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By Mark Devries
The animal agriculture industry spends millions on deceptive advertising to persuade consumers that farmed animals roam freely on bucolic pastures. But I've been piloting drones over animal agriculture facilities for several years, and the video I've captured tells a far different story. Nearly all animals raised and slaughtered for food in the U.S. live in factory farms—facilities that treat animals as mere production units and show little regard for the natural environment or public health. Instead of creating widgets, these factories confine, mutilate and disassemble animals who feel pain and pleasure just like our dogs and cats.
<p>Aerial views of the first <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/factory-farming">factory farms</a> I visited—<a href="https://mailtrack.io/trace/link/11ca54a043ee3a87275b25a346a613dfb0246598?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DayGJ1YSfDXs&userId=1827072&signature=6eb78d0f8417899d" target="_blank">pig facilities</a>—didn't capture grass and rolling hills, but instead exposed rows of windowless metal buildings. Each confined thousands of intelligent, sensitive pigs who spent their lives on concrete floors in crowded pens. The footage also reveals what appear to be red lakes but are in fact giant, open-air cesspools. Waste falls through slats in the pigs' concrete flooring and is flushed into these massive pits, which sometimes have the surface area of multiple football fields. To lower the levels of these cesspools, many facilities <a href="https://mailtrack.io/trace/link/21373c13469aaaa2637990c0b66eb4a01d4cf2dc?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.democracynow.org%2F2017%2F5%2F3%2Fnc_lawmakers_side_with_factory_farms&userId=1827072&signature=dd132e38352338e3" target="_blank">spray their contents into the air</a> where they turn into mist and drift into neighboring communities.</p><p>In North Carolina, this practice has been associated with <a href="https://mailtrack.io/trace/link/263b583689384fdc6711fbb122f643ad9c1bc147?url=https%3A%2F%2Fgrist.org%2Ffood%2Ffactory-farms-raise-a-stink-and-your-blood-pressure%2F&userId=1827072&signature=b6864dd6283784f2" target="_blank">spikes in blood pressure</a> among community members and <a href="https://mailtrack.io/trace/link/bd9485baf52d59fb4ec648f4bbe1bfd037cf9951?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fpmc%2Farticles%2FPMC3980580%2F&userId=1827072&signature=9fb5d437b831cab4" target="_blank">increased asthma symptoms</a> among nearby schoolchildren. I spoke with neighbors who described walking outside and falling down in their own front yards because the stench of these factory farms made it so difficult to breathe.</p><p>I recently piloted drones over factory egg farms, perhaps the most industrialized sector of animal agriculture, with each shed confining thousands of hens and some facilities holding over a million. If I hadn't known better, I would have thought the 24 sheet-metal buildings were airplane hangars or industrial storage facilities. <a href="http://www.mercyforanimals.org/" target="_blank">Mercy For Animals</a> <a href="https://mailtrack.io/trace/link/5665bfb08441dc6853a33eacafd5aa70e6e55a86?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.mercyforanimals.org%2Finvestigations&userId=1827072&signature=f0e5e65353d91e47" target="_blank">undercover investigations</a> have revealed that hens inside such facilities spend their lives trapped in cages so small the birds can't even fully spread their wings. Such confinement is so intensive that many hens die and decompose among cagemates still producing eggs to be sold as food.</p><p>Indeed, drones have put to bed the myth of Old MacDonald's farm. Armed with the truth, we must take responsibility. The practices exposed only exist because people purchase products of factory farms. Each of us has the power to stand up and vote against this industry by simply <a href="https://mailtrack.io/trace/link/e04fc910792f348bcb825dd086164c7a562de1c3?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.chooseveg.com&userId=1827072&signature=daac5cf25447b507" target="_blank">leaving animals off our plates</a>.</p><p><em>Mark Devries serves as special projects coordinator for investigations, with a focus on directing short-form documentaries about factory farming and animal rights. Before joining Mercy For Animals, he directed Speciesism: The Movie and conducted the world's first drone-based investigation of factory farming. The movie is widely used as an introduction to animal rights, and the drone footage has amassed tens of millions of views globally. Mark is also an attorney licensed to practice in Washington, DC.</em></p>
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Neil H / Flickr
By Rachel Krantz
When I spotted fellow vegan James Cromwell in line for food at an advance screening of An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power, I couldn't help but try to talk to him. Recently arrested at a protest against SeaWorld, the Babe and Six Feet Under actor is a remarkable environmental and animal activist.
