Contact information

MidTide Media 123 Pleasant St Suite 300. Marblehead, MA 01945.

Edited 6/24 for some added clarity and neutrality.

Update: the Considerates were able to find flaws in the study below; we’ve posted a correction here.

The vast majority of Americans (over 80%) believe that global warming is a real phenomenon, and over 60% approve of measures being taken at the federal level to curb it (from a set of polls here).

Many Americans also feel that they and others should change their personal decisions in order to help curb global warming. Sometimes this feeling takes on some strong emotions, like in the case of the SUV.

 

 

What is your emotional reaction when you see someone driving an SUV or a big truck? How would you feel if you knew they rarely had cargo or passengers when they drove — that is, if they didn’t make much use of their vehicle’s extra capacity?

We can probably agree that SUV ownership causes negative emotional reactions in some people.

But something to consider: have you ever seen a dog owner and felt similarly to how you feel about SUV owners?

A study by professors at Victoria University (published in their book, Time to Eat the Dog?) found that dogs generate more carbon emissions than SUVs, due largely to the meat-heavy foods they consume. A cat accounts for about the same amount of carbon emissions as a small Volkswagen.

The benefits of dogs and cats are very different from those of SUVs–and hard to compare. But when thinking about our choices and those of others, should dogs or trucks capture our attention and emotion? 

When we’re considering which personal decisions should get the spotlight in the conversation about reducing carbon emissions, how well have we measured the relative impacts of different choices? 

39 Comments

  • Katherine Riker, June 23, 2015 @ 3:54 pm Reply

    There’s a lot to unpack here.
    Saying someone’s dog is killing the environment is a much touchier topic. Its more similar to saying "your kid is killing the environment" than "your car is killing the environment". People tend to have intense emotional connections with their pets versus their cars.
    The other part of this, is that for a SUV vs a pet, there’s easy alternatives to the SUV. A smaller car, a more efficient model, electric cars… they’re easy to point to and they’re easily incorporated into a purchasing decision. But what’s the easy substitute to a dog? A cat? There’s nothing that does the job "just as well".

    Let’s not even get into the carbon emissions of eating meat.

    SUVs get lambasted because there is an "easy" fix to them.

  • Chris McAdam, June 23, 2015 @ 10:21 pm Reply

    http://phys.org/news/2009-11-dogs-larger-carbon-footprint-suv.html
    The study isn’t completely credible :
    Clark Williams-Derry, chief researcher at the Sightline Institute, a nonprofit sustainability think-tank in Seattle, scoffed at the study, which is how scientists express disdain.
    "When I saw the study I ran some quick numbers," Williams-Derry said. "The average dog has to eat at least twice as much as the average person for this to be right. People are just heavier than dogs so, I just had to scratch my head at that.
    "It doesn’t mean dogs don’t have a big impact," he noted. "But I view it with a healthy dose of skepticism."

    Let’s also look at the basic fact that most dog food meat is a byproduct of human meat (the stuff we won’t eat) and would be produced anyway and then thrown out. Likewise much of the transportation and distribution is shared with human food

    This looks much more like a distraction than an actual story,

    • Something to Consider, June 23, 2015 @ 10:25 pm Reply

      I love the attention to detail/honesty–thanks, as always. I’ll run a few numbers myself and see what happens 🙂

  • Tallifer, August 20, 2017 @ 12:43 am Reply

    I think the moral to draw from this is that we must try to live frugally, wisely and selflessly in as many ways as possible. When I lived in the countryside, a cat or a dog was a reasonable pet since there was space to roam and our farm always had surplus feed; now that I live in a small apartment, I feel that I ought to forgo a pet. A large vehicle is sometimes necessary for a remote area; but in the city I walk or use public transportation.

  • CZ pistols for sale, March 13, 2021 @ 1:33 am Reply

    … [Trackback]

    […] Information to that Topic: reconsidermedia.com/carbon-emissions-and-personal-decisions/ […]

  • replica rolex aaa, May 22, 2021 @ 2:23 am Reply

    … [Trackback]

    […] Find More on to that Topic: reconsidermedia.com/carbon-emissions-and-personal-decisions/ […]

  • dịch vụ seo, June 12, 2021 @ 8:04 am Reply

    … [Trackback]

    […] Information on that Topic: reconsidermedia.com/carbon-emissions-and-personal-decisions/ […]

  • anti screenshot, June 25, 2021 @ 11:15 am Reply

    … [Trackback]

    […] Find More here on that Topic: reconsidermedia.com/carbon-emissions-and-personal-decisions/ […]

  • exchange hosting fiyat, June 27, 2021 @ 2:20 pm Reply

    … [Trackback]

    […] Read More here on that Topic: reconsidermedia.com/carbon-emissions-and-personal-decisions/ […]

  • Security FAQ, August 21, 2021 @ 3:16 am Reply

    … [Trackback]

    […] Information on that Topic: reconsidermedia.com/carbon-emissions-and-personal-decisions/ […]

  • buy sodium phenobarbital online, September 18, 2021 @ 11:41 pm Reply

    … [Trackback]

    […] Read More on that Topic: reconsidermedia.com/carbon-emissions-and-personal-decisions/ […]

  • Buy Psychedelic Drugs, October 16, 2021 @ 4:02 am Reply

    … [Trackback]

    […] There you can find 56242 more Information on that Topic: reconsidermedia.com/carbon-emissions-and-personal-decisions/ […]

  • cvv dumps free, November 20, 2021 @ 11:18 am Reply

    … [Trackback]

