Is Elon Musk Right?

[@oliviam7226]

Hi Mic. I just wanted to say that I have been following you for quite awhile now and it is very nice to have a person as intelligent and articulate as yourself as a spokesman not only for veganism but plain old logical thinking. All your effort is very much appreciated. :)

[@Ararita]

Saying "going vegan won't stop climate change" is like saying that if no one ever drove drunk, that wouldn't eliminate road accidents. Of course it wouldn't. But it would cut them down by a significant percentage, which is very much the point.

[@MukulVyas5]

Perfect analogy !

[@Liliquan]

Just goes to show the stupidity of these tech-bro geniuses people blindly worship.

[@aerosoapbreeze264]

@@Liliquan Bingo! But Neo-Anarchism is just as stupid my dear.

[@farfiman]

Nah. It has practically zero effect on climate. There are tons of other better reasons to go vegan.

[@stisca]

@@farfiman ‘yes’ there are better reasons to go vegan, but ‘no’ it definitely has a clear beneficial effect on climate change too.

[@DrJaxonsElixirOfLife]

What always irritates me about these climate change discussions is the lack of mention of the biodiversity crisis that goes along with it. It's not enough that we fight the climate catastrophe from an anthropocentric view point, we need to save as many species as we can too in order for the life systems to function properly. When you factor this in, it's pretty safe to say that veganism is THE most important thing one can do. AND you can do it off of your own back. You don't need to wait for government or industry to intervene...

[@davisantos3431]

Don't forget the importance of oceans in controlling the climate and how we're quickly plundering them of every single life form they have.

[@carrot3044]

Yeah pretty much all I heard about originally was cow farts other then fossil fuels. Later I thought there were much more details that were altogether more convincing

[@DrJaxonsElixirOfLife]

@@davisantos3431 Absolutely! Including all the dead zones animal agriculture creates.

[@davisantos3431]

@@DrJaxonsElixirOfLife it's a mess. With how many problems animal ag creates and how easy they are to fix, you gotta have the brain power of a virus to pretend like this is not an important issue.

[@DrJaxonsElixirOfLife]

@@davisantos3431 sadly, over my 30 odd years of spreading the vegan word - ethical, environmental, and personal health - I have come to realise that people don't make the connections (when given all the information) because they don't want to. All that said, the tide is definitely turning with the rise of plant based alternatives to both food and clothing. What is required is state sponsored education but it would appear that the state is controlled by lobbyists both here in the UK and in the USA. Keep fighting the good fight my friend. 💖✌️💖✊💖

[@davisantos3431]

Also, the reason it's so important to focus on agriculture that many people seem to forget is that it's THE easiest problem to solve that will have a significant impact. Not everyone can afford to dump their cars and buy a Tesla or install a bunch of solar panels on their house, but being vegan is easy.

[@GS-lq2is]

Great point. I have no expertise in this area, so I can't say how big of an impact going vegan* would have on the planet, but as you say, it's basically the easiest thing for most individuals to do. So do it! *Tbf, in terms of the environment, I assume you wouldn't actually have to go vegan, just cut animal products down drastically. But "vegan" is a convenient short hand for that.

[@MictheVegan]

Yes, the opportunity cost is basically nothing. All opportunity, no cost.

[@papparocket]

@@MictheVegan And there is no great advancement in technology or massive infrastructure build out required to enable going vegan. Which absolutely can not be said about electric cars. EVs are going to need even better batteries that don't require rare elements that require the overthrow of governments in order to keep a key material flowing. And then there are the tens of thousands of superchargers and the necessary expansion of the electrical grid to power them all. EV charges represent a challenge to grid operators since the load is unscheduled and the electric load varies widely and frequently due to the high instantaneous loads when an electric car plugs that then drops to zero when it unplugs. Even just normal at home charging will represent a challenge when EVs represent a large portion of all vehicles because of The Great EV Plugin that will happen everyday at 5:30 when people get home from work and the load on the grid skyrockets (especially if they are British and also immediately start water heating in their electric tea kettles for an evening cuppa).