"Can you believe they're serving chickens here?" I asked him. "I mean, I guess it's a little better for the environment than eating cows, but it's still ironic to be serving animals at a party for a documentary about climate change."
<p>"Yeah, really!" Cromwell answered. "Besides the damage it does to the atmosphere from <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/methane">methane</a> release, and the terrible torment of the animals, it is destroying us spiritually. You eat one hamburger and have no idea of the process that led to that one hamburger, how many animals suffered, how much waste, what it does to us, and what it does to the planet."</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-twitter_embed"></p><div id="14ff3" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="a104ede817770d411e5f32eddbbb9e6c"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="895101090001289216" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Al Gore's 'An Inconvenient Sequel' Conveniently Leaves Out This One Big Truth https://t.co/WJ5yf4U224 @SoilAssociation @eatsustainable</div> — EcoWatch (@EcoWatch)<a href="https://twitter.com/EcoWatch/statuses/895101090001289216">1502243704.0</a></blockquote></div><p></p><p>He's right. We aren't serious enough about the impact our diet has on the environment, despite overwhelming evidence. For instance, to produce <a href="https://www.bustle.com/articles/76177-5-ways-animal-agriculture-is-destroying-our-environment-because-consuming-animal-products-has-a-very-real" target="_blank">one hamburger takes as much water</a> as two months' worth of showering. Additionally, the livestock sector is one of the <a href="https://www.bustle.com/articles/149271-the-single-biggest-thing-you-can-do-for-the-environment" target="_blank">largest sources of carbon dioxide emissions</a> and the single largest source of both methane and nitrous oxide. And according to the <a href="https://journals.law.stanford.edu/stanford-environmental-law-journal-elj/blog/leading-cause-everything-one-industry-destroying-our-planet-and-our-ability-thrive-it" target="_blank">World Bank</a>, animal agriculture <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/amazon-deforestation-slaughterhouses-2466280439.html">is responsible</a> for nearly 90 percent of Amazon rainforest destruction, with more <a href="https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/earth-talks-daily-destruction/" target="_blank">than 80,000 acres of forest</a>—and 135 animal and plant species—<a href="http://www.savetheamazon.org/rainforeststats.htm" target="_blank">lost</a> each day.</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-twitter_embed"></p><div id="7f63b" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="ba7cb175c1184ea734c10a44cb1dd4be"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="891414308323766273" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Study Links Most Amazon Deforestation to 128 Slaughterhouses https://t.co/K6CRKZr9Tc @lunchboxbunch @TheVeganSociety</div> — EcoWatch (@EcoWatch)<a href="https://twitter.com/EcoWatch/statuses/891414308323766273">1501364707.0</a></blockquote></div><p></p><p>Simply put, <a href="http://www.mercyforanimals.org/killing-animals-is-killing-the-planet-heres" target="_blank">animal agriculture is one of the main culprits behind climate change</a>. An <em>Inconvenient Truth</em> failed to address this, and people have been wondering whether the sequel would make up for it, particularly since it again stars <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/al-gore">Al Gore</a>, who himself went <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/vegan">vegan</a> after realizing the connection between animal agriculture and global warming. Unfortunately, as James Cromwell and I were about to find out, the sequel likewise failed. And that's truly disappointing.<br></p><p>Instead, too much of the new documentary was devoted to spotlighting former vice president Gore as a leader, rather than informing viewers about the many concrete actions they can take to limit their carbon footprint, like <a href="https://www.bustle.com/p/how-eating-vegan-even-for-one-day-a-week-helps-fight-trumps-decision-on-the-paris-climate-agreement-62386" target="_blank">adopting a plant-based diet</a>.</p><p> <a href="https://www.bustle.com/p/how-eating-vegan-even-for-one-day-a-week-helps-fight-trumps-decision-on-the-paris-climate-agreement-62386" target="_blank">At the end of the film, the audience is asked to</a><a href="http://pledge.inconvenientsequel.com/" target="_blank"> take the pledge to #BeInconvenient</a>, to keep demanding that schools, businesses and towns invest in clean, <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/renewable-energy/">renewable energy</a>. "If President Trump refuses to lead, Americans will," the call to action reads, encouraging viewers who want to fight <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/climate-change/">climate change</a> to use "your choice, your voice, your vote." This is great, but aside from a few seconds where Gore mentions that "agriculture is another major cause" of CO2 emissions, the link between climate change and eating animals is entirely left out of the film.