggered by your presence. This helps the seas from rising.
We good now?
What a bunch of f*cking morons... are your goldfish obese? Pet snakes fat? What about pet pigs???
I hear these 'climate change' nutjobs want to kill off some of our population (of humans that is.) I guess Stalin, Hitler, Mao, Pol Pot, and others will be there heroes now (they killed lots of them off!)
If they want to decrease the carbon 'footprint' they can walk, turn off their air conditioner, eat only veggies, and stop f*cking (population control.) Or just about themselves (Canada is offering that free!)
" However, perhaps the most concerning aspect of owning pets is the climate impact of the food they eat...."
There is no climate impact. China and India are building about 5 coal-fired power plants every month.
Another option for these nuts: Kill your pets. Then kill yourself.
If only they could be solar powered.
YES! Taking a bow is really what it’s all about.
Very entertaining post!
Fat people are much more of a problem to the environment than fat dogs or cats.
Went from a Chesapeake Bay Retriever to a British Lab. #SmallerPet
So, how much should we worry about the harm our pets are doing to the environment?
I worry much more about the people who think we should worry about the harm that pets have on the environment.
Everything about the argument is misguided.
Cats and dogs can harm the wild animal population, but so do wild animals. If we release our cats and dogs, so they aren't pets, they will do more damage.
Pets release carbon dioxide, but so do wild animals. By the author's logic, shouldn't we sterilize the planet? What are we trying to optimize?
A well-fed dachshund produces emissions equivalent to the average Brazilian. I don't know what that statistic is supposed to mean, so perhaps we should debate whether we get rid of dachshunds or Brazilians.
The author leans toward some type of death cult. Pets provide social and emotional benefit, so can't we just let people live their lives?
Yesterday there was a post elsewhere on the evils of the retractable leash, and today, well, this. Seems there is a War on Pets afoot, or rather, apaw….;)
My yellow lab identifies as a chihuahua.
Seriously, Remember!
YOUR pets (and Your Children) are THE PROBLEM.. The Elite's fleets of private jets? NO PROBLEM AT ALL!
I'm sure this is very exciting news to someone who cares.
"So, how much should we worry about the harm our pets are doing to the environment?"
Executive Summary: Fuck your joy.
First they came for the gold fish....
Finish at your leisure.
It's hilarious that the guy being quoted in the article complaining about dog ownership carbon footprints owns a private airplane company.
And gets his dog climate impact numbers wrong.
And bases his claim on one vague customer, who could be anyone who once took a short trip with him, rather than talking about the average miles flown by all his customers.
The poodle, on the other hand, doesn't appear to be lying about anything.
I'm not familiar with "The Conversation", do they employ/publish only autistic writers?
My 134 pound Cane Corso gets boiled chicken (from a can) and kibble twice a day. Probably a total of 1.5 pounds. It does seem excessive, but she likes it and has had very good health overall (9 years old). I'm not changing anything.
If we got rid of the people telling us to get rid of dogs, we would be much better off than getting rid of dogs.
Like the groups* that say we need to reduce Earth's population by X%, my first response: you first, lead the way.
* the venn diagram of the two groups is a perfect circle.
Temujin:
I write Yelp reviews. There are some outspoken liberal restaurants in Omaha. Why aren't they purchasing carbon credits? I've done that on two reviews.
Frankly, I'm surprised Starbucks hasn't done this. $5.00 for a cup of coffee and $.50 more to save the planet. A way to raise prices without raising prices.
Ann just picks articles like this to get us going; Althouse clickbait!
My dogs and cats have reliably informed me that they decline to be subject to some Climate Karen's bug eatin', downsizin' virtue-scolding crusade. The dogs have offered to sh*t on her front steps as a way of providing underscoring their remarks.
Could this be why politicians are getting smaller?
"A well-fed dachshund produces emissions equivalent to the average Brazilian."
Our dachshund eats a lot of worms when we walk (they're his sun-dried sidewalk selections) and the conditions are right. He can also snag them from the grass if I let him take the time.
I bet most Brazilians won't even think about eating worms or insects, and I can't blame them.
“It’s all been designed,” he said, “to make you lose your mind
And when you go back to find it, there’s nothing there to find
Every time you look at it, your situation’s worse
If you feel it grabbing out for you, send for the nurse"
"Sustainable pet food brands... incorporate innovative ingredients such as insects...."
So they not only want us to eat bugs, they want our pets to do so, too.
BG said...
"My yellow lab identifies as a chihuahua."
