On March 23, the Washington Times published an article entitled, “Meat, Dairy Not Tied to Global Warming.” The title is unequivocal – according to this daily broadsheet started by Sung Myung Moon in 1982, the meat and dairy industries do not contribute to global warming. At all. While such a claim is, on its face, ridiculous, it is worth examining this article. Why? Because conservative reporting, exemplified in this Times article, has deliberately misled too many Americans about too many issues, and America’s inability to take political action to address these issues is a manifestation of this effort to mislead.
First, a word about Sung Myung Moon. He believes that he is the second coming of Christ, and has stated, “The Washington Times will become the instrument in spreading the truth about God to the world." Moon, and the Washington Times, are darlings of the conservative establishment, which should make every reader skeptical when reading Times articles addressing a subject as politically charged as climate change. Ad hominem aside, however, the article itself is a blatant work of shitty reporting and deliberate mis-truths.
The article begins by simultaneously backing off its declaratory title and pushing false information. The first sentence describes talking about vegetarianism and cow flatulence as “indecorous,” the second sentence makes an allusion to Climategate (which was completely debunked as a valid conspiracy theory), and the third sentence says that “lower consumption of meat and dairy will not have a major impact in combating global warming.” Decidedly false, but note the equivocation between the dramatic title to the markedly less vitriolic “not have a major impact.” Someone just glancing at the title is impressed with a lie even greater than the mis-truths presented in the text.
The substance of the article, as well as the comments from associate professor of animal science at UC Davis Frank Mitloehner, are not credible refutations of the meat and dairy industries' contribution to climate change. Mitloehner does not even contest that the meat and dairy industries contribute as much to global warming as the United Nations report he demonizes claims. He simply claims that meat and dairy’s relative contribution to greenhouse gas emissions is lower than previously thought because the other sectors of the economy have been undercounted. So according to Frank Mitloehner and the Washington Times, and this Telegraph editorialist, and this Fox News report, meat and dairy production still contribute the same as previously thought to global warming. Which is a lot. A lot! A lot a lot!
Alone, the article is merely a product of substandard reporting, but it is the political message that is transparent in this shitty reporting that is most troubling. Conservatives have a frightening habit of using straight up lies as a political tool. Unfortunately, it all too often works. Their lies about health care reform, about Barack Obama’s citizenship (including from a Congressman, and Sarah Palin), about the “Climategate” controversy, the Bush Administration’s use of torture, and on and on, have been readily gobbled up by both conservative activists and, more worryingly, the mainstream media. Americans believe this nonsense because Authoritative People tell them it’s true, and unfortunately those Authoritative People often tend to be blithering idiots peddling their anti-anything-remotely-liberal-on-principle bullshit.
Because they have been so successful in convincing their listeners and readers, these liars have been incredibly damaging to this country, and to the world. Congress has not addressed climate change for one simple reason: the public will is just not there. It certainly would be if the public understood just how serious climate change is, the pain it is causing, and all the things we are doing to make it worse. More outlets are needed that value truth, not lies, and promote active pursuit of intellectuality and depth of reasoning. That is the arena this blog strives to enter: we are a counterweight to the anti-intellectual movement that has recently claimed so many followers. We will provide analyses with depth, clarity, and a focus to academic and scholarly pursuits. We hope you enjoy!
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