Pets Damaging The Climate, Too, Study Says

                It seems your pets are peeving off some liberals these days. According to a new study, dogs’ and cats’ eating patterns have as much of an effect on the U.S.’s carbon footprint as does driving 13.6 million cars for a year.

                Fifi, say it isn’t so!

                The findings were published in the journal PLOS ONE (Get your subscription now! Operators are standing by!) and illustrate how these pets’ consumption of meat and other animal products has a massive and adverse- if largely unrecognized- effect on the climate. A 2014 study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (Buy one subscription, get the second for 50% off!) found that meat is the villain. (Imagine that). Apparently, cat’s and dogs’ meat-filled diets are responsible for 25 to 30 percent of the impact of meat production in the U.S. Experts aver that, compared to a plant-based diet, meat production requires more energy, land, and water, and has greater environmental consequences in terms of erosion, pesticides, and waste. Additionally, simply feeding American pets leads to approximately 5.1 million tons of feces every year, roughly equivalent to the total trash production of Massachusetts, and fully twice the fecal matter annually generated by Rosie O’Donnell.

According to the study, producing one kilogram of chicken results in roughly 3.7 kilograms of carbon dioxide, while generating one kilogram of pork produces 24 kilograms of carbon dioxide. The scientists real beef, however, is, of course, with beef. They claim that producing one kilogram of beef can generate up to 1,000 kilograms of carbon dioxide, the greenhouse gas thought to be largely responsible for the supposed warming of the Earth’s climate.

                The Los Angeles Times reports that UCLA geographer Gregory Orkin calculated that the 163 million dogs and cats living in the United States accounted for an “overall caloric consumption” of “about 19 percent that of humans in the U.S,” approximately the same amount of calories that the country of France consumes. Moreover, American doggies and kitties “eat enough animal product to account for about 64 million tons of methane and nitrous oxide, two other powerful greenhouse gases.”

                The climate change alarmists (CCA) are concerned that not only do developed countries such as the U.S. consume so much meat, but that developing countries are increasing their meat consumption, too.

                “Dad, stop buying Fido that meat-centric dog food…and put own that f!#%*ng burger and pick up some arugula for Christ’s sake.”

                The Times article helpfully explains that dogs can readily digest starches, so they could get much more of their required protein from non-animal sources than their owners may realize.

                Orkin adds: “I certainly hope these kinds of numbers will encourage the market to consider adding those as market choices, and I also think that individuals can make choices.” Individuals can make choices? Really? Not if leftists have their way.
                To a committed progressive, the planet would be far better off if humans, their pets, and their livestock would simply cease to be.
                Other humans, that is.

                It may indeed be hard to teach an old dog new tricks. But this is just another dog and pony show.