Comfortably Unaware

“If you care about our planet, and want to make a difference, this book is a must-read.”

– Ellen DeGeneres's BOOKS ELLEN READS

“
Comfortably Unaware
explains, so clearly, how what we choose to eat has a direct impact on the health of Planet Earth: how modern agro-business and our thoughtless appetites are, quite literally, destroying the environment and the future of our children. I urge you to read it, to think about its message, discuss it with your friends — and start to change the world, one bite, one meal, one diet at a time.”

– Jane Goodall, PhD, DBE, UN Messenger of Peace

“As vegan diets gain popularity across the country for a way to improve health and the welfare of animals, it's no secret that the environmental effects of this diet can have a positive effect on our planet.
Comfortably Unaware
helps readers take a closer look at just this — how to heal the planet by changing what's on your plate. A health and environmental advocate for over 30 years, Dr. Oppenlander has long been inspiring change with his informative message. May his message inspire you.”

– Neal Barnard, President, Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine

COMFORTABLY
UNAWARE

What we choose to eat is killing us and our planet

DR. RICHARD A. OPPENLANDER

Copyright © 2012 by Dr. Richard A. Oppenlander

Beaufort Books
27 West 20th Street, Suite 1102
New York, New York 10011
(212) 727-0222
www.BeaufortBooks.com

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the author.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Oppenlander, Richard A.
Comfortably unaware : what we choose to eat is killing us and our planet / Richard A. Oppenlander.
     p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-0-8253-0686-0 (pbk. : alk. paper)
ISBN 978-0-8253-0622-8 (ebook : alk. paper)
1. Livestock--Social aspects. 2. Animal culture--Health aspects.
3. Animal culture--Environmental aspects. 4. Food of animal origin--Health aspects.
5. Food of animal origin--Social aspects. I. Title.
SF140.S62O64 2012
636--dc23

2012025782

Cover Design & Typeset by Kristeen Wegner and Mike Naylor

Printed in the United States of America

Comfortably Unaware
was printed with post-consumer recycled non-chlorinated paper and soy ink.

To Lauren, Ricci, and Ty for my perpetual inspiration to learn

And of course to Jill, for continually showing me the path toward some of the finer things in life… love, belief, compassion, and three beautiful children

Regarding Food:

“Every day each of us must make choices and then, ultimately, take responsibility for the comprehensive impact of those decisions. Therefore, it seems to be the inherent duty of everyone to make as informed a choice as possible. We should all be committed to understanding the reality and consequences of our diet, the footprint it makes on our environment, and seek food products that are in the best interest of all living things.”

Richard A. Oppenlander, 1989

Comfortably Unaware
is about truth and about making a difference
.

Introduction

Defining Global Depletion and Use of the Word “Sustainable”

I. So It All Goes

Defining global depletion as it relates to food (where global warming fits)

II. For the Unaware

Pertinent facts and figures

III. It's in the Air

Depletion as it affects oxygen and the quality of the air that we breathe

IV. Rainforests

Depleting the lungs of our planet

V. Whose Land Is It Anyway?

Global depletion of our land

VI. Water and Oceans

Part 1: Drinking water and sustainability—where is it all going?

Part 2: Our oceans—what is happening below the surface?

VII. Pollution

Yes, that would be you

VIII. Why Do We Do It?

A word about nutrition—do you really care?

IX. Tread Lightly

Entering the no-wake zone

X. How We Arrived at This Point

Observations, predictions, and solutions

XI. Not-to-Read Chapter

A closer look at the animals

XII. A Final Word

End Notes

Index

In the two-year period of time that was required to write this book and have it published, there has been an increase in attention—at least in some developed countries, such as the U.S.—given to the plight of our environment. Although known for decades by some, the effect on our planet of our choice of food as it involves livestock has finally made mainstream media headlines. Since 2007, a few authors have written books that begin to make the connection between the industrialization of foods and some—but certainly not all—of the effects on our planet.
Because of this, I feel
Comfortably Unaware
will be read by two distinct audiences:

One audience will have kept abreast of the news, read the books or heard the authors, and acquired a base of understanding about this connection, but their knowledge needs to reach another level of accuracy and comprehension, with unique perspectives, which
Comfortably Unaware
will provide for them. Until now, they have heard only a story that is incomplete and, at times, inaccurate.

