Think about what you usually have for a meal: Is it a hamburger? What about vegetables? Would it surprise you to learn that what you eat can affect the whole planet? It can--in a big way. Scientists attending the American Association for the Advancement of Science meeting in Chicago presented new studies showing how food and its production affect the globe and its warming climate. It is generally believed that global warming is caused by the large amounts of greenhouse gases released into the atmosphere. One of these greenhouse gases is carbon dioxide. What does this have to do with food? A big part of the carbon dioxide comes from the process of making and eating food, the scientists reported in Chicago. The production of meat contributes to a lot of that carbon dioxide. The process of making a hamburger, for example, requires a lot of energy. A cow has to be fed and raised on farmland, and cow manure is a major source of methane --an especially powerful greenhouse gas. By the time a hamburger is finally served on a dinner plate, it has done great harm to the environment. The message from the research is clear: We can greatly reduce the production of greenhouse gases by eating less meat. All kinds of meat, the scientists reported, are harder on the planet than vegetables. To grow and eat a pound of potatoes, for example, sends less than one-quarter pound of carbon dioxide or other greenhouse gases into the air. So shifting our diet to less meat and more vegetables ,as it turns out, may do the world some good. Which of the following is NOT true?
To make and eat meat requires a great deal of energy. To feed and raise cows on farmland contributes to greenhouse gases. To make and eat hamburgers sends greenhouse gases into the air. To grow and eat vegetables does no harm to the environment.