[@simonb4689]

@@OrionARS not much. The only way it would make an impact is to force everyone. Good thing COVID prepared the way

[@fortcastlevgn2368]

Ya my favorite argument as solo activist... cheapest thing to do all can do it.. not all capable of doing it tho.. but all CAN REDUce cadaver consumption for certain Also it puts the blame and or the power into all of our idividual hands... got sick of corrupted medias always blaming and people surrounding blaming gouvernments... Blaming gouv is like saying we cant do shit about it so let it go..... hun wonder if thats what the corruption wants Everyone who blames gouv means they dont want changes? corruption? Removing or us giving away our power to others to decide for us... hun starting to wonder if even voting is part of all this... making us weak game? I need to figure a wording to explain all of this that can use commonly... Guessing ill hav to stick with ..taking back the power or similar phrases Not giving our power away.. our only true power is suicide (when enslaved etc) and voting with money? Or like Gandhi said ... lead by example I just got sick of watching traumitizing documentaries by the hundreds on climate AND NEVER BEEN GIVEN ACTUAL cheap SOLUTIONS.. or the actual big issues to fix...

[@SteveRuprecht]

"It won't solve the entire problem" is one of the dumbest reasons to not to do something about global warming. Every 1% of that stupid pie says the same thing.

[@tamcon72]

But this is a typical reason individuals give to not go vegan: It's basically a version of "avocados, tho'," meaning, because we can't do everything, we should do nothing.

[@gardenofeels6872]

@@tamcon72 If what you do does nothing, then doing nothing is just as good as what you do.

[@bw1955]

@@gardenofeels6872 yeah if there are solutions to be a better, more compassionate, eco-friendly human being, why bother? Start smoking, throw your McDonalds bag out the window, and dump paint in the river.

[@gardenofeels6872]

@@bw1955 Your response is a non-sequitur. What does smoking or dumping paint in the river have to do with veganism having no effect on climate change? Hey, let's throw spitting on the sidewalk in there also. Why not? It's no more silly than your list of meaningless hypotheticals. Get rid of your car and ride a bike if you really want to do something useful. Stop using all electricity and natural gas. Are you going to do that? Of course not. You're going to eat a veggie burger and pretend like you're saving the planet.

[@bw1955]

@@gardenofeels6872 lol yeah you seem very well educated on these subjects 🙄. Did you even watch the video? This is the problem that even the uninformed and entitled who choose to not do their part still want to have “opinions” and “beliefs.” If you can’t even grasp how going vegan is better for the environment then perhaps ya just shut your mouth and read something.

[@mikean7074]

Is Elon Musk right? No, he's Elon Musk.

[@oreoiscool3409]

@4:18 EXACTLY!! I don't understand how people don't get this. Yeah everyone going Vegan wouldn't stop the Climate Crisis, but guess what, getting rid of Oil, Gas, and Coal wouldn't either. However, doing these things will help immensely and buy us time to deal with the other issues.

[@veganforthemoneyleachlife1392]

Plus , we need to transition away from fossil fuels more gradually so that the economy and civilization don't collapse . Whearas the vegan solution can be implemented immediately.

[@darwinsiu3913]

veganism is one of the greatest movement in history

[@tamcon72]

Elon Musk is never right. The default answer is "no." Thanks for addressing this more seriously than I, and for posting, and Happy New Year!

[@Cat_Woods]

Or he's like a stopped clock twice a day. He's rich and selfish, that's it.

