Reduce greenhouse gases and save our earth (2)

Many of us are meat lovers, pork chops, steaks, chicken wings, to name just a few. Do you know how our love of meat could contribute to global warming?

The constant increase in the consumption of meat from the general public leads to a huge growth of industrial/ factory farming. Vendors have to be able to maintain a steady supply of meat to the market at a low-enough price to be competitive and to satisfy consumers' needs. As a result, everyone is happily eating affordable meat and keep eating them while wanting more.

Industrial/ factory farming industry's contribution to greenhouse gases come from direct sources, including that emitted from the animals breathing and their biological waste, as well as from indirect sources, including land conversion and deforestation for growing the livestock which means fewer plants to absorb CO2.

Some of us advocate vegetarianism and veganism by totally skip out eating meat as a solution to this problem. Not for you? At least, we could still be encouraged to adopt a balanced diet that includes more vegetables instead of a meat-heavy one, which is healthier for our bodies too. When demand for meat decreased, supply would decrease and the need for industrial farming would drop. Besides, we may want to purchase free-range meat and egg, if given a choice. Free-range means the animals were not born and kept in a factory setting but a natural environment such as on the pasture, this is also more ethical as livestock were more comfortably raised instead of mechanically manufactured and killed.

 

AROUND TOWN

What's hot for the month in Hong Kong and what you want to know about it...

 

SUPER TYPHOON MANGKHUT

Everyone was shocked by how powerful and destructive typhoon Mangkhut was! Mangkhut was being regarded as a 'super typhoon' and said to be the strongest storm that hit Hong Kong since 1946.

So how is a 'super typhoon' differ from a 'regular typhoon'? According to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the formers have a higher wind speed than the later. When a tropical cyclone's wind speech reaches 74 mph, it is considered as a typhoon. Then when a typhoon's wind speed reaches 150 mph, it then is considered as a super typhoon.

Global warming affects the intensity of typhoons. The warming of the ocean causes more evaporation into the atmosphere. These evaporations are exactly the fuel for typhoons, which makes them more energetic as they move.

Hong Kong has stepped into typhoon season which is usually from August to October each year. We're thankful to be living with advanced and solid infrastructure in the city, and an efficient precaution and recovery system so that the impact of typhoons to us could be minimized!

 

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