Enjoy your cheeseburgers and steaks when you fire up the grill this Fourth of July weekend, because they may not be available much longer.
That’s because the climate fanatics have declared war on livestock. Turns out the biggest planet killers are apparently cows. That’s the only logical takeaway from a recent CNN headline that informs us that the “World’s first carbon tax on livestock will cost farmers $100 per cow.”
I don’t usually pay too much attention to looney-tune ideas from across the Atlantic, but this is the kind of craziness that migrates across the ocean to these shores.
Denmark’s $96-a-cow tax is to be imposed “for the planet-heating emissions they generate.”
If you are wondering why cows are suddenly supervillains, you aren’t paying attention to the extremists running the environmental movement. You see, every time a cow burps or passes gas (methane, to be exact), the planet gets warmer. The fiends!
So now we have the first nation to impose a tax on livestock — and pigs and goats may be next. Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen boasts that “we are investing billions” in this transition to a carbon-free society. Sounds like he’s angling for a Nobel Prize. The cows are collateral damage in this crusade to save the planet from heat waves.
CNN says the global food system contributes one-third of the greenhouse gases emitted into the atmosphere.
PBS says it’s worse than that. It finds that “cows and other livestock animals are responsible for about 40 percent of methane emissions — a potent greenhouse gas. In digesting their high fiber diet, cows emit methane as a byproduct, making them one of the least climate friendly sources of food on the planet.”
Off with their heads.
My prediction is that within the next 18 months, some members of Congress (AOC?) will propose a similar tax on Bessie here.
I suppose I should take some consolation that at least we finally have liberals admitting that if you tax something, you will get less of it. More taxes on cows means fewer cattle. That’s the idea here.
So why do we tax work, saving and investment? Do we want less of those too?
What is sadly ironic about this taxing scheme is that this is the same movement that has spent hundreds of millions of dollars to save elephants, polar bears, pandas, tigers, dolphins and other “endangered species.” But apparently cows we can live without. They aren’t cute and cuddly enough. So much for “biodiversity.”
Where is this all headed? The species apparently responsible for almost all the carbon emissions is human beings. We are the real scoundrels here. We burn coal, wood, oil and gas to bring light and heat and cooling and factories and hospitals and schools.
Maybe we need a birth tax on humans to save the planet. What’s the old saying: This would be a great planet if there weren’t so many people — and cows. Maybe we need some public service ads riffing off the theme of the Chick-fil-A ads with cows urging people to “Eat Mor Chikin.”
In the meantime, do your part to clean the air this weekend. Give up the steaks, burgers and brats, and fill up on veggie burgers instead.
Stephen Moore is a visiting fellow at the Heritage Foundation and a senior economic advisor to Donald Trump. His latest book is: “Govzilla: How the Relentless Growth of Government Is Devouring Our Economy.”
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It was only a matter of time that this nonsense would be brought up again about the world climate. Taxes on livestock, in Denmark, and will eventually spread around Europe and spread across the ocean blue to the Western hemisphere. All based on nonscientific data being spewed out by these “climate” groups that are being supported/financed by those who are controlling the world’s economy. The rich are getting richer as everyone else becomes poorer.
The Guardian”Meat production is responsible for a significant amount of greenhouse gas emissions…according to one 2021 study, meat accounts for nearly 60% of all greenhouse gases from global food production. Not only do livestock produce methane, but raising animals requires an enormous amount of land and resources. Another recent report found that three-quarters of global agricultural land is used for livestock….Accordingly, the potential environmental benefits of reducing our reliance on meat are promising. One 2022 study found that reducing global beef consumption by 20% could halve deforestation in the next 30 years…The US government’s dietary guidelines suggest an individual adult intake of 46 to 56 grams a day, depending on factors like age, sex and activity level, and the UK government recommends a similar individual adult intake of between 45 and 55.5 grams a day, depending on similar factors…Overall, Dr Debbie Petitpain says, getting enough protein is not a concern for most Americans. “Most people are over-consuming the recommended amounts of protein without even trying,” she says…(Being tired a lot, though, is not necessarily a sign of protein deficiency. “That’s probably more about the quality of the diet you’re taking in versus just missing out on that individual nutrient.”) “”The U.S. has the highest chronic disease burden and an obesity rate that is two times higher than the OECD average.Jan 30, 2020” *The Commonwealth fundPerhaps it’s time to rethink what we eat. It’s horrific for the animals and it’s crippling and killing the human population.
Yammering about it will not do anyting Lead by example Give up the private jet,yacht and all the fast cars and limos Do your bit to save the planet before you order me to do so All John Kerrys and David Suzukis start doing instead of talking and gatherings at Davos
Aren’t we encouraged to eat high fiber meals? What about all the beans humans consume? Did you know, in some places, it’s against the law to pass gas in an elevator?
I’ve worked with a few people who could and did cause nausea, forcing the self evacuation of large rooms. One of them would sometimes leave a gas “cloud” in an aisle at the grocery store and watch the person following to walk into it.
regarding any potential taxes on livestock, etc.: PLEASE DON’T THE DEMOCRATS OR THE ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROL FREAKS ANY IDEAS!
It’s just a way for the failing governments to collect more taxes.
I had a humorous experience involving cows back in the 1990’s — I was living in a rural area in Pennsylvania , just a few miles away was a town where I would go for basic supplies, groceries ,etc., and sometimes I would go there on a bicycle. At one point I would ride by a cow pasture — usually about 50 cows grazing there ,they did not give me anymore than brief look as I cycled past , they were more interested in eating grass, doing what cows do in a cow pasture . One day I saw something I needed for sale, a clothes tree , it was the last one left so I decided to purchase it and figured I could balance it on the bicycle if one end of it , the end with the hooks for the clothes. extended over the handle bar , out over the front wheel. So on the way past the cows on the way back something happened with the attention the cows paid to me on the bike — first one cow started to walk by on the other side of the fence, looking very intently — probably at the clothes tree extending over the front wheel , then another cow did the same thing , started walking by near the fence looking very interested in the clothes tree on the bike. Within about a minute there were about two dozen cows all walking fast and looking at something they never saw before — someone on a bicycle with something unusual , and obviously interesting to them . I thought the experience was really sort of humorous.
The article about the tax on cows is interesting . It is good that you wrote it Stephen . Vegetable burgers are very good so , that is good advice you gave at the end of the article. I reckon there will be much more developing with this issue in near future.