[@abcsoxx3801]

@@Cat_Woods cry

[@Q5000]

@@Cat_Woods You're talking about the guy who didn't even take a salary, but only took stock options he couldn't access for five years. On top of this he invested all of his money in Tesla at a time when it was looking pretty grim for the company. If Tesla had gone bankrupt, so would he have. He slept on the factory floor to make sure shit was done efficiently. He also made tons of money from selling PayPal after which most people would have just retired on an island somewhere if they got that kind of money. Instead he decided to start the EV and solar revolution which legacy auto wouldn't have done for another couple decades. He has even stated that he would be fine with another company putting Tesla out of business as long a we get EVs on the road. Why? Because he is one of the few who are serious about saving the planet and our species. He lives in basically a tiny house right now. Is not taking a salary, living simply, trying to save the human race from extinction and encouraging other companies to put him out of business, then selling a shit ton if his stock and paying 13 billion in taxes, which he didn't have to do, your idea of a selfish person? Really? He only became rich because he risked everything he had to do something the people know we need, but corporate government and corporations don't give a shit about and then kicked some serious ass blowing away legacy auto with innovation after innovation because he wanted the best product to the customer. If he was selfish, he would do like legacy auto and only put out one new feature every other year to get you to buy the newest vehicle instead of putting everything they had into the design and then doing over the air updates. Maybe you should stop listening to that dumbass Elizabeth Warren's propaganda and think for yourself. Also, for those of you without a sense of humor, the coup thing was a joke. I'm vegan, and it makes me sad that Elon is ignorant on the affects of animal agriculture, but he's spot on on many of his ideas from tech to manufacturing to education. Your broken clock analogy is hilarious and shows copious amounts of ignorance.

[@abcsoxx3801]

@Gray Sanddragon cry.

[@Tofu_va_Bien]

@@Q5000 Eww a bootlicker. Musk got rich because of his daddy's emerald mine, he risked sweet fuck all. According to Oxfam if you got the richest 10 people in world to pay a one-off 99% per cent tax, they'd still be wealthier than 99% of the population. This tax would raise enough money to pay for vaccines for the entire planet. Do you see Elon, or Bezos or [insert parasite of your choosing] signing up for this? Of course not, the only thing those fuckers care about is their bottom line. If it were any other way they wouldn't be billionaires in the first place.

[@deadinside7750]

Thank you for caring about the "coup issue". As a latinoamericano is really refreshing to hear a person from the first world calling out the kind of shit that destroys our democracies!

[@FunkeyPhysicsMonkey]

I believe US leftist media, such as Democracy Now! and Common Dreams and The Intercept also covered this (maybe Truthout did as well? ... I don't recall Latino Rebels covering it, but they probably did ... I also believe the peace organization Code Pink also called it out). That said, those are all small organizations and it is a shame that large, corporate/mainstream US media outlets usually do not cover US imperialism or even defend US imperialism (especially under the guise of "national security" or somehow pursuing human rights through militarism which almost always leads to the US killing people in countries that are predominantly non-white) and rarely connects US interventionism to poverty in the global soulth and rarely recognizes the US' role in creative refugees around the world (and, many US news outlets even demonize the very same refugees).

[@d.rabbitwhite]

Yes, and the idea that the US is America, rather than one of over 30 countries, is part of that destruction...erasing other countries so that the usurpation of them for the US' exploitation of all that these countries have is unnoticed.

[@jefflittle8913]

"As a latinoamericano is really refreshing to hear a person from the first world calling out the kind of shit that destroys our democracies!" A great alternative to mainstream news in the US is Breaking Points. For original content, people should become subscribing members of the Guardian, the Intercept, and so on, but for a quick synopsis for busy people, Breaking Points is very time efficient.

Evo Morales is just another AH, just like any other ruler. He had as much legitimacy to govern the country as those who deposed them. That is, none.

[@PercivalBlakeney]

@Dead Inside Stay strong. Veganism is the only thing that's going to save us. A Vegan Planet doesn't guarantee that we'll survive... a non Vegan Planet guarantees that we won't. Hasta la Victoria. Sempre! Paz y Amor. 🐦

[@veganforthemoneyleachlife1392]

Most people don't know about the environmental impact of animal agriculture because the IPCC report blatently underestimated the GHG's from animal agriculture at 14.5% . This percentage doesn't count land use , animal's breathing , methane's global warming potential , and more . So the true number is obviously far higher. The vegan solution would do more than any other solution we have and it would buy us enough time to sort out the rest.