</p><p>And any environmentalist worth her salt should find that outrageous.</p><p>The link between our diet and the environment is both direct and strong. To give you an idea, if every American committed to just <a href="http://www.alternet.org/story/134650/the_startling_effects_of_going_vegetarian_for_just_one_day" target="_blank">one meat-free day a week</a>, the impact would be equivalent to switching all our gas-powered cars to hybrids. In fact, according to <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs10584-014-1169-1" target="_blank">research published in the journal Climate Change</a>, if you adopt a plant-based diet, you'll cut your carbon footprint in half.</p><p>Yet these facts are nowhere to be found in this supposedly environmentalist documentary.</p><p>Perhaps the filmmakers thought that mainstream viewers couldn't handle the truth. I like to think otherwise.</p><p>It's time for environmentalists to face reality and start acknowledging the impact animal agriculture has on climate change. As Cromwell told me, "You can't consume another creature out of sloth, ignorance, and unconsciousness and then switch that off and go with dedication and consciousness in another area of your life. You have to be conscious in the entire course of living."</p><p style="">To call yourself an environmentalist and ignore what eating animals is doing to our planet is hypocritical and perpetuates the selfishness that got us into this mess in the first place. If you really care about the environment, take the film's pledge to <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23BeInconvenient&src=typd&lang=en" target="_blank">#BeInconvenient</a>, and tell everyone you know that one of the biggest things they can do to fight climate change is to <a href="https://www.bustle.com/p/how-eating-vegan-even-for-one-day-a-week-helps-fight-trumps-decision-on-the-paris-climate-agreement-62386" target="_blank">leave animals off their plates</a>. Whether or not they find your statement inconvenient, it's the truth.</p><p style=""><em>Rachel Krantz is lead writer for <a href="http://www.mercyforanimals.org/" target="_blank">Mercy For Animals</a> and host of the podcast <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/honestly-though/id1125507987?mt=2" target="_blank">Honestly Though</a>.</em></p>
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Like many other plant-based foods and products, CBD oil is one dietary supplement where "organic" labels are very important to consumers. However, there are little to no regulations within the hemp industry when it comes to deeming a product as organic, which makes it increasingly difficult for shoppers to find the best CBD oil products available on the market.
<p>Here you can learn about the importance of organic hemp oil, why it's better for the environment, and which CBD companies actually make trustworthy products with sustainable farming processes. origins which weigh heavily on many consumers who want to buy a product that's produced in the best way possible for not only themselves to ingest, but for the environment as well through sustainable farming methods. </p><h2>What Is CBD Oil?</h2><p>First things first, CBD stands for cannabidiol, and it's a cannabinoid found within cannabis sativa plants. This plant compound is believed to have many potential benefits, and it is primarily derived from hemp plants via a CO2 extraction process. </p><p>Since CBD is extracted from industrial hemp, which contains only trace amounts of THC (the psychoactive component in cannabis plants), this means that CBD won't make you feel high like marijuana, which has much higher levels of THC that causes psychoactive effects. Instead, the effects of CBD are much more subtle and promote a general sense of calm and relaxation in most users.</p><h2>What Makes a CBD Oil Organic?</h2><p>In terms of organic labels, perhaps the most important (and prominent) certification comes from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). This government organization has been labeling foods as "organic" for many years, but what exactly does this certification entail? Essentially, a label indicating that a product is "USDA Organic" or "Certified Organic" means that at least 95% of the ingredients are obtained from organic sources.</p><p>For a crop to be considered organic by the USDA, it must be grown without the use of industrial solvents, irradiation, genetic engineering (GMOs), synthetic pesticides, or chemical fertilizer. Instead, farmers rely on natural substances and <a href="https://www.usda.gov/media/blog/2012/03/22/organic-101-what-usda-organic-label-means" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">mechanical, physical, or biologically based farming</a> techniques to cultivate healthy and organic crops.</p><p>Before the passage of the 2018 Farm Bill, no hemp-derived products could be dubbed as "certified organic" since the hemp plant and its extracts were still categorized as a Schedule I Controlled Substance. However, it's still difficult for CBD companies to obtain a USDA certified organic label for their products due to the legal grey area that still surrounds CBD extracts. </p><p>Because of these challenges, and due to the fact that industrial hemp has only recently become an agricultural crop, very few CBD oils are USDA certified organic. Rather, many CBD products contain hemp extracts from plants that were grown in organic conditions but may not be federally certified.</p><h2>What are the Best Organic CBD Oil Brands?</h2><p><em>Each product featured here has been independently selected. If you make a purchase using the links included, we may earn commission.</em></p>
