During the last 80-100 years, intensive breeding techniques have caused the chicken to more than double in size and reduce its natural lifespan from 8-10 years to just a few months even though they are generally killed at six weeks. These birds have changed so much from their red jungle fowl ancestors that they are now widely considered to be an altogether distinct species.
At the same time, their population has been increasing exponentially to where there are an average of 33 billion of them on the planet at any given time. They are now one of the major food sources in every part of the world, and more than 55 billion chickens are killed for food each year.
They consume vast amounts of food and water and vast amounts of land are devoted to growing crops to feed them. They also produce such a prodigious amount of waste that they have decimated many important waterways and fouled the air in many parts of the world.
These combined effects are so profound that scientists are saying that that rapid expansion of human appetites and activity so radically altered natural systems as to tip Earth into a new geological epoch called the Anthropocene (the Age of Humans).
Unless we collectively figure out a way to correct this massive misuse of resources, the Anthropocene will likely be the last epoch to be recorded by humans. We believe that one essential solution is to wean everyone off of chicken and other animal products. This goes far beyond individual choice. The future of humanity is quite literally at stake.
Our source for this meme is Agence France-Presse via Raw Story.com
At the same time, their population has been increasing exponentially to where there are an average of 33 billion of them on the planet at any given time. They are now one of the major food sources in every part of the world, and more than 55 billion chickens are killed for food each year.
They consume vast amounts of food and water and vast amounts of land are devoted to growing crops to feed them. They also produce such a prodigious amount of waste that they have decimated many important waterways and fouled the air in many parts of the world.
These combined effects are so profound that scientists are saying that that rapid expansion of human appetites and activity so radically altered natural systems as to tip Earth into a new geological epoch called the Anthropocene (the Age of Humans).
Unless we collectively figure out a way to correct this massive misuse of resources, the Anthropocene will likely be the last epoch to be recorded by humans. We believe that one essential solution is to wean everyone off of chicken and other animal products. This goes far beyond individual choice. The future of humanity is quite literally at stake.
Our source for this meme is Agence France-Presse via Raw Story.com
Meme, Chicken, Fowl, Planet, Animal Agriculture, Future, Epoch, Anthropocene, Vegan, Environment