[@dartfather]

Vegan for the money #leachlife Nope! They actually made a biased comparison between the full life cycle of cattles against just the car exhaust. The US EPA is the authority on emissions. Epa said 9.1% emission is caused by TOTAL agriculture but only 3.9% is caused by animal agriculture. Why are vegans not complaining about rice farming? According to FAO, rice is 2nd after cattle in methane emission.

[@abe8435]

@@dartfather Nope! The EPA is not “the authority” as its 9.1% figure is for only one country, a country that imports about ten percent of its cow flesh from other countries

[@paulaqueirosz]

He knows, he wants to sell the "solution" (disclaimer: electric cars will also not solve climate change, but create a battery waste problem)

[@kiljupullo]

And they did not address power consumption when making livestock feed (heavy machinery when making hay, soy and corn) or buildings and their machinery like lights, wentilation, waterpumping.

[@veganforthemoneyleachlife1392]

@@kiljupullo And then there's the fact that our nitrogen fertilisers are mostly made from fossil fuels . We're about to run out of fossil fuels ( nitrogen ) and we only have 80 years of rock phosphorus left , yet we just flush these valuable nutrients out to sea . It's not looking good for our future on so many levels.

[@carinaekstrom1]

Sometimes rich people are just people who can't control their selfish desires.

[@Dirgis-66]

Wow Mic, this video was excellent!!! You are a brilliant educator and spokesman for veganism. Thank you so much for your content!!!

[@edenvanvugt]

The false dichotomy response is so incredibly frustrating, framing it as "going vegan won't immediately solve every problem in the world" to me is an admission that they know they should go vegan, but don't want to, so have to come up with this flimsy rationale. Great work as always, Mike. Thank you!

[@jimayers4397]

I used to like him, but the more he says the more I have extreme doubts. Only saving the planet because it is profitable, is not noble.

[@carrot3044]

If he cared about the enviro he would explain to Americans how electric trains are much better for the enviroment then cars. But he really just wants to sell cars. Pretty good video about him kzbin.info/www/bejne/h6euY5xvf92sa8U

[@quietyard8014]

@@carrot3044 Not a Musk fan, but the idea that he'll live long enough to see a self-sufficient Mars settlement is pretty unbelievable. It implies local production of things that currently require a billion people in an interconnected global supply chain so complex no government plan can replace it.

[@davidradtke160]

@@quietyard8014 he has said on multiple occasions that he does not believe he will live to see that.

[@freezkates]

Of course he'll do anything to convince people electric cars are the silver bullet that will fix everything. After all, he does own an electric car company.

[@veganforthemoneyleachlife1392]

We're gonna run out of fossil fuels in the coming decades and renewable energy is just wishful thinking at this point . Our only option is nuklear but the elites need to sell us the infrastructure first of course .

[@FL3MZA]

@@veganforthemoneyleachlife1392 and what becomes of the waste?

[@carrot3044]

I think he's a negative for society feeding into American car culture. I think we should be more like some places in Europe moving away from cars. It would save resources we use to make large cars as well, and electricity. The trains in Europe are nice and places are so much Closer because less walmarts with giant parking lots. You can just walk down the block to pick up a few groceries. I think it's actually convenient and don't have to sit in traffic. It also saves on infrastructure like pipes, concrete, etc. It's hard for Americans to relate to I think because everything was built for cars since the 50s

[@Fck_Your_Psyop]

@@carrot3044 Can't trust the majority of Americans with technology. The commodity in question must be owned.

[@Fck_Your_Psyop]

An electric car, That's the the only answer to a possible looming energy crisis. Pathetic

[@vincenzodigrande2070]

The man is just a CEO of a car company, he is not an environmentalist, not a scientist and arguably not even that brilliant.

[@ddpwe5269]

Exactly, people forget about all his downfalls he's had and still continues to promote. Even when the science behind these things tells him otherwise ("it can be done, it's easy"). Look up Thunderf00t, here on YT, as he has explainers on everything Elon, science based.

