“Cowspiracy may be the most important film made to inspire saving the planet.”
said Louie Psihoyos, Oscar-Winning Director of “The Cove” about the september 15th (Initial release: June 26, 2014) global Netflix release (65.6 Million subscribers) of the documentary film “Cowspiracy” – (TEASER) (TRAILER).
On the other hand,
said Stephen Zwick, chief editor at the Examiner about the same film. “Cowspiracy” is directed by first-time Filmmaker Kip Andersen, Keegan Kuhn (TURLOCK) and Ex. Produced by Leonardo Di Caprio, who helped bring the doc to Netflix. Di Caprio did the same with Virunga.
The interesting thing about Cowspiracy is that Kip Andersen keeps referring to TWO articles throughout the whole film. One of them being:
Andersen also keeps mentioning that we need 2,500 gallons to create 1lb of beef. While the center for Investigative Reporting mentions we need 1,800 gallons to create 1lb of beef. Watch the brilliant explanatory video The Hidden Costs of Hamburgers below. Continue reading here. Also did you know that the average cotton T-shirt requires over 700 gallons of water to manufacture?
Another interesting fact is that Andersen keeps referring to the the November/December 2009 worldwatch report:
- “A widely cited 2006 report by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, Livestock’s Long Shadow, estimates that 18 percent of annual worldwide GHG emissions are attributable to cattle, buffalo, sheep, goats, camels, pigs, and poultry. But recent analysis by Goodland and Anhang finds that livestock and their byproducts actually account for at least 32.6 billion tons of carbon dioxide per year, or 51 percent of annual worldwide GHG emissions.”
If it’s true what Goodland and Anhang are stating, we do have a serieus problem. But then according to David Steele’s October 26th, 2009 article in vegan.com:
And according to Animal Feed Science:
- Estimates of global greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions attributable to livestock range from 8 to 51%.
8 to 51% or 51% in total? The fact of the matter is, regardless all the different studies and different outcomes claimed by Andersen in the film, we now know that we have a serieus GHG-livestock emission problem at our hands, and that nobody is addressing it. Well slowly then…
The agri livestock business is a controversial topic one as well. The story of Dorothy Stang, mentioned in “Cowspiracy”, about an US Amercan born nun that was killed for speaking out to cattle industry in Brazil, is ‘factually’ true. If you want to learn more about Stang, I highly recommend watching the 2008 documentary film called: ‘They Killed Sister Dorothy.’ Directed by Daniel Junge, and narrated by Martin Sheen – They Killed Sister Dorothy
And have a look at the ‘The global power of Brazilian agribusiness’, A report from the Economist Intelligence Unit here.
- More than 1,100 activists, small farmers, judges, priests and other rural workers have been killed in land disputes in the last two decades, according to the Catholic Land Pastoral, a Brazilian watchdog group – The Guardian.
- ‘If you cause a disruption in the profits of the animal industry, you’re guilty under the Patriot Act’ – Howard Lyman.
And remember the ‘Amarillo Texas beef trial, Continue reading here. During the height of the mad-cow scare in 1996, Oprah Winfrey invited Howard Lyman, a cattle rancher turned vegetarian, onto her show to discuss controversial practices within the beef industry – “MAD COWBOY”. Lyman made remarks which in turn led to where Oprah renounced hamburgers. The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association sued Lyman and Winfrey. They did this under the 1995 Texas law, under which people can be held liable if they make false and disparaging statements about perishable food products. Both were found not guilty of any wrongdoing in 1998. Also understand more about the Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act.
The US alone eats a nearly 50 billion burgers per year, can you imagine China doing the same and it’s environmental impact that will have…
HOPE! In the Netherlands the court has decided to cut emissions, this after 900 civilians sued the government. The Netherlands alone, as 7th Export nation in the world, has a €1 billion annually Dutch meat-processing industry: 43,9 million broiler population, 12.2 million pig sector (PVE), and Egg production of 10.6 billion eggs…
I also found out that “Cowspiracy” was made by the Animals United Movement Films [A.U.M.] I had to refer again to Stephen Zwick from above, the LA Chef from Examiner. He wrote the following:
- “Cowspiracy, like the movie 2016 Obama’s America on the far right (or Michael Moore films on the left), uses “facts” and talking heads to further the filmmaker’s particular agenda. Under the guise of concern for climate change, Cowspiracy’s agenda is pretty clear: it’s to promote abolitionist veganism which is pretty much fundamentalist veganism meaning it allows for no compromises”
Agreed, don’t believe everything mentioned, and simply take some of the facts in the doc. with ‘a grain of salt!’
- “Nevertheless with an impeccable following (for a documentary) of a 101,034 people on Facebook (follow), 17.6 on twitter (follow) and 33,7 on Instagram (follow), “Cowspiracy” has got themselves a global discussion platform NOW!”
According to the “cowspiracy” website, in order to take action (take-action) we should all become vegans today. I don’t personally know if this is a realistic solution. I will end with Cambridge chemist John Emsley blunt words:
Can Organic Farming Feed Us All?
- “The greatest catastrophe that the human race could face this century is not global warming but a global conversion to ‘organic farming’-an estimated 2 billion people would perish.”
To be continued…
Photo Credit: Animals United Movement Films [A.U.M.]