Why Allan Savory environmental approach with "holistic" grazing isn't sustainable and isn't good for the animals

I saw the lecture.

I suggest that we let the wild animals thrive and live free again without us killing them and destroying their environment, and let them graze the lands again. A vegan world where we stop killing all wild animals, let the forests grow back again, let the wild animals graze the lands, and let the humans only eat plants.
If we care about what is "good for the animals", we can't take their precious life. Their purpose is not to become our "food". He is trying to "mimic nature". No, lets restore nature again. Let all animals be free again, instead of being our slaves.

I highly recommend this article: http://www.onegreenplanet.org/animalsandnature/what-are-the-roots-of-freedom-and-slavery/ , the book World Peace Diet by Will Tuttle (http://www.worldpeacediet.org/)
and this about environment: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fws0f9s4Bas
And this article about Dr. Richard Oppenlander commenting on Allan Savorys approach: http://freefromharm.org/agriculture-environment/saving-the-world-with-livestock-the-allan-savory-approach-examined/
James McWilliams write:
It has been a long-running quest of mine to debunk the myth of “rotational” or “holistic” grazing. Allan Savory’s recent TED talk drew fresh attention to the issue in a way that seemed to evoke rabid salivation in those who think they can eat animals as a way to ameliorate climate change. Savory’s talk went viral, foodie environmentalists everywhere started sharpening their steak knives, and I leaped headlong into the fray with this piece, published today in Slate, a venue that—to its everlasting credit—is fearless about taking on the status quo. If you are so inclined, express your opinion about the article there. It helps.

The underlying premise that renders moot all efforts to graze animals holistically is the fact that humans cannot, no matter how eloquent they are, create ecosystems that replicate the shifting relational matrix that we call nature. It almost seems absurd that this limitation would even have to be pointed in the first place, but every time I look up there seems to be another old white man claiming that he has the key to capturing and mimicking the infinite complexity of global ecosystems. These people call themselves environmentalists, but their approach to the ecosystem is as arrogant and aggressive as that of any corn-growing, GMO-using monoculturalist. The best thing we can do to any ecosystem (he said on Earth Day 2013) is leave it well enough alone. Back off, human.

Removing domesticated animals from the planet is the best way we can do this. Livestock emit more GHG emissions than cars. They use more water than any other aspect of agriculture. They trample potentially healthy land into hardpan. They take up one third of the globe’s arable land. They are a menace to the environment and no amount of theorizing about how herds and predators once kept carbon-sequestering grasslands safe and healthy will rectify the reality that the reason those grasslands are no longer safe and healthy is because humans domesticated animals to eat them.

The complexity of the earth is beyond us. What we need on Earth Day is a recognition of this reality. Some call it humility.
[Note, I don't agree with his approach about animal rights, that is outlined on his website. I follow the approach outlined here: http://www.abolitionistapproach.com/ ]

Cause of the injustices in Bangladesh, e.g. in garment factories, and the solution to end poverty and starvation

The cause of injustices, poverty, suffering of animals and people and starvation in our world and how animal agriculture isn't sustainable:

Matt Vercoe wrote about a catastrophy in a garment factory in Bangladesh:
http://www.npr.org/2013/04/27/179251838/double-take-toons-deadly-work-places?utm_source=NPR&utm_medium=facebook&utm_campaign=20130427

Thanks for sharing!

It inspired me to write this, together with what I have read in the World Peace Diet, the writing of Dr. Richard Oppenlander and other sources of inspiration:

Matt wrote: ":( The price they pay so we can have cheap clothes...... why is their life worth less than a few corporate dollars? We perpetuate this by insisting on buying the cheapest possible commodities so we may have new clothes, a new tv, a new phone, a new car.... "

Furthermore we are exploiting the workers and the animals by chemicals that are destructive for the environment. These are used in the process of manufacturing garments.

This is routine in our society. This is a disease in our society. We are making choices without either knowing about the exploitation involved or ignoring the exploitation involved. We are making the choices without reflecting on the individuals hurt in the manufacture process.

