McSpotlight U.K. made quite a long diatribe on the issues brought forward by Ozymandius, however when it came to logical refutations most were invalid.On the issue of human consumption: Simply being more efficient with the resources does not equate with non-interference non-destructive human activity. The claim that the meat industry consumes more raw materials (33%) is unfounded since raw materials are still being used to consume vegetables. In the first plance many vegetables depend on the fertilization provided by the meat industry (eg: manure). However if we were to eliminate the meat industry all together we would forced into a situation in which we would have to devote more raw materials to the production of vegetariant products. In any case, this still does not counter the fact that any human consumption interfers with Earth's natural growth.
Then McSpotlight's response to this point was to claim that the level of responsibility is not equally spread. You can't deny your responsibility and claim less culpability when other activities you in which you participate create similar or higher levels of environmental degradation than those you criticize.
Ozymandius had quite an important point when he stated that any users of the Internet, including readers of this site, and contributers, have probably caused significantly more harm to the environment by using computers than they have by consuming meat. Here's a more direct approach: Any person who uses a computer... must consume electricity.
Electricity generation requires the burning of fossil fuels which increases greenhouse gases which deplete the ozone layer OR the damming of river systems like the Colorado - Hoover Dam which deprives beaches on the West Coast of 80% of the sediment required to maintain the integrity of intertidal ecosystems. The U.S. Corps of Engineers spends millions of taxpayers dollars each year to repair the damage caused by this lack of sedimentation. By using electricity you are also destroying other living organisms. We haven't even talked about dangers and detriments of nuclear energy biproducts! No amount of enery conservation can make up for this environmental loss. As such, it is easy to see that the only way to not damage the environment is to "return to the land" as Ozymandius exposulated.
A better way to look at this is to see that other forms of human activity, as simple as browsing the Internet, can actually cause greater planetary harm than the meat industry. The 90 million visitors you have generated by this site are ALL responsible for a large degree of environmental degradation. All are users of computers and thus electricity. Most are members of Internet Providers - some of which are large ruthless corporations which create greater harm to the environment than McDonalds. Before you can criticize one form of pollution you must be held accountable for your contribution to a greater form of pollution.
In hope of greater debate and understanding,
E. Dantes
