Diet for a Hot Planet: The Climate Crisis at the End of Your Fork and What You Can Do about It

Excerpted from A belated vegan review of eaarth (Bill McKibben, 2010) and Diet for a Hot Planet (Anna Lappé, 2010).

(Full disclosure: I received a free copy of this book for review through Library Thing's Early Reviewer program.)

In Diet for a Hot Planet, Anna Lappé also looks at agriculture's contribution to climate change. In contrast to McKibben's eaarth, Diet for a Hot Planet's comparatively narrow focus results in a more cohesive and comprehensive discussion of the topic. Unfortunately, like eaarth, it too is riddled with speciesism.

From farm to plate and everywhere in between, Diet for a Hot Planet identifies and examines the many unsustainable aspects of our food production and distribution systems. This necessarily involves show more standardization, industrialization, waste, pollution, and - perhaps above all else - a dependence on fossil fuels, resulting in a glut of energy-dense foods. (It's all connected, yo!) As McKibben notes in the forward, "[T]he entire industrial food system essentially ensures that your food is marinated in crude oil before you eat it."

In order to compensate for the degradation of soil quality, farmers have moved away from crop rotation and the use of leguminous crops (which bind with atmospheric nitrogen) to the over/use of synthetic, petroleum-based fertilizers and animal waste (which may solve the problem of soil fertility in the short-term, but actually exacerbate it in the long run). Food travels across countries and around the globe before reaching our dinner tables, requiring the use of fuel and attendant carbon emissions. Consumers travel by car to supermarkets and groceries - many of which are concentrated in the suburbs - to buy this food, most of which is heavily processed. (Not even the fruits and veggies escape such a fate: about half of the vegetables consumed in the U.S. are canned, frozen or dried!) In anticipation of our patronage, grocers store perishable items in massive, continuously-powered refrigerators and freezers - some of which consist of open cases. (Explain that one to your ten-year-old!)

As if this isn't appalling enough, roughly 27% of our edible food is wasted – simply thrown away – at both the individual and institutional levels. As Lappé points out, most of this waste finds its way not into compost piles, but the garbage; some municipalities report that food waste represents 50% of the contents discarded into their landfills. Instead of feeding people or nourishing the soil, this uneaten food becomes waste - waste that's the second-largest source of methane, next only to enteric fermentation (read: animal agriculture).

And then we have the most egregious offender of them all: meat, eggs and dairy. In Lappé's own words,

"[L]ivestock production is one of the biggest contributors to the country's greenhouse-gas emissions, both from pastures and from feed-crop production, from smallholder farms to large-scale ranchers to multinational corporations. The deforestation driven by pastureland and cropland is only one reason livestock contribute so much to global warming, as we'll see.

"Globally, livestock account for as much as 18 percent of all global greenhouse-gas emissions, according to the U.N. study mentioned earlier. That figure includes almost one tenth of carbon emissions, more than one third of methane, and roughly two thirds of nitrous oxide. (Livestock is responsible for other polluting emissions as well, including two thirds of all human-made ammonia.)" (p. 19)

Yet, like McKibben, Lappé simply isn't able to imagine in world in which humans don't retain their supremacy over nonhuman animals:

"All told, 70 percent of all agricultural land in the world is tied up with livestock production. But livestock don't need to cause such ecological harm. Traditionally and still today, in much of the world, livestock have been integrated into diverse farms and their communities, playing a range of roles: providing companionship, manure to enrich soils, muscle for farm work, and as a source of protein as meat. [...L]ivestock can be an integral component of sustainable systems. Well-managed livestock can even nurture the land. All that stomping and tromping helps to press seeds into the earth, fostering plant growth. The action of hooves on the ground can also break up the soil, allowing in more oxygen and improving soil quality. Today's self-described "carbon farmers" are adopting these proven practices and mimicking time-honored grazing methods to increase carbon content in the soil." (p. 19)

While I agree that nonhuman animals "can be an integral component of sustainable systems," I don't understand why humans must enslave them in order to realize this. Nor can I comprehend why a diet comprised of no meat is so much harder for Lappé, McKibben & Co. to swallow than one involving a serving of meat once every few weeks or months. Lappé (daughter of Frances Moore Lappé, a longtime vegetarian and author of Diet for a Small Planet) describes herself as an "on and off" vegetarian since her teen years - so you'd think she'd know better than to, say, categorize nonhuman animals as "plants." Then again, perhaps the "and off" part explains it.

All snark aside, as with eaarth, a good deal of Diet for a Hot Planet is devoted to celebrating small, local, organic farmers - including those who make a buck off the bodies of others. While Lappé does at least broach the idea of vegetarianism - according to my notes, McKibben only mentions the v-word (vegan) once and, if I remember correctly, it's to make a very unfunny joke at our expense - it's in a rather wishy-washy, noncommittal way that's guaranteed to have abolitionists rolling their eyes. Sandwiched between the glorified animal exploitation, however, sits a wealth of facts and figures, tables and numbers, including some original reporting by Lappé. Additionally, she tackles a number of common myths surrounding climate, industrial agriculture - and biotechnology's ability to save us from the perils of each.

