Garbage in, garbage out. One Chris Goodall demonstrates. What an attention grabbing headline [1]:
Walking to the shops ‘damages planet more than going by car’
Shame the headlines is not supported by by facts contained within the article itself.
Walking does more than driving to cause global warming, a leading environmentalist has calculated.
Food production is now so energy-intensive that more carbon is emitted providing a person with enough calories to walk to the shops than a car would emit over the same distance. The climate could benefit if people avoided exercise, ate less and became couch potatoes. Provided, of course, they remembered to switch off the TV rather than leaving it on standby.
Sure sounds scary, until you get the supposed reasoning:
“Driving a typical UK car for 3 miles [4.8km] adds about 0.9 kg [2lb] of CO2 to the atmosphere,” he said, a calculation based on the Government’s official fuel emission figures. “If you walked instead, it would use about 180 calories. You’d need about 100g of beef to replace those calories, resulting in 3.6kg of emissions, or four times as much as driving.
Normal people simply do not get all there dietary energy from meat, nor do lie on their sofa with both the air conditioning and television off.
Basic energy supply comes from carbohydrates [2] and not meat.
Carbohydrates, especially complex carbohydrates, are so important nutritionally that it’s a good idea to plan meals around them. Natural unrefined carbohydrates are the only food category not linked to life-threatening diseases.
Complex carbohydrates – legumes, fruits and vegetables, enriched and whole breads, cereals and pasta – are more than an energy source. They are economical, relatively low in calories and fat, rich in vitamins and minerals, and often a good source of fiber and protein. It is recommended that 55 to 60 percent of your calories should come from carbohydrates, with the emphasis being on complex carbohydrates.
More, Sister Toldjah [3].
Hat tip photo: Austrialian Real Estate Blog [4]
Aside: I like an award for garbage like this. Suggestions?