The challenges for China's people, and environment, extend beyond the Olympics, and are encapsulated in Brighter Green's new report (PDF). For a Chinese version, click here.

Executive Director Mia MacDonald gave two talks in Portland earlier this month on the links between the globalization of industrial meat production and the global environment, public health and food security.

Click here to listen to a podcast of an interview with Mia MacDonald on KINK radio in Portland.

Mia MacDonald appeared on Thom Hartmann's Air America radio program today to discuss a world without meat -- and the world we actually live in.

Farm Sanctuary by Gene Baur was number 12 on the Los Angeles Times' hardcover bestseller list for the week ending March 30, 2008.

On Friday, April 25th, join Francis ole Sakuda and Daniel Salau of Simba Maasai Outreach Organization (SIMOO) in Kenya as they discuss the realities of climate change and solar and wind power for indigenous communities in Kenya and elsewhere. Co-sponsored with the Sierra Club NYC Group and Tribal Link Foundation.

Executive Director Mia MacDonald gave a presentation on Monday, April 7, at the University of Chicago entitled: "Meat World?: Current and Future Scenarios."

Farm Sanctuary: Changing Hearts and Minds About Animals and Food, by Gene Baur, co-founder and president of Farm Sanctuary, has just been published by Simon & Schuster, with Brighter Green's participation.

New York–based policy action tank Brighter Green’s new report, Skillful Means: The Challenges of China’s Encounter with Factory Farming (PDF) explores the emerging superpower’s “livestock revolution,” which is having serious impacts on public health, food security, and equity in China—and the world. The Beijing Summer Olympics are showcasing a resurgent nation, which only two generations after a devastating national famine is eating increasingly high on the food chain. In the past ten years, consumption of China’s most popular meat, pork, has doubled. In 2007, China raised well over half a billion pigs for meat.

Given that every fifth person in the world is Chinese, even small increases in individual meat or dairy consumption will have broad, collective environmental as well as climate impacts. Increasingly, what the Chinese eat, and how China produces its food, affects not only China, but the world, too.

File this under "Suggestive Connection": In a report on the BBC, an Australian researcher is recommending a vast increase in the farming and eating of kangaroos in order to combat global warming. Because of their different digestive systems, kangaroos do not produce as much methane as cows and sheep (currently the main source of meat for Australians), and thus humans switching to a different sort of muscle to chew on would reduce Australia's greenhouse gas emissions.

In an unrelated—but perhaps not that unrelated—story, a team of scientists have discovered that many prehistoric species extinctions, including that of the three-meter tall giant kangaroo and marsupial lion, were caused not by natural causes, such as catastrophic weather events or habitat change, but by the newly evolved human beings. Apparently, we hunted them to death -- presumably, as many animals continue to be today, for our consumption.

A drought of blogs here, due to a range of other Brighter Green projects, but rain (of a sort) has returned. In fact, it has been a very rainy summer in New York, but sunny, too. A paradox, like the subject of this blog. An exhaustive foot and air survey has led scientists from the New York-based Wildlife Conservation Society to conclude that nearly 125,000 western lowland gorillas are alive, and doing pretty well, in the forests of the Congo Republic. That's about the human population of Flint, Michigan or odiferous Elizabeth, New Jersey. So used to hearing about non-human primates in small numbers, this news struck me (and many others) as extraordinary. But with the sweet comes the bitter. Forests nearly everywhere in the global south are under threat (more below) from loggers, poachers, farmers, and others. Can the gorillas' idyll last? Watch a few minutes of video of some of them here.

Now for the bad news: another study, also recently released, says that primates are under threat of extinction as no other members of a species are. In Asia, 70% of primates are endangered. What primates around the world face: loss of habitat and loss of lives, including hunting for meat -- including in places where habitat is relatively intact. "In many places, primates are quite literally being eaten to extinction," Russell Mittermeier, chair of the IUCN primate specialist group says. A dismaying, although apt, segue to the last bit of (bad) news: the world's forests may fall faster and further as a result of human primates' escalating demands for food, fuel, and wood. The Rights and Resources Initiative reports that only half of the land needed by 2030 to meet these demands is available, without encroaching on tropical forests. "Arguably, we are on the verge of the last great global land grab," RRI's Andy White, co-author of the report, told the BBC.

Watch this space for more blogs and news soon, and Brighter Green's about-to-be-released case study -- in time for the Beijing Olympics -- on China and intensifying meat production and consumption (yeah, this is a mouthful in need of a rebranding. People at work on it.)

