Did You Vote For This?

[youngmafbog]

Seems the current liberal left Government, clearly being driven by the Prime Ministers piece installed in No 10 (Princess Nut Nut as DC referred to her) , is intent on turning this country into a third world basket case.

For one:
Target - Cut meat and dairy consumption by a fifth over the next decade

Impact - Someone who has meat for every three meals could only do this twice a week under the new plans.

Similarly, the average Briton would need to shave a fifth of the average milk consumption down to 16ml a day - or roughly three teaspoons.

Really?

Any chance of India or China reducing theirs or are they going to power ahead while we shot ourselves in the foot with impossible green targets?

And here is the rest:

Target - Cut meat and dairy consumption by a fifth over the next decade

Impact - Someone who has meat for every three meals could only do this twice a week under the new plans.

Similarly, the average Briton would need to shave a fifth of the average milk consumption down to 16ml a day - or roughly three teaspoons.

[emmie]

Barry maybe the fact of eating meat three times a day, more food is processed these days, not as healthy perhaps as they once were. I remember having breakfasts with bacon, eggs etc, and dinner of some meat and veg. I have meat particularly chicken much of the week, the odd spaghetti meatballs and pasta with chicken etc.

[youngmafbog]

I'm not panicking I am opening up the debate, particularly around did we vote for a green agenda.

I dont remember things like this being touted.

You are probably correct, its a fair way off and the present Government is probably kicking the can down the road.

But my other main point is why do we have to flagellate whilst the biggest polluters (nothing to do with meat) China and India press on with even more polluting agendas like Chinas coal fired leccy?

[Jackdaw33]

You can only cut consumption by cutting production, which will inevitably entail some sort of rationing.

[Stickybottle]

I believe it has nothing to do with a green agenda it is just what is and will be required by all nations in the next couple of decades if we wish to reduce emissions and carbon footprint

[youngmafbog]

Well that would go down well!

[emmie]

many people vote Greens so perhaps they are surprised and delighted that the present government are proposing a more green possibly sustainable future. Personally i hate wind farms, they are ugly, unsightly and i am still not convinced of their use.

[barry1010]

emmie, I ate a lot more processed food when I was a kid - ham, spam, corned beef, meat/fish paste out of jar, bacon, sausage, shop bought pies, pasties and sausage rolls, margarine - all processed. Nasty cheap sliced white bread and sugary cereals.

I love bacon and have it once a year as a treat.

[pastafreak]

And what about the farmers who already struggle? It's been said that some can change to agricultural farming, but not all land is suitable, and there's also whatever cost is involved.

[emmie]

farmers will adapt. they always do.

[Untitled]

Would be interested in your take on this speech youngmafbog... especially as you have claimed before that green policies are non-Tory.

https://www.margaretthatcher.org/document/107817

[Chinajan]

// But my other main point is why do we have to flagellate whilst the biggest polluters (nothing to do with meat) China and India press on with even more polluting agendas like Chinas coal fired leccy? //

Because it's not a race to the bottom. As a leading nation we could and should take a lead.

@roopower // I also don't see how being rude about someone helps your cause //

As Mr PP might say, well, this is AB. :-D

[Mozz71]

I'm still laughing at the "current liberal left government" line.

[Sunk]

China manufactures for the world. Most of our TVs, Computers, phones, and a million other products we import from China (the shipping causes a big pollution in itself)

To power all that manufacturing, China needs energy - and lots of it. It is true they have built a lot of coal power stations. But they also produce the most renewable energy. From being behind 10 years ago, they have adopted renewables far faster and in greater quantity than anyone else. They produce more green energy than any other country, so for us to not bother cutting our emissions because of China is a completely false notion.

As China prospers and (some) of it’s citizens become more affluent, they will start to consume more meat. That is a bigger potential threat than them burning fossil fuels.

[emmie]

im not laughing at that Mozz, but mystified as why he thinks it liberal left leaning...

[Untitled]

regardless of how desirable these goals are - or whether or not China is working toward them - humanity is simply going to have to adapt to a lower-emissions economy because if it doesn't then our civilization will be destroyed... it will happen eventually regardless of whether the whingers want it because self-preservation will require it. It might mean lab-grown meat, or it might mean less meat... the difference really is decided by how willing we are to start early. The later we leave it the more painful it will be... and we've already left it quite late.

[Sunk]

The UK has been very slow at adopting Zero Emission Vehicles (electric cars).
About half a million have been sold in the UK. China has 5 Million - 10 times what we have.
China are seriously trying to minimise their emissions. The very modest targets that the UK Government are considering (eat 20% less meat) are laughably piddling in comparison.

[bednobs]

China has 20x the population we do though, so that comparison is meaningless

[Sunk]

Did You Vote For This?

Yes we did. The Conservative’s Election manifesto prominently promised

// Reaching Net Zero by 2050 with investment in clean energy solutions and green infrastructure to reduce carbon emissions and pollution. //

And we gave them a huge majority to carry out that promise.

[Sunk]

bednobs

That comparison is not meaningless. China has 4.5 Million more cars than us that are not petrol/diesel and therefore less poluting.

[jourdain2]

We shall continue to eat as we wish. As it happens, tonight it will be eggs in one form or another, sausages tomorrow (MrJ2 loves them, having missed them so much when in France). We have a meat sandwich for lunch 2 or 3 times a week. I eat cheese a lot. We're both fairly healthy - more so than most of the younger people I see when I go anywhere more crowded than here.

I once ate a McDonalds - coming-up to 30 yrs. ago - and it was only surpassed in being the worst meal I ever ate by one at a Burger King in the USA. Yet cars queue at the McD's near our local supermarket....I'm baffled. I do not like vegetables and could never be veggie. Why should anyone tell me how to eat, anyway? Too much nannying going on. Sort out big polluters like China & India before coming for us. No, I did not vote for it and am annoyed.