Your Christmas Dinner is Killing the Planet

If you are like me, you may be planning to chow down on a Christmas turkey with all of the traditional trimmings, if that’s the case you may earn a place on Al Gore’s environmental enemies list.

Researchers at the University of Manchester have calculated the “carbon footprint” of a traditional Christmas feast for eight as generating an amazing 44 lbs of carbon dioxide.

"Food production and processing are responsible for three quarters of the total carbon footprint, with the largest proportion - 60% - being related to the life cycle of the turkey,” said Project leader, professor Adisa Azapagic. "All stages in the supply chain have been considered, including raising the turkey, growing the vegetables, food storage, consumer shopping, cooking the meal at home and waste management.”

Has it reached a point where we have to reconsider this whole eating thing? There doesn’t seem to be a day that goes by that we don’t see a story involving some obese, planet killer, stuffing their fat face at the expense of the polar bears and penguins!

We need to get our priorities straight. Our choices seem clear, what’s more important, us feeding our addiction to consuming food daily or saving the lives of cuddly polar bears and cute little penguins?

Clearly the University of Manchester has determined that the most pressing issue that we face revolves around determining the carbon footprint of Christmas dinner or else they would not have wasted the time and…a…energy conducting this study.

Let’s hope that the researchers will lead the way in fixing this “problem” by ceasing their intake of food and putting polar bears first.