If You Care About Global Hunger, Eat Less Meat

George Monbiot, a weekly columnist for The Guardian, surprised me recently by declaring that there is a much bigger reason for global hunger than the diversion of growing grain crops from feeding human beings to producing biofuels. He reports that as of April 15, 2008, all sellers of transport fuels in the United Kingdom will be obliged to mix it with ethanol or biodiesel made from crops. As he stated, "The World Bank points out that 'the grain required to fill the tank of a sports utility vehicle with ethanol ... could feed one person for a year.'" The production of biofuels this year alone will consume almost 100 million tonnes, which suggests that they are directly responsible for the current food crisis.

Monbiot continues: "... we must demand that our governments scrap the rules that turn grain into the fastest food of all. But there is a bigger reason for global hunger, which is attracting less attention only because it has been there for longer. While 100 million tonnes of food will be diverted this year to feed cars, 760 million tonnes will be snatched from the mouths of humans to feed animals - which could cover the global food deficit 14 times. If you care about hunger, eat less meat."