    […] Find More to that Topic: reconsidermedia.com/carbon-emissions-and-personal-decisions/ […]

  • บาคาร่า วอเลท, February 13, 2022 @ 11:39 am Reply

    … [Trackback]

    […] Read More to that Topic: reconsidermedia.com/carbon-emissions-and-personal-decisions/ […]

  • สล็อตแตกง่าย, February 16, 2022 @ 1:56 am Reply

    … [Trackback]

    […] Read More Information here to that Topic: reconsidermedia.com/carbon-emissions-and-personal-decisions/ […]

  • truc tiep bong đá, March 21, 2022 @ 11:25 am Reply

    … [Trackback]

    […] Read More here to that Topic: reconsidermedia.com/carbon-emissions-and-personal-decisions/ […]

  • DevOps Service, May 17, 2022 @ 8:41 pm Reply

    … [Trackback]

    […] Read More Information here on that Topic: reconsidermedia.com/carbon-emissions-and-personal-decisions/ […]

  • สล็อตวอเลท, June 5, 2022 @ 6:43 pm Reply

    … [Trackback]

    […] Find More Information here on that Topic: reconsidermedia.com/carbon-emissions-and-personal-decisions/ […]

  • Rachat de crédits - soutientrachat de crédits - Finance, June 7, 2022 @ 12:39 pm Reply

    … [Trackback]

    […] Find More to that Topic: reconsidermedia.com/carbon-emissions-and-personal-decisions/ […]

  • sbo, June 20, 2022 @ 3:22 pm Reply

    … [Trackback]

    […] Read More Info here to that Topic: reconsidermedia.com/carbon-emissions-and-personal-decisions/ […]

  • psilocybin mushroom shop near me Texas, June 22, 2022 @ 2:09 pm Reply

    … [Trackback]

    […] Read More on on that Topic: reconsidermedia.com/carbon-emissions-and-personal-decisions/ […]

  • sbo, July 27, 2022 @ 12:28 am Reply

    … [Trackback]

    […] Find More on to that Topic: reconsidermedia.com/carbon-emissions-and-personal-decisions/ […]

  • บาคาร่าเว็บตรง, September 4, 2022 @ 11:26 pm Reply

    … [Trackback]

    […] There you will find 24011 additional Info on that Topic: reconsidermedia.com/carbon-emissions-and-personal-decisions/ […]

  • sbobet, September 7, 2022 @ 10:23 pm Reply

    … [Trackback]

    […] Here you will find 16535 additional Info on that Topic: reconsidermedia.com/carbon-emissions-and-personal-decisions/ […]

  • Henry Mares Leg 44 Magnum Lever Action Firearm, October 5, 2022 @ 1:35 pm Reply

    … [Trackback]

    […] Info to that Topic: reconsidermedia.com/carbon-emissions-and-personal-decisions/ […]

  • เงินด่วนโคราช, October 11, 2022 @ 1:09 pm Reply

    … [Trackback]

    […] Read More on that Topic: reconsidermedia.com/carbon-emissions-and-personal-decisions/ […]

  • 토토샤오미, December 23, 2022 @ 1:06 am Reply

    … [Trackback]

    […] Find More Information here to that Topic: reconsidermedia.com/carbon-emissions-and-personal-decisions/ […]

  • voir le site, December 26, 2022 @ 8:53 pm Reply

    … [Trackback]

    […] Read More to that Topic: reconsidermedia.com/carbon-emissions-and-personal-decisions/ […]

  • cornhole boards near me, January 20, 2023 @ 11:18 am Reply

    … [Trackback]

    […] Info on that Topic: reconsidermedia.com/carbon-emissions-and-personal-decisions/ […]

  • psilocybe mushrooms dosage, January 21, 2023 @ 10:12 pm Reply

    … [Trackback]

    […] Find More Information here to that Topic: reconsidermedia.com/carbon-emissions-and-personal-decisions/ […]

  • basil hayden kentucky straight bourbon whiskey, January 30, 2023 @ 5:50 pm Reply

    … [Trackback]

    […] Find More on on that Topic: reconsidermedia.com/carbon-emissions-and-personal-decisions/ […]

  • continue reading this, February 27, 2023 @ 9:44 pm Reply

    … [Trackback]

    […] Find More here on that Topic: reconsidermedia.com/carbon-emissions-and-personal-decisions/ […]

  • สล็อตเติมถอนทรูวอเลท, March 3, 2023 @ 11:37 pm Reply

    … [Trackback]

    […] Info on that Topic: reconsidermedia.com/carbon-emissions-and-personal-decisions/ […]

  • บาคาร่า, March 13, 2023 @ 11:59 pm Reply

    … [Trackback]

    […] Info on that Topic: reconsidermedia.com/carbon-emissions-and-personal-decisions/ […]

  • ผู้นำเข้าสินค้าอุตสาหกรรมคุณภาพ, August 7, 2023 @ 10:55 pm Reply

    … [Trackback]

    […] There you will find 58448 additional Info to that Topic: reconsidermedia.com/carbon-emissions-and-personal-decisions/ […]

  • dubbele plooi gordijn, September 18, 2023 @ 8:00 am Reply

    … [Trackback]

    […] Info to that Topic: reconsidermedia.com/carbon-emissions-and-personal-decisions/ […]

  • healing music, October 11, 2023 @ 10:25 pm Reply

    healing music

  • sleep meditation, November 13, 2023 @ 12:36 pm Reply

    sleep meditation

  • smooth jazz, November 22, 2023 @ 11:39 pm Reply

    smooth jazz

Leave a Reply