Reduce your meat consumption and help our planet

Photo Daria Shevtsova

 Have just read the book "We are the weather" by Jonathan Safran Foer, a fantastic and well-written book on what one best can do to save our planet.

This book is a book I hoped would have written, if I could write, Jonathan Safran Foer can, so he wrote it instead. That is enough. Somebody has to write it.

Many environmental protests and environment savers build their fight for the saving of the earth on guilt and stupid actions like blocking the traffic and fighting against cars and aircraft.

I have always thought that was the wrong way to go.

Cars and aircraft are here to stay, we can use them less than we do now, but we can't remove them. Not all cars, they are needed now and in the future for transport.

What we can do is find better and cleaner ways to power them, and that is going on. If we can reduce the carbon dioxide the cars produce by building and driving them they aren't the biggest issue for our planet.

Electric cars are one way, perhaps you say.

I say no. Not yet.

Producing batteries for electric cars are not environmentally healthy, producing an electric car makes a higher fingerprint on the environment than producing a car on gasoline or diesel.

Driving an electric car is better for our Earth. 

But!

That depends on how the energy is produced for the batteries, still, there is a lot of energy produced from coal in the world and coal is not producing any healthy energy. Coal has a high environmental impact.

We have to lower the emission of carbon dioxide, that is a fact.

The greenhouse effect depends on that.

But not only the carbon dioxide from transport. And we have to transport ourselves and other things.

30 years ago I decided to not eat meat, it was a health decision only, I tried to reduce my meat consumption for a while and realized that I was feeling better. I wasn't so tired after a meal and had more energy. 

So I chose to quit eating meat. I have never missed meat since then. Not at all.

Though I have never called myself a vegetarian, I have called myself a non-meat eater.

To call oneself a vegetarian is a statement, I think, for me, it wasn't a statement. It was strictly a selfish choice. 

I wanted to feel good.

And I still use milk in my coffee, and I love cheese. 

Now I know better.

Meat production is a big issue for the greenhouse effect.

In the whole world, we eat about 50 kg of meat per person and year. The biggest consumption is in the USA with about 120 kg of meat per person per year, the lowest in India with less than 10 kg per person.

Meat production is as large as the transport section when it comes to the greenhouse effect, and some say it is even larger.

And not only meat, but all animal products are also an issue to the environment and the greenhouse effect.

Milk, cheese, butter, cream, and so on are topics for environmental health.

Cows and sheep produce methane gases, methane gas is a part of the greenhouse effect.

Feces and manure produced by the animals are also a part. 

Large pieces of Amazonas are reduced for meat production. 

Amazonas is a large carbon dioxide consumer for oxygen production.

So the meat production has to be lowered.

You don't have to be a vegetarian or vegan.

Not at all. 

You don't have to make a statement.

But if we all reduce our meat intake, milk, and other products from animals, we would do very much for the greenhouse effect.

You don't have to stop eating or drinking products from animals, but not do it on every meal.

We eat more protein, mostly from meat, than we need for our body and our health. As much as 120 kg a year per person is far too much. There is also a lot of protein in several plants if you think you need much protein. 

And read the book "We are the weather" by Jonathan Safran Foer, and you will learn a lot about meat production and the issues we have as humans to rescue our world.

And we have to.

We all have to make an effort for planet Earth to survive.

The Ultimate Guide to Understanding Artificial Intelligence and How It Will Change Our Future

Photo Tara Winstead

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You may have read some scary news recently about AI being a threat to human existence. AI is being used in various industries and its potential is just getting unlocked. But, as with anything that has the potential to be misused, there are steps that need to be taken before we get to an inevitable future where robots rule the world. If used responsibly, artificial intelligence (AI) can improve our lives in a variety of ways. It’s been around for many years now but the increased computing power combined with big data has accelerated its application in different industries. AI offers us a way to solve problems that are too hard for humans or computers right now. While it enables machines to mimic human behavior, it is not sentient at this point and will never take over the world like some movies would have you believe.