Our two cats identify as orchids and epiphytic bromeliads. We should be getting carbon credits.
Looked him up, what a pussy. But I do wanna thank him for pushing a new Staffordshire Terrier. A big blue one.
Graham Parker said it a while ago...
"Don't Get Me To Fill Up Your Empty Lives".
Are there any serious people anymore? As a society we have lost the ability to differentiate between inherently stupid things - i.e. worrying about my dogs carbon footprint - and things that actually matter - i.e. a war in Europe where one of the warring parties is lead by a crazy person with nuclear weapons.
Original Mike said...
"The biggest pet-related environmental impact that I’ve observed is caused by the psychopaths who put their dogshit in a plastic bag and then leave the bag on the trail, thereby making the problem ten times worse."
That's a thing? Jeez.
i would NOT have believed it.. until i SAW it. I DID see it, here in iowa. Some dogooder took the time and trouble, to
a) carry a bag
b) scoop up their dog's poo into a bag
c) TIE the bag shut (thus ensuring that decomposition would take MUCH longer
and then
d) tossed in onto the side of the hiking trail
You couldn't Really find a WORSE thing to do with the poo.
Leaving it in the middle of the trail would have disappeared in a couple of weeks
Tossing it on to the side of the trail would have removed the problem INSTANTANEOUSLY
(you could find a stick, or use your foot, or HELL! use the plastic bag in your pocket*)
Or just kick it with your shoe
But, NO! they took the time and trouble (and money), to put it in a plastic bag, AND TIE IT SHUT!
they, toss the bag on the side of the trail, where it was OBVIOUS, and NON biodegradable.
It's like they were TRYING to be assholes**
use the plastic bag in your pocket* HELL! even if they then tossed the plastic bag, it STILL wouldn't have been as bad.. SH*T!! even IF they'd put it INTO the plastic bag.. but DIDN'T tie it shut; it STILL wouldn't have been as bad
TRYING to be assholes** I KNOW! they don't HAVE to try.. They Just ARE
I hope these clowns make their way to Alaska next March and lay down if front of the mushers on Iditarod Trail. Those dogs have hearty appetites.
Yes insane people near me go into the large FOREST with their dogs and instead of leaving dog crap in the grass on the side of the trail, they bag it up and LEAVE THE PLASTIC BAG on the trail. Presumably so the Crap Fair will spirit it away at the next full moon. I cannot fathom their thought process. If they just left it there it would very soon disappear into the great circle of life.
Randomizer said...
"A well-fed dachshund produces emissions equivalent to the average Brazilian."
Great. Now I'm picturing Morena Baccarin farting. (Or Rodrigo Santoro for the ladies).
You can have my dog when you pry the leash from my cold, dead fingers.
“ We good now?”
Check out my classic 6 suggestions here: https://althouse.blogspot.com/2010/07/if-you-really-believed-in-global.html
1. Your weight should be at the low end of normal, indicating that you are not overconsuming the products of agriculture.
2. You should not engage in vigorous physical exercise, as this will increase your caloric requirements. You may do simple weight-lifting or calisthenics to keep in shape. Check how many calories per hour are burned and choose a form of exercise that burns as few calories as possible.
3. Free time should be spent sitting or lying still without using electricity. Don't run the television or music playing device. Reading, done by sunlight is the best way to pass free time. After dark, why not have a pleasant conversation with friends or family? Word games or board games should replace sports or video games.
4. Get up at sunrise. Don't waste the natural light. Try never to turn on the electric lights in your house or workplace. Put compact fluorescent bulbs in all your light fixtures. The glow is so ugly that it will reduce the temptation to turn them on.
5. Restrict your use of transportation. Do not assume that walking or biking is less productive of carbon emissions than using a highly efficient small car. Do not go anywhere you don't have to go. When there is no food in the house to make dinner, instead of hopping in the car to go to the grocery store or a restaurant, take it as a cue to fast. As noted above, your weight should be at the low end of normal, and opportunities to reach or stay there should be greeted with a happy spirit.
6. If you have free time, such as a vacation from work, spend it in your home town. Read library books, redo old jigsaw puzzles, meditate, tell stories to your children — the list of activities is endless. Just thinking up more items to put on that list is an activity that could be on the list. Really embrace this new way of life. A deep satisfaction and mental peace can be achieved knowing that you are saving the earth.
"A deep satisfaction and mental peace can be achieved knowing that you are saving the earth."
And if 100,000 people do this for a year, then John Kerry gets to fly his private jet to Bali, or even of no one does, he will fly anyway.