<h2>Why Organic Hemp Oil Matters</h2><p>Hemp is a unique plant, not only for its rich cannabinoid content, but also for its ability to absorb a wide variety of components in soil. But this trait poses great risks when it comes to the creation of CBD products derived from hemp.</p><p>Because hemp has a high capacity for compound uptake, this means that the plants can retain <a href="https://www.remedyreview.com/industry/lab-test-results/" target="_blank">harmful chemicals like pesticides</a>, heavy metals, and other residual solvents. This is especially true when it comes to synthetic chemicals that are more toxic to humans, and difficult to remove once they have been absorbed by the hemp plant.</p><p>Organic farming practices help reduce the risk of hemp crops absorbing harsh chemicals that may later end up in CBD oil after extraction. When you're taking CBD as a wellness supplement to help alleviate your symptoms or improve your overall well-being, the last thing you want is to ingest compounds that might negatively outweigh the benefits of CBD. This is an important reason to look for third party lab test results when shopping for CBD products since these certificates of analysis can show the full cannabinoid and terpene profile of a hemp extract, as well as test results that search for the presence of any residual solvents.</p><p>In addition to creating a better end product, organic farming practices are also better for the environment. Sustainable and organic farming methods may <a href="https://www.helpguide.org/articles/healthy-eating/organic-foods.htm" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">reduce pollution, conserve water, reduce soil erosion, increase soil fertility, and use less energy</a>. The use of natural pest deterrents as opposed to chemical pesticides is also better for nearby animal populations and ecosystems.</p><h3>Organic vs. Natural</h3><p>While there are only a select few companies offering certified organic ingredients in their products, almost every brand in the CBD market creates "natural" products. The term "all-natural" or "plant-based" does not mean that a product is organic, and since hemp oil is a natural derivative of hemp plants, these products are often referred to as all-natural. However, there are some synthetic CBD oils that should be avoided because they are chemically constructed and may produce unwanted side effects that are not caused by naturally derived CBD extracts.</p><h2>What are the Benefits of Organic CBD Oil?</h2><p>There's a long list of potential CBD oil health benefits, and some of the most common wellness advantages include:</p><ul class="ee-ul"><li><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2503660/" target="_blank">Chronic pain relief</a></li><li><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4604171/" target="_blank">Anti-anxiety effects</a></li><li>Better sleep</li><li><a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/inner-source/201901/cbd-oil-mental-health-should-you-take-it-too" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Improvements in mood</a></li><li>Internal balance and regulation</li></ul><p>When dealing with pain, inflammation, sleep issues, and mental health struggles, it can be hard to find sufficient treatment options. The use of certain prescriptions can cause unwanted side effects, yet they are often the only solution for patients with these medical conditions. In search of other therapies, people have started to flock towards CBD oil as an alternative remedy for a variety of conditions. However, it should be noted that CBD products are not approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and you should seek your doctor's advice before using CBD if you have a serious medical condition.</p><h2>Look at the Labels Before You Buy CBD Oil</h2><p>When you go online to buy CBD oil, you'll quickly realize there is an overwhelming number of brands that are saturating the market. It can be difficult to determine which products are truly as good as they make themselves out to be. Always look for up-to-date third-party lab tests so you know you are getting a great product, and don't hesitate to contact the brand if you have any additional questions. And if you're intent on purchasing 100% organic CBD oil, it's best to look for certified products or brands that are held to strict regulatory standards.</p><p><strong>Melena Gurganus </strong>is the Reviews Editor at EcoWatch. She is passionate health and wellness and her writing aims to help others find products they can trust. Her work has been featured in publications such as Health, Shape, Huffington Post, Cannabis Business Times, and Bustle.<br></p>
