Knowledge and perception of future teachers on the impact of animal production on global warming
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17979/ams.2015.02.020.1586Keywords:
animal production, global warming, training teachersAbstract
The global warming of the planet has been accentuated in recent decades, as a result of anthropogenic action, and much has been written about its causes and consequences. But only recently has the impact of animal production on climate change gained some notoriety, driven by the documentary Cowspiracy: The Sustainability Secret, although it is difficult to assess the impact of this film in Portugal. In fact, animal production, mainly of ruminant animals, is one of the main causes of global warming, if not the main one, also related to soil degradation, air pollution, water scarcity and its pollution and loss of biodiversity ( Steinfeld et al. 2006). Thus, in this study, we wanted to verify the knowledge of 38 future teachers from two higher education institutions about the relationship between animal production and global warming, and how they rank it in the context of other causes that also lead to this phenomenon. The results, very similar in the students of the two institutions, point to a devaluation of this cause in the context of others, although about 2/3 of the students surveyed manage to explain, at least partially, the referred relationship. The aforementioned devaluation allows us to suspect that this issue may not be addressed in the future professional context of these teachers with the relevance that it deserves.
Downloads
References
BAUMERT, K., HERZOG, T. & PERSHING, J. (2005). Navigating the Numbers Greenhouse Gas Data and International Climate Policy. Washington: World Resources Institute.
DELGADO, C., ROSEGRANT, M., STEINFELD, H., EHUI, S., & COURBOIS, C. (1999): Livestock to 2020: The next food revolution. Food, Agriculture, and the Environment Discussion. Nairobi: International Livestock Research Institute.
FIALA, N. (2009). The Greenhouse Hamburger. Scientifc American, 300 (2), 72-75. GLOBAL ENVIRONMENTAL ALERT SERVICE - GEAS (2012). Growing greenhouse gas emissions due to meat production. United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP). Accessed, 17 June 2015. http://www.unep. org/pdf/unep-geas_oct_2012.pdf GOODLAND, R. & ANHANG, J. (2009). Livestock and Climate Change. What if the key actors in climate change are… cows, pigs, and chickens? Accessed, 17 June 2015. https://www.worldwatch.org/fles/pdf/Livestock%20and%20Climate%20Change.pdfHAYES, D. & HAYES, G. B. (2015). Cowed. New York: W. W. Norton & Company.
JOY. M. (2010). Why we love dogs, eat pigs and wear cows. An Introduction to Carnism. San Francisco (CA): Conari Press.
MILLER, G. T. & SPOOLMAN, S. E. (2012). Living in the Environment (17ª ed.). Andover: BROOKS/COLE. NIMAM, N. H. (2014). Defending Beef. The Case for Sustainable Meat Production. Hartford (VT): Chelsea Green Publishing.
POLLAN, M. (2009). O Dilema do Omnívoro. Lisboa: Publicações Dom Quixote. RANDERS, J. (2012). 2052. A Global Forecast for the Next Forty Years. White River Junction (VT): Chelsea Green Publishing. RELATÓRIO BRUNDTLAND - WORLD COMMISSION ON ENVIRONMENT AND DEVELOPMENT (1987). Our Common Future. Oxford: Oxford University Press. SCARBOROUGH, P., ALLENDER, S., CLARKE, D., WICKRAMASINGHE, K. & RAYNER, M. (2012). Modelling the health impact of environmentally sustainable dietary scenarios in the UK. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 66, 710-715.
STEINFELD, H., GERBER, P., WASSENAAR, T., CASTEL, V., ROSALES, M. & HAAN, C. (2006). Livestock´s long shadow. Environmental issues and options. Rome: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Accessed, 17 June 2015. http:// www.europarl.europa.eu/climatechange/ doc/FAO%20report%20executive%20 summary.pdf ZOTTI, C. A. & PAULINO, V. T. (2009). Metano na produção animal: Emissão e minimização de seu impacto. Accessed, 15 May 2015.http:// www.iz.sp.gov.br/pdfs/1259324182.pdf
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
The papers published in this journal are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Authors grant the right of first publication to the ambientalMENTEsustentable, which may publish in any language and format as well as publish and distribute their whole or partial content by any technologically available means and via data base.
Authors are allowed and encouraged to disseminate the articles accepted for publication on personal or institutional websites, before and after their publication, provided it is clearly stated that the work belongs to this journal and all bibliographic data are provided along with access to the document.