We just got a Miniature Schnauzer puppy. So, I’m virtuous. Hooray for me!
On the other hand, we bought her from a breeder instead of adopting her from a shelter, so I guess I lose virtue points there. I’m so confused.
Our homeowners association provides biodegradable poop bags to use in collecting dog droppings. I see those bags along the sidewalk in the neighborhood and wonder about them. Are they a net positive for saving the planet?
Addendum to number 5: Do not assume attending a conference on climate in person is the best way to reduce carbon emissions.
7. Kill yourself.
The climate thing is nonsense but Britain has lost most of its song birds to domestic house cats. No more nightingales in Berkeley Square.
It's National Hot Dog Day.
Ann, Kafka proposes an addition to your 6 suggestions:
"You do not need to leave your room. Remain sitting at your table and listen. Do not even listen, simply wait, be quiet, still and solitary. The world will freely offer itself to you to be unmasked, it has no choice, it will roll in ecstasy at your feet."
"Check out my classic 6 suggestions..."
No mention of John F. Kerry's Bombardier Global Express, known affectionately to the Davos set as "Pickle 58", so that must be an acceptable emission by omission.
My dog's ideal weight is 28 pounds. She weighs 31 pounds, so she's 10% overweight. I'll cut her food rations when the ladies on The View (Joy Behar and Whoopi, I'm looking at you) collectively lose 100 pounds. There are five of them so that's only 20 pounds each.
I just got a dog yesterday, and I'm not going to worry about her carbon pawprint. I am going to worry about food or ingredients made in China instead. A petite girl German Shepherd! How wonderful is that?
Cats should NEVER be allowed out. Dogs that get out of their yards should also be aggressively captured. If you want a pet, keep control of it, other animals and people should not have to fear your pets.
"To lengthen thy life, lessen thy meals." (Ben Franklin)
Mind numbing bullcrap.
It's interesting that you jumped straight to the owner in your analysis. My first thought too (actually, second, after a mental face-palm).
Blogger Mea Sententia said...
"To lengthen thy life, lessen thy meals." (Ben Franklin)
--
Had a good run for a pudge.
walter writes, "It's National Hot Dog Day."
Really? I must have realized that subconsciously because three hours ago I was irresistibly moved to buy a package of the best damned hot dogs on the market -- Dietz and Watson Black Forest Weiners.
“We just got a Miniature Schnauzer puppy. So, I’m virtuous. Hooray for me!”
We got our new baby schnauzer 2 weeks ago, Liesel. She is the cutest puppy in the whole 11th ward. She’s my gal and I’m her feller, never gonna let her go.
Althouse, I assume you're kidding. C!early the most energy saving thing you can do is stop blogging.
Is there any joy these killjoys won't kill?
Most people here are much fatter than their dogs or cats. So why aren't they doing the things they recommend for their pets?
Re Althouse at 4:05
Slow down, you move too fast
You got to make the morning last
Just kicking down the cobblestones
Looking for fun and feeling groovy
The rest is at
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K-8RljXFSzI
Progressive Paradise:
YOU will own nothing, eat bugs, and like it.
WE will determine what you can "have" and turn it on and off as WE see fit. WE will maintain your social credit score and control (beneficently, of course) your home, your mobility, your health care, your kids' education, and what Bowser and FiFi can eat.
WHEREVER Trump may take us will not be worse than where we're headed now.
But if you keep a dog or a cat or a fish instead of having just one more child, think of the environmental savings.
This "problem" falls into the category of, "These people don't have enough to worry about."
lonejustice said...
"Most people here are much fatter than their dogs or cats. So why aren't they doing the things they recommend for their pets?"
WOW. Arguing facts not in evidence.
They will take everything from you.
Don't have pets! Yet here in leftist Austin we have a no-kill city pound, err, animal "shelter," full of abandoned pit bulls that outgrew their owners' apartments. The dogs sit in cages all day, every day, in warehouse conditions. Nobody is going to adopt these pit bulls, ever. The self-righteousness of those running these shelters is apalling, just like the conditions the dogs are kept in, but hey, "alive." For a certain value of "a life."
Don't have pets, and don't euthanize abandoned pets. Why don't their heads just explode?
Feed dogs other dogs. Win-win.
Well, we knew that it would be either climate change, or white supremacy to keep pets.
Since the actual scientific evidence that so-called "global warming" is the biggest scam in human history, all such nonsense as this piece can be safely ignored.
There is plenty of space on earth for us and our pets.
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