Spruce
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDY4NjI3OC9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYyOTM2NzgzOX0.axY0HjeqRctJsR_KmDLctzDpUBLBN-oNIdqaXDb4caQ/img.jpg?width=980" id="774be" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="8379f35b1ca8a86d0e61b7d4bfc8b46e" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" alt="spruce organic cbd oil" /><p>As one of the best brands in the business, Spruce CBD is well-known for its potent CBD oils that feature many additional beneficial phytocannabinoids. This brand works with two family-owned, sustainably focused farms in the USA (one located in Kentucky and one in North Carolina) to create its organic, small product batches. The max potency Spruce CBD oil contains 2400mg of full-spectrum CBD extract, but the brand also offers a lower strength tincture with 750mg of CBD in total.</p>
$89
CBDistillery
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDcwMjkzNC9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYyMTU4OTM4Nn0.ypRdeDSBcE87slYrFfVrRwtJ2qGIK6FD5jBB4pndTMo/img.jpg?width=980" id="b473b" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="9930b53c9d58cb49774640a61c3e3e75" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" alt="cbdistillery cbd oil" /><p>All of the products from CBDistillery are <a href="https://ushempauthority.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">U.S. Hemp Authority Certified</a>, and for good reason. The company only uses non-GMO and pesticide-free industrial hemp that's grown organically on Colorado farms. Its hemp oils are some of the most affordable CBD products on the market, yet they still maintain a high standard of quality. CBDistillery has a wide variety of CBD potencies across its product line (ranging from 500mg to 5000mg per bottle) and offers both full-spectrum and broad-spectrum CBD oils to give customers a completely thc-free option.</p>
$35
FAB CBD
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDY4NjIyNS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY2NDIwOTEyMn0.MlTjz096FJ0ev_-soK7_Z-FeQeJczWoeh9Qi9SSkHsY/img.jpg?width=980" id="04b26" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="76aa4862f44603242e318982acea6646" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" alt="fab cbd oil" /><p>For an organic CBD oil that has it all, FAB CBD offers plenty of variety for any type of consumer. All of its products are made with zero pesticides and extracted from organically grown Colorado industrial hemp. FAB CBD oil comes in five all-natural flavors (mint, vanilla, berry, citrus, and natural) and is also available in four strengths (300, 600, 1200, and 2400mg per bottle).</p>
$39
NuLeaf Naturals
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDY4NjIxOS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY1NzExNTgyMX0.D6qMGYllKTsVhEkQ-L_GzpDHVu60a-tJKcio7M1Ssmc/img.jpg?width=980" id="94e4a" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="3609a52479675730893a45a82a03c71d" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" alt="nuleaf naturals organic cbd oil" /><p>As an industry-leading brand, it comes as no surprise that NuLeaf Naturals sources its CBD extract from organic hemp plants grown on licensed farms in Colorado. The comany's CBD oils only contain two ingredients: USDA certified organic hemp seed oil and full spectrum hemp extract.</p><p>NuLeaf Naturals uses one proprietary CBD oil formula for all of its products, so you will get the same CBD potency in each tincture (60mg per mL), but can purchase different bottle sizes depending on how much you intend to use.</p>
$38.50
Charlotte's Web
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDcwMjk3NS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY0MzQ0NjM4N30.SaQ85SK10-MWjN3PwHo2RqpiUBdjhD0IRnHKTqKaU7Q/img.jpg?width=980" id="84700" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="a2174067dcc0c4094be25b3472ce08c8" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" alt="charlottes web cbd oil" /><p>Perhaps one of the most well-known brands in the CBD landscape, Charlotte's Web has been growing sustainable hemp plants for several years. The company is currently in the process of achieving official USDA Organic Certification, but it already practices organic and sustainable cultivation techniques to enhance the overall health of the soil and the hemp plants themselves, which creates some of the highest quality CBD extracts. Charlotte's Web offers CBD oils in a range of different concentration options, and some even come in a few flavor options such as chocolate mint, orange blossom, and lemon twist.</p>
$60
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Al Gore's 'An Inconvenient Sequel' Conveniently Leaves Out This One Big Truth
07 August 2017
Popular
By Rachel Krantz
At the end of An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth To Power, the audience is asked to take the pledge to #BeInconvenient—to keep demanding schools, businesses and towns invest in clean, renewable energy.
"If President Trump refuses to lead, Americans will," the call to action reads, encouraging viewers who want to fight climate change to use "your choice, your voice, your vote."