What is Artificial Intelligence?

Artificial Intelligence is the science that makes machines behave intelligently. It uses algorithms to solve problems. It is a way to solve problems that are too hard for humans or computers right now. Although AI is in vogue at the moment, we are not creating something new, but rather harnessing existing technologies to solve complex problems that traditionally have required human intelligence. AI can be applied in a range of sectors such as healthcare, education, business, and transportation. AI can also be applied to big data for better decision-making. AI is often confused with robotics and machine learning which are subfields of AI that focus on specific tasks. Artificial intelligence refers to computer systems that can make their own decisions and can learn from experience. In the past, artificial intelligence systems have been very specialized, designed to perform only one task, like playing chess or solving mathematical problems. Now researchers are trying to build more general-purpose systems, which can do a variety of tasks, like playing many different games.

How Does AI Work?

AI has been around for decades, but it’s only recently that breakthroughs in computational power and data storage have made it possible for AI to play a more meaningful role in our lives. AI works best when there are lots of examples to learn from. The more examples, the better. This is why it’s currently being used in industries where there is tons of data available to train the AI. AI is a way to solve problems that are too hard for humans or computers right now. It uses algorithms to go through tons of data and find patterns. It then uses those patterns to make predictions about what will happen next. For example, AI is being used in the healthcare industry to help find diseases and patterns in data that doctors might miss. AI can also be applied to big data for better decision-making. AI is often confused with robotics and machine learning which are subfields of AI that focus on specific tasks.

Ways AI Will Change the World

- AI will increase the quality of healthcare. It can help find diseases and patterns in data that doctors might miss. AI-powered diagnosis can speed up the process and increase the accuracy of results. AI can also be applied to big data for better decision-making. - AI will power the future of transportation. It can be used to optimise logistics and predict traffic jams. The development of autonomous vehicles has been one of the main focuses of AI research in the last few years. Autonomous vehicles are being used to deliver goods, which is improving customer experience and reducing the environmental footprint. - AI can be used for financial services, such as managing investments and finding the best rates for loans. AI can also find patterns in data that can help assess credit risk. - AI for education can be used to help students learn by providing them with personalized recommendations. It can also be used to monitor students’ progress and provide teachers with insights that may prove helpful in the classroom.

Problems with AI Today

- Lack of diversity in AI development - While AI has the potential to enhance our lives and make us more efficient, it is important to acknowledge that it is a product of human thinking and will reflect the biases of its creators. If we don’t actively try to incorporate a more diverse team of creators into the AI development process, AI may unintentionally reinforce gender, racial and socioeconomic biases that are already prevalent in society. - Abuse of data - AI is being used in industries that are heavily reliant on data, such as healthcare and financial services. Unfortunately, data is often mishandled, and sensitive information can be accessed inappropriately. To make matters worse, the digital data created by individuals and organizations can be extremely hard to delete. - Immaturity of the technology - AI is a technology that is still in its infancy. It is common for AI to make mistakes or exhibit biases. It is important that we understand these errors and biases so that we can work to eliminate them in the future. As AI continues to develop and mature, we can expect it to become increasingly reliable and useful.

Conclusion

Artificial intelligence is the science that makes machines behave intelligently. It uses algorithms to solve problems. It is a way to solve problems that are too hard for humans or computers right now. Although AI is in vogue at the moment, we are not creating something new, but rather harnessing existing technologies to solve complex problems that traditionally have required human intelligence. AI can be applied in a range of sectors such as healthcare, education, business, and transportation. AI can also be applied to big data for better decision-making. Artificial intelligence refers to computer systems that can make their own decisions and can learn from experience. In the past, artificial intelligence systems have been very specialized, designed to perform only one task, like playing chess or solving mathematical problems. Now researchers are trying to build more general-purpose systems, which can do a variety of tasks, like playing many different games.