Our days are filled with one environmental issue after another. It may be an Ivory Billed Woodpecker spotted in Arkansas. It may be a landfill spilling waste into a local stream. There is one aspect of a climate crisis that many people find humorous. It is an aspect of the global warming debate and some people consider it an environmental issue. What is it? It is gas. To be more specific, it is crudely known as "farts" and is touted by vegetarians and PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) as a global warming fact.

Population levels have risen considerably in the past two centuries. This is thanks to longer living and better quality of life. But the more humans on the planet; the more food is needed. Animals are bred for food. Animals digest plant and other materials and then give off methane gas. Groups believe that these gases are the number one cause of the greenhouse gas effect. Those of us who eat meat might laugh at this but there is a kernel of truth in the argument.

It is true that animals and humans alike produce carbon dioxide and methane gas. If the argument regarding too many animals is applicable then so too does the consideration that there is an overabundance of humans on the planet, each and every one contributing to the greenhouse gas predicament. What should the solution to this be? World-wide population regulations or euthanasia of humans producing too much gas has actually been suggested in essays detailing how humanity is creating its own environmental issue by merely existing.

If you are a vegetarian you may believe that there needs to be a reduction in the amount of animals used for meat production. If you are a meat eater, then you may believe that this is a bogus issue. This comes down to personal beliefs and opinions. Opinion and preference can manipulate facts and percentages to reflect whatever the desired result is needed.

Whether or not we believe cows are the downfall of our environment is beside the point. We face an environmental issue each time we turn around. Do we choose paper or plastic at the grocery store? Do we recycle? These are all things that are more real to us than a layer of gas that we cannot see. We do not notice a temperature rise of one degree. It will not always be this way though. There will come a time when nature will right herself and our world will change. We cannot foresee when it will happen but it will happen most definitely.