The second audience will be those who are vaguely (or not at all) aware of the connection of food choice and its effect on our planet—and there are many, many individuals in this category. For this group, every chapter will be enlightening.

If you are a reader in the first group, however, I would suggest that your focus as you read should be on having been afforded another level of awareness beyond what you have been exposed to by other authors or various media. For example, it is not just
the excessive use of fossil fuel or contribution to global warming that should concern us with regard to raising livestock. Instead, we should be concerned about
all
the effects. It also is simply
not
sustainable for us to continue to eat animals, even if they are grass-fed. This is particularly true on a global food production scale. Additionally, we need to be aware of our oceans and the fishing industry as that affects global depletion. The impact of our food choices is not just a land-based issue. Our water supply is severely affected by our food choices as well, as is world hunger.

We are witnessing what could only be considered the sixth era of extinction on our planet because of an accelerated loss of biodiversity. The leading cause of this massive loss of plants, insects, and animals is our current choice of animal products as food. And regardless of whether the animals you eat are grass- or grain-fed, it is not sustainable for your own long-term health to eat them.

Most important, though, is the way in which this information is disseminated and ultimately used (or not used) to develop global strategies.
Comfortably Unaware
will provide you with information regarding
all
the areas of sustainability affected by eating animals and how various decision-making organizations are, in many instances, mismanaging it. Those of you who already feel somewhat enlightened may have recently been exposed to the information you'll find in the first few chapters, but your journey through the rest of this book will provide you with a new level of understanding, new perspectives, and new solutions. And, regardless of which group you may fit into as a reader, once you have fully read
Comfortably Unaware
, all the dots should be connected for you about this evolving and immensely crucial topic.

Once in a while, a story comes along that needs to be told. More infrequently, a story comes along that needs to be
heard
. This is one of those stories—except that this is not just a story.
It is very real
, and it affects all of us on earth. A number of individuals and large businesses and organizations would rather this story not be told; much of the public most likely does not want to hear it.
Comfortably Unaware
, however, reveals the truth about what we eat and what it is doing to us—and to the sustainability of our planet. It is not just another book about food.
Comfortably Unaware
is about being just that—comfortably unaware—about this truth and how we can make a change for the better.

The intent of
Comfortably Unaware
is to provide an unbiased informational base upon which readers can, at the very least, be afforded the opportunity to increase their awareness of food choice as it affects their lives and the life of our planet, each and every day. I wrote
Comfortably Unaware
to dispel widely held myths and offer a clearer and more truthful perspective about this suppressed subject. From this informational base, there is hope that proper decisions will be made to make a positive impact on the health of our world.

Food and the nutrients it contains are essential to our very existence. Food has been the nucleus around which social and cultural experiences occur. Food has been the reason for the success or failure of past civilizations, as well as for us as individuals today. Over the previous century, the food we've consumed in developed countries—and particularly in the United States—has become more industrialized and more commercialized. As such, the origins of our food have become less understood and less important,
with little or no appreciation of the resources required to produce it. The current state of our food industry is forged by business and often political agendas, whereby the only measurement of success has been with economic standards. Unfortunately, this myopic and selfish view has created a food production system that overlooks public and environmental health. So strong has this industrial food system become that the realities of food origins and true cost of damages to our planet's health have been obscured and suppressed by a complex overlapping of large business interests and political, media, social, and cultural influences.

You and most other consumers make purchase decisions, including those involving food, based on one or a combination of factors: price, trusted recommendations or by association, convenience, taste familiarity, necessity, etc. Rarely does one choose and buy food items based on where, how, why, or from what that item was derived or its cost to our environment. Certainly, the true origin of what we eat—the path and story of how it arrived on your plate or in your mouth—should be known. This journey and the true cost in used resources and the effect on your health and that of our planet should be understood and taken into consideration with each food choice made. These food choice realities should also be placed back into the equation as a parameter of success or failure of our entire worldwide food production system.