[@carrot3044]

It's so cringe idk how people are so worshipping lol

[@carrot3044]

Yeah also Adam something has really good videos about elon

[@vincenzodigrande2070]

@@ddpwe5269 Absolutely, I have a degree in electronics and instrument making myself, so no wonder he does not fool me. He is just one big PR machine, every bad rap he just flushes down with tons of self promoting PR and people buy it. What would save the world already, is if people started to be just a little bit more critical and use their own brain a little bit more.

[@carrot3044]

He feels like a scam to pump tesla stocks. It's actually crazy how inflated they are, probably 10x what the company's actually worth. That's a huge bubble. Hmm scam?

[@mattwong5403]

Elon Musk says that universal healthcare and investing in renewable energy are too expensive while simultaneously wanting to colonize Mars in the next 10 years

[@danzwku]

do you mind linking me to him talking about universal healthcare?

[@ChrisJWinn]

Yeah, when did he say investing in renewable energy is too expensive?

[@chiefchimp2789]

He is what some might call "a person that needs to straighten out his priorities".

[@madthough2298]

You know that he owns a company that literally manufactures and distributes solar panels for peoples houses, right?

[@gregbernard4466]

Elon lies. The engineers that made Tesla even wonder why Elon writes clauses that say he founded the company when he came on-board years after the Tesla company was founded. He also wrote a clause that said he founded PayPal when he purchased some of their stock. He is a controlled spy and a good actor to make us feel like we are not smart enough.

[@robbzon]

Great video! I would like to add that the numbers for 'agriculture' and 'transport' cannot be entirely separated from each other, since a part of the transportation numbers (no idea how much) includes the transportation of food. With more people on a vegan diet the food system would be a lot more efficient, with less produce being transported to feed animals on the one hand and less transportation of the animals themselves on the other hand.

[@dubiusindex8216]

Elon Musk is just generally wrong.

[@biggiemauls7772]

Thanks for all your good work Mic. I don't comment much, but wanted to say thank you for educating. The world needs more folks like you in it.

[@stephanie2533]

I think there’s absolutely no excuse to not be vegan at this point. We have comparable substitutes for meat, fish, and dairy… Honestly, I think farming animals for food and goods should be outlawed.

[@carrot3044]

It should be. But the documentary life on a factory farm shows its a struggle to even convict for animal cruelty

[@carrot3044]

They already don't even make them pay the real cost even with the cruelty and other damages. They instead subsidize their behavior.

[@nikitaivanov6656]

You guys are sick

[@carrot3044]

We who don't commit violence are apparently sick

[@stephanie2533]

And I want to preemptively point out, my dog and cat are thriving on a well planned vegan diet. If there was a wider variety and availability of vegan pet foods, this could be transformative for climate change, pet health, and the ridiculous notion that we’re omnivores or carnivores and therefore must eat meat or dairy, when *actual* omnivores and carnivores are living twice as long and in better health on a well planned vegan diet… and is it any wonder, with the garbage that’s disposed of in most pet food? The same can be said for the SAD. And with a mentally healthier society, we might actually have a better chance at coming up with actionable solutions to climate change, instead of spinning our wheels with indecision while the world crumbles around us. 5 years ago, the lowest temperature for my region was 0c, now it’s -13c, an all time historic low (in December… we haven’t even reached our coldest month, February yet), matched by an all time historic high during last summer’s heat wave. There should be no question left in anyone’s mind, no measure to correct this is too extreme at this point, and we can’t just wait around like a girl by the phone hoping politicians will act on our behalf. Every person in the know needs to take leadership in their own community to educate and transform people’s habits for the better. I know many of us are shy and passive, but the time to speak up has arrived.

[@sashastarshanti3599]

You put so much work into this breakdown, and I for one am immensely grateful for it, thank you, Mic.!

[@michaeldupont7530]

Everyone driving alone in their 2 ton tesla will definitly solve climat change, that's for sure.