If you can get past the speciesism, both books are interesting reads. Whereas eaarth is more thought-provoking in its subversiveness, Diet for a Hot Planet leaves the reader with the information necessary to counter climate change skeptics and corporate apologists for our existing food industries.

Three out of five stars, with two stars deducted for speciesism - including Lappé's inability to promote a plant-based diet without objectifying nonhuman animals.

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Thanks to the efforts of Al Gore, most people are aware of their carbon footprint and ways that they can reduce the size of their footprint. But how many of us know that we also have a “foodprint”? Anna Lappé introduces us to this important concept in her book, "Diet for a Hot Planet".

Thanks to the factory farming of crops and animals, the very food we eat is contributing to the problem of global warming. The production of chemical fertilizers and pesticides fill the air with greenhouse gases. The resulting degradation of topsoil from the use of chemical fertilizers not only decreases the soil’s ability to store carbon, but also releases the carbon formerly stored in soils into the atmosphere in the form of carbon dioxide.

And show more then there is livestock. Livestock which is fed the majority of the corn and soy beans raised in a miasma of chemicals. Livestock which produces waste in such quantity that it has to be stored in manure lagoons which leach into the soil and foul the groundwater, or flooded out in storms, pollute the surrounding countryside.

The most frightening statistic in the book is that ruminants (livestock that eats grass such as cows) produce 27% of methane emitted globally. Methane is a more dangerous greenhouse gas than the carbon dioxide that we are all so fixated on. Factory farming of livestock produces more greenhouse gases than all of the cars, trucks, buses, trains and planes together in the entire world.

Having made her argument about the deadly cost to the environment of factory farms, Ms Lappé offers a solution. She introduces us to New Forest Farm, an organic farm that practices mixed agriculture where diverse crops are grown together in the same fields as opposed to the monoculture favored by factory farms. Mixed agriculture keeps the soil and the farmer’s pocketbook healthy. If one crop fails or underproduces, other crops grown in the same fields continue to produce both a harvest and an income stream, while enriching and replenishing the soil.

This is the one part of the book that I found disappointing. Ms. Lappé gives the impression that the concept of mixed agriculture is a new and extraordinary idea. It is, in fact, a very ancient idea. Native Americans practiced this kind of agriculture for thousands of years before their way of life was wiped out by Europeans. Think “Three Sisters” (corn, squash and beans) in North America. In Central America, it is known as “milpa” and still practiced in some areas. Farmers plant a dozen different crops together in the same fields. Some milpa fields have stayed fertile for over four thousand years.

Ms. Lappé then addresses the argument that organic farming is not as productive as factory farming. She rightly points out that organic farming is more productive. Then she goes on to discuss the dangers of genetically modified plants. I was impressed by her calm, matter of fact tone on this hot button topic. So many authors, both for and against GMOs (genetically modified organisms), tend to get a little shrill when discussing their views.

The last part of her book is the most valuable. She gives her readers, no matter where they live in the USA, the resources and tools they need to reduce the size of their own and their communities’ “foodprint”. She impressed me once more with the realistic solutions she offers and the level of detail, depending on how involved people would like to be in the process. Books on climate change tend to either offer sweeping generalizations or solutions that are too impractical for the typical man (or woman) on the street. show less

Thank you for writing this book. It gives me hope! We make over 200 food choices a day, and if at least one more choice per day favored sustainability and climate-friendly food practices, we could reduce the rate of environmental destruction. Lappe distinctively points out the pro-industrial food argument that we could not feed the planet using organic and sustainable agriculture. She then proceeds to cite the facts: Not only can organic, sustainable farming adequately feed us, but it can promote economic self-sufficiency among the poorer communities who can really tap into their natural resources. She makes the case to work with the environment, using science to bolster the natural producing capacity of the land. In our current show more environment, science is used to manipulate the natural cycle of the land through bio-tech crops, GMOs, pesticides, herbicides, and more. Sure, this method produces a heck of a lot of calories for humans, but somehow, the poor communities are still poor and most critically, still hungry. The ROI from smartly switching to organic, sustainable farming globally is tremendous. The downfall? A few corporate bigwigs lose their jobs. Oh, and our immediate gratification for five varieties of chips ahoy is squashed... Read this book. You decide. show less

I recently received this book as a contest prize from Good Reads First Reads. I’ve always been concerned with the issue of climate change. However, I wasn’t aware that food production contributed as much to it as it does. It’s common sense, actually, but most of us don’t think about it.

The author brings into focus the fact that industrialized food production makes a significant contribution to the greenhouse gases currently causing the problem of climate change; from the actual growth of genetically modified feed, to the production of chemical fertilizers and pesticides through the raising of crops and livestock all the way to the store and eventually to your table.