I know that for most readers, the words "National Geographic" don't conjure anything very exciting. Interesting, sure. Many of us grew up amid stacks of the yellow-bordered periodical in our living rooms or stored carefully in our basements, thumbing through the pages to learn about Pharaohs or Incan gold or Hawaii's big waves and to ogle the often-stellar photos (with or without our parents hovering). But exciting? Not so much. About a year ago, after decades of not reading NG, I decided to get a subscription. Now, I wouldn't say reading it is as scintillating as being at a rave or atop a big wave on a surfboard may be (neither of which I've experienced), but it is almost always really interesting.

And less, how can I say it, hoary than I remember? (OK, I am just a bit older now.) Today's NG delves much further into socio-economic realities, equity, poverty, sustainability, and other essential issues than I ever recall it doing before. As if it realized that we, the junior high schoolers, could take--indeed, needed--more reality, semi-unvarnished (the photos are still incredibly glossy).

I'd highly recommend checking out two recent editions: the first is a whole issue devoted to China. Lots on the environment and the toll of industrialization, China's building and consumption booms, and the diversity of China's peoples. Just one nugget: 37% of people driving cars in China today didn't know how to drive three years ago...and 1,000 new cars a day take to the road in Beijing.

The other is the current issue, with the very 21st century title, "Who Murdered the Mountain Gorillas" emblazoned over a portrait of a silverback in Congo. Note that NG uses "murdered," implying personhood, rather than the more generic term "killed," much more usually used when referring to non-human animals. The article on the seven mountain gorillas slaughtered in 2007 reads like a political and ecological thriller, but with substance. It delves into the complex factors that put gorillas at risk in Congo's Virunga National Park and the complex factions in whose hands their lives rest (from charcoal traders to a warlord who professes to be a conservationist to noble rangers--and at least one park ranger suspected of being extremely unnoble). The photos are stunning, and also harrowing.

If you read the article and want to know more about the gorillas and the rangers' daily--blogged--efforts to protect them, here's a link to Wildlife Direct's gorilla protection page. You can also support the rangers' work. Now, I don't store the new old NG's in a basement anymore, but before I pass them along, I do tend to find myself reading them (almost) yellow-bordered cover to cover.

Sometimes people say the strangest things...the International Whaling Commission meeting yesterday rejected Greenland's request to hunt 10 humpback whales. The IWC judged the hunt not essential for Greenland's indigenous population and too commercial to qualify as subsistence whaling. At least 25% of the meat ends up in supermarkets, according to a recent report by the World Society for the Protection of Animals. Denmark, of which Greenland is an autonomous territory, dissented, as did Japan, South Korea and perhaps surprisingly, the U.S. But amid the angry words, one response left me, well, without words. It was this, from Daven Joseph of the St Kitts and Nevis delegation: "At a time when the world is witnessing food shortages, we are seeing a small group of countries that are purporting to be world leaders depriving marginal peoples of the right to eat."

As if...an infusion of whaling and whale meat could solve the global food crisis (which is nothing to joke about). Why not an infusion to Greenland of tofu, lentils or even Boca burgers? I was lucky enough to visit Greenland several years ago. It's a remarkable place: beautiful, austere, enveloping. The population is about 26,000 and compared to Denmark, Greenland is quite poor. But its people are not facing a food crisis. There are supermarkets. And subsistence hunting of seals and yes, whales: minkes. Speaking of whales, when I was there, my colleagues and I went on a boat trip with Greenlanders. Two boats. Mine saw a seal -- not unexciting. But the other group saw a humpback and came back ecstatic. Ever since I've regretted not being on that boat.

Earlier this week, the Brazilian government captured and removed 3,100 cows grazing in a nature reserve in the Amazon. The "raid", if it can be called that, was designed as a warning to other ranchers grazing their cattle on what was once rainforest but has been illegally deforested. Perhaps 60,000 cattle have this "status" in the Amazon (outlaw, from now on), although the number could be higher since, according to a recent report from Friends of the Earth-Brazilian Amazon, nearly 75 million cattle are in the Amazon. Environmentalists in Brazil praised the government's action, but warned that if it was a one-time thing, a stunt of sorts, it wouldn't dissuade cattle operators lured into the rainforest by cheap land, often found (illegally) in indigenous reserves or protected areas.

Some such cattle are, reportedly, being moved out to avoid any future government seizure plans (another 10,000 cattle are slated for removal). As to the fate of the Amazon rainforest over the longer-tern: it's uncertain. Rates of clearing aren't as high as they were at their peak in 2004, but have been accelerating in recent months, stirring unease within the government and alarm elsewhere. The fate of the legally "rustled" cattle? Well, more certain. They'll be auctioned, with proceeds going to a government nutrition program for poor Brazilians, health care for indigenous groups and to fund future cattle-out-of-illegally-deforested-Amazon-removal efforts.

