Al Gore’s An Inconvenient Truth shook the world with its climate message. Still, there’s an ignored truth behind dishes such as adobo and halo-halo: Animal agriculture is driving environmental destruction around the world. This industry spews copious amounts of planet-warming greenhouse gases and kills billions of animals every year. So here’s a thought: Let’s start naming typhoons after products of animal agriculture. Let me explain.
Thanks to global warming, the Philippines is already facing a barrage of stronger, more frequent typhoons. According to research from The Chinese University of Hong Kong, typhoons in Asia could double in power by the end of the century. And by some estimates, animal agriculture is responsible for more greenhouse gas emissions than the entire world’s transportation sector. When it comes to the climate catastrophe, animal agriculture is a leading culprit, so why not make the connection clear?
Imagine the headlines: “Typhoon Silog Shreds the Shoreline ” or “Typhoon Tapa Terrorizes Tayum.” These names would serve as reminders of how our addiction to meat, eggs and dairy is fueling the climate catastrophe.
Animals raised for food have personalities, emotions, and a will to live. But on factory farms, they’re treated as mere production units, suffering in the name of profit. And in slaughterhouses, many are killed while still conscious.
Words have power. Let’s use them to spark conversations, challenge the status quo, and drive action against the destructive animal agriculture industry — one cleverly named storm at a time.