JustASC

Desperate for good news going into Shabbat and Adar II, I Googled “Jewish” in search of the first item that did not have to do with terrorism, slain soldiers, or rocket attacks. Here’s what I found, a press release at the Dallas Morning News’ Religion Blog:

Jewish vegetarians weigh in against “animal-based agriculture”

A Jewish vegetarians’ group is making the case that reducing meat consumption can help combat global warming.

The Jewish Vegetarians of North America (JVNA) announced today that it strongly commends the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) for initiating a “Scientists and Economists’ Call to Action,” which urges U.S.-based scientists and economists to sign a letter which calls for “policies that will ensure swift and deep reductions in U.S. emissions of heat-trapping gases.”

“Since climate change is today’s greatest challenge,” stated JVNA president Richard H. Schwartz, “we applaud UCS for their important initiative. But they, like most scientific groups, are overlooking ‘an inconvenient truth’ that even Al Gore has not sufficiently addressed.”

Schwartz cites a UN Food and Agriculture Organization study showing that animal-based agriculture emits more greenhouse gases than all forms of transportation worldwide combined (18% vs. 13.5%).

Don’t worry — Toyota is on it.