Yes, it's the annual celebration of World Environment Day. Even though the occasion usually draws a yawn, if that, in most of the U.S. and Europe, it is celebrated enthusiastically in other parts of the world. "Kick the Carbon Habit" is this year's World Environment Day theme. Celebrants are urged to find ways to reduce their own personal carbon emissions, and support progress toward low carbon economies. Click here to read about how World Environment Day is being marked in a number of countries and regions, including those set to be most affected by (and least ready to adapt to) climate change.

Quick World Environment Day update: after reaching its goals of first, one, and then two billion trees planted around the world...the Billion Tree Campaign has set a new goal: seven billion by 2009. Read more, see who's pledged and register your tree planting efforts here.

In Rome, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization has convened a summit to deal with the world's growing food crisis, which threatens -- through high prices and flagging production -- to push another 100 million people into the category of hungry; 800 million are already there. The Summit, whose attendees include some heads of state and UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon, concludes on Thursday. Look out for the final declaration and action plan. In the meantime, get an update on what's been happening from the BBC. The BBC has some excellent reporting on food issues this week. Two stories caught my eye. The first is on corn and tortilla prices in Mexico. Read it here. According to the report one reason why Mexico can't increase agricultural production substantially is because so many rural Mexicans, once farmers, have made their way north to work in U.S. cities.

The second BBC story comes from the southern African nation of Lesotho, where over-use of soil and clearing of trees and other vegetation has left much farmland teetering at the edge of infertility or already there. The BBC story focuses on a family that's found a home-grown remedy: "key hole gardens." The gardens are producing enough vegetables to feed large extended families, with some left over for local markets. A mini (deep) green revolution. From China comes an example of another kind of revolution, which some call "pink." Today, according to a recent issue of National Geographic on China, the country has precisely one McDonald's drive-through. By the end of this year however, there will be -- wait for it -- 115. "Food is life," Deputy Minister for Agriculture and Food Security, Efraim Lehatahe, told the BBC, commenting on his country's predicament and the Rome food summit's agenda. "If we can't afford that, we're finished."

On June 1st, China imposed a national ban on ultra-thin plastic bags, the kind we all get -- or have -- at supermarkets, drug stores and even, sometimes, at fruit or vegetable stands. From yesterday, shoppers in China will have to bring their own bag or, if they want a plastic bag, slightly thicker varieties will be available, for a fee. Men Xiaowei from China's Ministry of Commerce said in an on-line interview with China Daily that the plastic bag ban was "a 'habit revolution'. To limit the use of plastic bags is to protect our environment." According to China Daily, an astonishing 1,300 tons of oil had been used in China every day to produce plastic shopping bags just for supermarkets. (I wonder if Wal-Mart, an increasing large player in China's retail landscape, is included in that total. Probably not.) Another eye-popping number: China used three billion plastic bags a day, more than two per person. A Reuters report on Sunday indicated some hiccups with the ban, although nothing very surprising: one shopper thought the ban was coming into effect in a month or so, while a steamed bun seller was still using the thin plastic bags in violation of the new law. He said he'd continue until his supply was exhausted...and then begin charging customers about 3 cents for a thicker plastic bag -- if they don't change their habits and bring their own.

Last night I watched a Web video of a talk New York Times food writer Mark Bittman gave at a TED conference last December called "What's Wrong With What We Eat." Bittman, a wry and clear writer is, it turns out, a wry and clear speaker. His main thesis: over-consumption of meat is putting the planet and us at risk, big-time (his emphasis), due to its links with global warming and human disease. In crafting his argument over 20 minutes, Bittman makes some of the same points and employs some of the same data that we at Brighter Green have been using...but he has a much, much snappier Power Point. It's worth watching and then, as I did, this morning, sending the link to friends and colleagues. Better yet: let people know about this blog. And for those unfamiliar with Bittman's writing on these issues, it's worth digesting his New York Times' article, "Rethinking the Meat Guzzler" from earlier this year. The piece got quite a reception: it was the most-emailed article on the Times' Website for days and then nested among the Times' top 10 most emailed for weeks. Bittman's latest book is "How to Cook Everything Vegetarian." It's chunky and green.