<p>Feel-good cheers in the audience abounded, but in my seat, I was seething over the truth that was conveniently omitted from the new sequel to <em>An Inconvenient Truth</em>: that the most significant thing we as ordinary individuals can do every day to <a href="https://www.bustle.com/articles/149271-the-single-biggest-thing-you-can-do-for-the-environment" target="_blank">fight climate change</a> is to adopt a <a href="https://www.bustle.com/p/how-eating-vegan-even-for-one-day-a-week-helps-fight-trumps-decision-on-the-paris-climate-agreement-62386" target="_blank">plant-based diet</a>. Al Gore himself went <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/vegan">vegan</a> in 2014, but aside from a split-second where he mentions that "agriculture is another major cause" of CO2 emissions, the subject is entirely left out of the film.</p><p>And that's disgraceful.</p><p>You want me to #BeInconvenient? OK, here are some facts: According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (<a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/epa">EPA</a>), the livestock sector is one of the <a href="http://www.mercyforanimals.org/killing-animals-is-killing-the-planet-heres" target="_blank">largest sources</a> of carbon dioxide pollution, and the single largest source of both <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/methane">methane</a> and nitrous oxide. According to the <a href="https://journals.law.stanford.edu/stanford-environmental-law-journal-elj/blog/leading-cause-everything-one-industry-destroying-our-planet-and-our-ability-thrive-it" target="_blank">World Bank</a>, animal agriculture is responsible for nearly 90 percent of Amazon rainforest destruction. The rainforest is our planet's lungs, and we are destroying it simply to make enough space to kill more <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/animals/">animals</a>. More than <a href="https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/earth-talks-daily-destruction/" target="_blank">80,000 acres</a> of tropical rainforest—and 135 animal, plant and insect species—<a href="http://www.savetheamazon.org/rainforeststats.htm" target="_blank">are lost</a> due to this destruction each day.</p><p>If that kind of devastation is too massive to comprehend, consider these more convenient truths: If every American committed to just <a href="http://www.alternet.org/story/134650/the_startling_effects_of_going_vegetarian_for_just_one_day" target="_blank">one Meatless Monday</a> a week, it would be the environmental equivalent of all of the cars on the road switching from sedans to hybrids. The link is so significant that according to <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs10584-014-1169-1" target="_blank">research published</a> in the journal Climate Change, if you adopt a plant-based diet, you'll <a href="http://www.mercyforanimals.org/killing-animals-is-killing-the-planet-heres" target="_blank">cut your carbon footprint</a> in half.</p><p>Yet the bulk of An Inconvenient Sequel focuses on former Vice President Al Gore's quest to save the world, and the behind-the-scenes drama at the <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/paris-agreement">Paris climate</a> accords. While it's inspiring to watch Gore help convince India's leaders to use more <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/solar">solar</a> energy, far too much of the documentary is devoted to spotlighting him as a leader rather than informing viewers about the many concrete actions they can take to limit their own carbon footprints.</p><p>Telling viewers to fight back simply by taking the hashtag pledge to #BeInconvenient and ambiguously "vote with their choices" is a cop-out. What about the very concrete choice we can all start making today to <a href="http://www.chooseveg.com/" target="_blank">leave animal products</a> off our plates? Perhaps the filmmakers thought mainstream American viewers couldn't handle that message. After all, when we're still trying to get parts of the country and politicians <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/climate-denier">to admit climate change is real</a>, the bar is awfully low when it comes to confronting reality—even <a href="http://nca2014.globalchange.gov/report/sectors/transportation" target="_blank">transportation's impact</a> on the climate went unmentioned in the film.</p><p>But Gore is right when we he argues that we don't have any time to waste. If <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/sea-level-rise">sea levels continue to rise</a> at current pace, scientists estimate that <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3272456/New-Orleans-Miami-set-flooded-water-rising-sea-levels-400-cities-past-point-no-return-new-study-claims.html" target="_blank">New Orleans and Miami</a> will be underwater by the end of the century. Due to our warming oceans, weather events are becoming more and more extreme—as Gore says, "every night on the evening news is like a walk through the Book of Revelations." Lobbying for solar power alone isn't going to cut it.</p><p>So yes, by all means, #BeInconvenient. Demand alternative energy reforms, vote in every election, and consider making the ultimate environmental statement by leaving animals off your plate—if not for their sake and your health, then for humanity. Because here's one of the most uncomfortable truths: We talk about climate change as if Earth's destruction hangs in the balance. But the truth is, the planet will persevere. It is mankind—and the many species we should be stewards of—that may not.</p><p><em>Rachel Krantz is lead writer for <a href="http://www.mercyforanimals.org/" target="_blank">Mercy For Animals</a> and host of the podcast <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/honestly-though/id1125507987?mt=2" target="_blank">Honestly Though</a>.</em></p>
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