Fasting with no meat-eating for a day each week could make a comeback, because it has been suggested that cutting down on meat consumption would have a positive effect on reducing greenhouse emmissions.
Dr Rajendra Pachauri who is the chairman of the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has said that with lower meat consumption less cattle would be required, and this would reduce the amount of methane gas that is currently being produced by cattle.
He believes that "in terms of immediacy of action and the feasibility of bringing about reductions in a short period of time, cutting down on meat consumption is clearly the most attractive option.
"It is doubtful if the suggestion of abstaining from meat consumption on a large scale for even one day each week will take on here at the present time, but then if the current downturn becomes even more severe who knows what will happen in the future.
It is a well known fact that cattle produce methane gas, but to suggest that farmers should produce a smaller number of cattle in order to prevent dramatic climate change will simply not happen. Farmers would be the first to say that there are many other ways that climate change could be dealt with, and these areas could and should be explored and implemented. To reduce cattle production at this time would seem to be a non-runner, because it has been suggested at a time when there was never a greater need for an increase in food production across the world. Also the current scarcity of food has been exacerbated by the amount of land that is now being used in the production of vegetable oils and timber for wood burning stoves.
As I said, it seems very doubtful if there will be a return to fasting from meat in this area of the world.