Cheap clothes are bought without thinking of the misery it causes the workers in poor countries with miserable working conditions in the factories, and the humans and other animals suffering by the environmental destruction.

Meat, milk, eggs and other animal products are consumed without thinking of the animals hurt, used, exploited and killed in the process; and the poverty and starvation that it causes in the world [2]

And why do people in Bangladesh and other countries have to work in the first place in a factory with miserable working conditions, instead of growing the fruits, vegetables and legumes and being completely self-sustained?

Bangladesh has a land area of 147,570 (km )² = 147 570 * 10^6 m^2 . This is 36 892 500 acres. Their population is 158,570,535

“Only 400-480 pounds of meat can be produced by one acre of land [Of an animal that has the right to live, and shouldn’t be killed for someone’s taste], compared to 20,000 pounds of plant foods that could be grown on the same slot.” [1]

Thus, one acre of land can feed about 10 adult humans per year.

70% of the 36 892 500 acres is arable, i.e it can feed about 36 892 500 acres * 0,7 * 10 adult humans = about 252 million adults.

Thus, if the land was used in a sustainable, effective and just way in Bangladesh, and the land was divided evenly, everyone could grow their own organic, vegan food (by growing using vegan permaculture) in good working and living conditions. No one would have to work in a factory destroying the workers and destroying the environment, and thus destroying for humans and other animals.

But we are culturally indoctrinated by our culture, daily learning to disconnect and exclude animals from our circle of compassion; and this also spreads to excluding or not caring enough/losing our capacity to be able to understand or think of what our choices are causing other individuals, like the individuals in poor countries. Now instead the population of “livestock” increases; and thus the food that poor people need for their survival are in a greater extend going to animals with the tragic misfortune to be bred and raised to become someone’s dinner.  [2b]

The solution is to start caring, and stop making choices that result in the exploitation of others. To always making vegan choices that are not hurting, exploiting, excluding or inflicting violence on any other being.

Here are some resources that will help you with this: Some informative websites [4,5,6].

Foot notes:

 1. http://www.belsandia.com/comfortably-unaware.html

2. http://www.drmcdougall.com/video/expert_testimonies_oppenlander.htm

2b. http://www.fao.org/ag/againfo/resources/en/publications/sector_briefs/lsb_BGD.pdf

3. World Peace Diet by Will Tuttle

4.www.vegankit.com ; 5. http://www.facebook.com/abolitionistapproach; 6: http://bloganders.blogspot.com
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Comments:

Wendy Wendy I buy mostly from Goodwill, but sometimes I can't find what I need there. I understand what you're saying. I just think sometimes people forget that there are poor folks in the US, too. Unemployed (hello!), earning little above minimum wage, etc. And when you go into a store that sells fair trade clothes, or at least this is true for me, I can't afford them. I know the whole system is screwed. But not all of us who, from time to time, buy cheap clothes do it because we're unaware, you know? I'm not saying that I don't recognize still that I'm privileged. The fact that I live in the US and have access to things like computers and grad school and stuff I am very very grateful for. But maybe it's not always quite so black and white.

18 hours ago · Like

Anders Branderud Wendy Wendy,
Thanks for your comment!
I am aware of this. We can only do our best!
It is great to buy at Goodwill instead of new things when possible as you are doing. Also Ebay may be an option, they sell alot of used clothes.
I didn't mean to paint a black-and-white picture that is claiming that everyone who is buying cheap new clothes is not aware of what their choices are causing/or that everyone have can afford fair trade-clothing.
I just wanted to paint a general picture of the mentality that our culture has created. Of course there are many people, like you, who are fighting against this mentality.

Have a wonderful day!!

There is no way to eat fish sustainably; eating fish kills fish, sea lion pups and many more animals

Another of thousands of reasons to stop eating fish (and meat, dairy, and eggs as well because about half of all fish is used as fish meal in livestock feed) - these starving sea lion pups - http://animalconnectionac.wordpress.com/2013/04/09/unusual-mortality-event-is-declared-for-the-california-sea-lion/