Until I read this book, I did not know that only growing one show more crop in a field over and over using chemical fertilizers and pesticides caused the soil to erode and release carbon into the atmosphere. Ms. Lappe points out that by using sustainable farming methods (natural fertilizers as well as planting a variety of crops) would reduce carbon emissions and help to restore the topsoil.

I was also unaware that a huge amount of methane was being produced by livestock and their waste. Most of this is caused by feeding them food other than grass. Their waste is drained into “cesspits” that do not allow it to break down properly, so more methane is released. By allowing them to feed naturally and by recycling their waste as fertilizer, methane and carbon emissions could be reduced. Also, reducing the number of livestock being raised could reduce it further.

One of the things discussed is to “buy local”. I’ve always been a proponent of that. When you buy locally, you help to reduce emissions from transport vehicles. Why buy fruits and vegetables raised across the country when you can buy the same thing raised nearer your community?

Speaking to a number of experts and travelling to various places around the world, Ms. Lappe discovered that more people are returning to the time-tested methods of farming. They are thumbing their noses at the big agribusiness companies like Monsanto and Archer Daniels Midland. Using sustainable methods, these people have brought land back to life and are producing more than enough food for their communities.

I have to say that this book was an eye-opener for me. I learned that industrialized food production is energy intensive (from creation of the fertilizers to the lighting of the barns to the creation of packaging) and is heavily dependent on fossil fuels. I also learned that there are ways to slow down and reduce the greenhouse gases from food production.

And, now, after reading this book, I may never look at (or eat) a Pop Tart the same way again. show less

As an introduction to the science of climate change as affected by the global industrial food system, Diet for a Hot Planet excels at informing and entertaining. I have to admit I was hesitant when I started reading it and was sure it was going to be a chore to get through, but I really enjoyed it. Lappe writes in a way that is straight forward and easy to understand, which is a quite feat considering the volume of information included in the book.

In fact, that would be my only qualm, at least with the first section. It is intensely information heavy, with little anecdotal relief. One concept after another is thrown at the reader, with little chance to actually absorb any of it. All of the information is entirely relevant to the rest show more of the book, however, which is obvious in the number of references Lappe makes to information she's already introduced. And when she does reference something she's gone over before, Lappe does tend to review it, which is a great relief, at least for me.

The notes and bibliography are extensive, and throughout the different sections there are a lot of suggestions for further reading and research. It gives the impression of "Don't just take my word for it" and gives the reader the opportunity to actually go out and learn from more than just one source. While Lappe's worldviews are obvious and assumed to be correct, which could be abrasive to someone who sees the world and issues differently, the assumptions made in the book do seem to be scientifically valid, and everything she references is well cited. Overall, the book is very well researched. I especially appreciated the attention she gave to soil health, something that often is overlooked when discussing the health of an ecosystem.

The last three parts of the book are very easily followed, full of personality and wit as well as convincing arguments and biased or not, a whole lot of science. Lappe writes with a voice that is personable and not at all condescending. In the introduction she says she doesn't want to create cynics of her readers, and I would have to say that that definitely shows. The anecdotes and stories she chooses to express the hope that she's learned to see in the world really do illustrate it.

It's an incredibly effective book. I honestly think I will read it again. show less

Anna Lappé's *Diet for a Hot Planet* offers an optimistic take on the link between a micro issue (what one eats) and a macro problem (climate change). And, despite all the problems of the status quo (and potential catastrophes if we let business continue as usual) described in the outset of the text, the optimism in the latter parts of the book is appropriate, as it encourages readers to make incremental changes in their eating habits in ways that, collectively, will benefit the earth (regardless of one's take on climate change, I'd venture). Yes, some of the recommendations echo those of Michael Pollan (and also Mark Bittman in his *Food Matters*); so there's a certain sensibility to the text: eat locally, move toward a more show more vegetarian-style diet, be mindful of food and packaging waste, etc. For some readers, then, Lappé's book won't contain much that's new. But I'm in favor of giving such works plenty of attention: As long as some members of the target audience (described as folks without much knowledge of climate-change theories) become more reflective about their eating habits, one would think that some good will result. Now, as LibraryThing member rtp3 said in an earlier review of this book, it’s time to head out to the garden! show less

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I'm a fan of research papers, and the sheer volume of research that went into writing this book makes it impressive to me. What's even more impressive, though, are the concise and easy to read conclusions that Anna Lappé draws from her research. She clearly shows the connection between climate change and our food system with realism and hope.

The ideas she presents about sustainable eating--from food's origin to its ending--are not radical. Anna draws upon practices that are already in place and flourishing both in the United States and around the globe. What speaks to me most is the need for diversity. Ecosystems thrive efficiently because there are many components working together: farming is the same. show more There is no need for CAFOS (Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations) to provide adequately for our food needs, and we don't need to sign off meat (unless we want to). The last 100 pages are filled with ways to find and support delicious food that can help rather than harm our surroundings. There are so many websites and other resources that it's difficult to summarize. So, read this book and then interact. You won't be disappointed. show less