I've been spending a few days in Portland, Oregon, also known as the City of Roses. The roses aren't in bloom yet, but the lilacs are. Large bushes or trees of them seem to be everywhere here, in hues from light lavender to bright, deep purple. I came out to the northwest to give two talks, first at Portland State University and then at Portland's annual VegFest. My topic? The environmental, climate, public health, equity and food security issues surrounding industrial meat production, in the U.S. and in the fast-growing countries of the developing world. I've enjoyed interacting with activists, environmentalists, students, philosophers, vegans and omnivores. They listened to and read (I think) my projected slides and then voiced some terrific ideas, observations and questions. The title of my second talk was "Your Burger or Your Car." Ironically, across from the VegFest venue was a Hummer dealership. But I haven't seen a single Hummer seen on Portland's streets, however.

A few months ago I got a global warming mug as a gift. It's high-concept. When you pour in a hot beverage, a world map stuck on the mug changes. Coastal regions disappear (so long, Bangladesh and south Florida). They're "flooded" by blue, mimicking what's expected to happen if, as scientists predict, sea levels rise between 11 and 17 inches over the next 92 years. Those sea level increases would be accompanied by (really, caused by) a rise in global temperature of between 1.8° and 4° C by 2100. That's 3.2° to 7.2° Fahrenheit.

But wait, even if your coffee's getting cold. Global temperatures may rise even higher, faster: by as much as 6.4° C (11.5° F) by century's end. So, the mug is pretty cool (although it can't go into my Energy Star, 18-inch, water-saving dishwasher). But something about it struck me first as odd, then as almost risible. When I turned it over, I saw a familiar three words: Made in China. So much else is, that both does and doesn't cost an arm and a leg, so why not this, too?

Documentary film King Corn tells the story of two college friends who, in a post-graduate quest narrative, set out to understand America's food system, particularly the centrality to it of corn. They lease an acre of land in Greene, Iowa (coincidentally, home to grandparents of both of the young men) and plant, well, what else, but corn? (Their tiny acre is surrounded by thousands of acres of corn, all looking exactly the same as theirs). The acre of corn offers a way for the two guys, genial, laid-back tour guides, to investigate current U.S. farm economics and why so many of us eat the food we do.

Their acre is, after the application of government subsidies, fertilizers and a combine harvester headed where most other U.S. corn ends up. That's in a feedlot, where it's used to fatten up (fast) beef cattle, who mill in their thousands, with nothing to do but eat...corn, without shade or vegetation or distraction. Or a processing plant, to be made into the high fructose corn syrup that's become endemic in supermarkets, bulking up and sweetening products in every aisle but fresh produce.

In a recent editorial, the New York Times mused on a world where meat is grown in vitro in a lab. While acknowleding their "disgust" at the methods used by the modern meat industry in the U.S., the editors lamented the potential loss of farm animals. I mused on this, too, and came up with these thoughts, which I shared with the Times' Letters Editor:

Re "Million Dollar Meat" (April 23, 2008), you state that "it will be a barren world if the herds and flocks disappear" in favor of meat grown in a lab. But the facts suggest otherwise. The livestock sector "may well be the leading player in the reduction of biodiversity," according to a 2006 UN report. Today, 30 percent of Earth's land is used to raise animals for meat and dairy production; once this was habitat for wildlife. The livestock sector is the major cause of deforestation around the world. The cattle population in the Amazon has reached a new high and rates of clearing are rising. So, land without livestock won't be barren for long. It would be repopulated by other forms of life. Surely most non-human species, along with many of us, would find that a welcome change.

In Costa Rica, the bottom fell out of the beef market years ago and government policies encouraged some former ranch land (once rainforest)to be left alone. Now, in many former pastures, the forest and some species have come back. Unaided. Something to muse on, too.

Climate change means erratic weather, melting polar ice caps, rising seas and more intense hurricanes, droughts and floods. Green energy means lower greenhouse gas emissions and more trees left standing to combat desertification, reduce soil erosion, and offset CO2 in the atmosphere. Learn more about the interactions between the two, tonight, in Manhattan's Greenwich Village. Francis ole Sakuda and Daniel Salau of the Simba Maasai Outreach Organization (SIMOO) in Kenya will discuss the realities of climate change for indigenous communities in Kenya and elsewhere. They'll also describe their use of solar power to bring energy and new opportunities to rural communities off the grid. Here are the details:

When: Friday, April 25, 2008, 6:30 p.m.
Where: Judson Hall Church, Washington Square South (at West 4th Street—entrance at 239 Thompson St.)

Maasai bead work will be for sale (crafted by women's groups in Kenya) and there'll be refreshments, too. Co-sponsored by Brighter Green, Sierra Club NYC Group and Tribal Link Foundation.