[@SaturnasEva]

Elon Musk is not as smart as people think he is. He's just rich. He has scientists to think for him, and it's been noted by some of those very same people that he has occasionally chosen not to listen to them and made decisions that were not in the best interest of whatever project they were working on purely for personal reasons. Like painting certain spacecraft parts black when they should be a lighter color. Some people are complaining of Teslas being poorly built. It's all about money, and he's a bit of a showboat, as well, so I take him with a grain of salt.

[@DiahRhiaJones]

People are so blinded by the musk bullshit that they even attribute the success of paypal to him. He never worked for paypal and the success of paypal was in part due to him being thrown out of the leadership of the company that came before it. Its just sad how people accept things as true and challenge nothing.

[@LCTesla]

what worries me is the last part of his statement, which implies that the richest and so called "smartest" man on earth has no understanding of how veganism would reduce the movement of hydrocarbons into the atmosphere.

[@MrTrevisco]

To add, nearly all pesticides and herbicides could be removed in a vegan world, with all the land freed up, that would also mean nearly all if not all could be organic as well.

[@Bee_Healthier]

We will get there together brother thanks for the reminder of our great gylsophate free future 👍🎉

[@lith...]

The comment "whatever diet that makes them happy" is so dishonest lol. As If every vegan wants to be vegan because it's fun or something. We do it because we have at least some kind of responsibility in this world and realize our actions have consequences. But what do I know I'm not a rich man who profits off of capitalism.

[@PhilippeOrlando]

The beef lobby is so powerful that it tweaked the numbers, of course.

[@movement2contact]

Is pathological liar telling the truth? No, he isn't...

[@gee_emm]

The Musk fandom is so cringe. If you spend 10 minutes looking into how he built his wealth, how his company gets the lithium it uses in its batteries, and how his company treats its own employees... yeah, nah. Iron Man he aint'.

[@hallofries]

periodt.

[@carrot3044]

His wealth is kinda fake. It's overinflated stock. Maybe by like 10x. Tesla isn't even in the top ten companies for car revenue and their stocks are like 50 - 100 bucks. Tesla stock is 1k. It's a massive bubble and bubbles will restabalize eventually. People will probably lose a lot of money

[@bringhomethebasil8729]

Even if we are all doomed on this planet - I believe the choices we make towards others (people & animals) and the planet do reflect our spiritual/moral evolution and I am happier for knowing that I'm living my life dedicated towards trying to do the least harm.

[@Bee_Healthier]

This one statement alone shows me you are more intelligent then musk, and don't think you aren't he's just piggy backing on others shoulders. So good job, give yourself a pat on the back

[@VeganTrove]

Have you seen the largest study to date by Dr Joseph Poore Mic? The conclusion : a plant based diet is the single biggest action one can take to address the climate crisis, the sixth mass extinction.

[@RenAtkins]

The flawed logic and US-centric focus in Elon’s tweet reveals something about him. Whenever someone tries to make an argument for not doing X because the impact isn’t big enough, I assume they are either making excuses for their inaction, are motivated to prevent people from doing X, or simply don’t understand logical fallacies.

[@GeddyRC]

In this case I think the subtext is “you should also buy a Tesla.”

[@michaelnewnham7870]

Another unbelievably excellent video Mic. You do such detailed thorough and rigorous work. It looks like your analysis shows a smaller effect of methane than Silesh Rao, who now puts animal agriculture at 87% of global emissions. Where do you differ?

[@djdollase]

Another top-flight video! Thanks for grinding these out!

[@jamesmitchell6925]

Such an important video! Thanks, Mic, for your hard work!

[@mikeskylark1594]

Great coverage!

[@ghaloise]

I think we shouldn't dimiss ANYTHING that could help prevent climate change. And Veganism is such a BIG part of it.

[@S-Lewis]

Thanks Mike! Continue the good work.

[@vinnyhorapeti2461]

Veganism is for animals first but it benefits human health as well as environment too which is awesome but even if didn't do any good to environment we still have to be vegan for animals 😇💚💞

[@veganforthemoneyleachlife1392]

That's just some angry rhetoric Paul Bashir made up . Veganism has always been about animals , the environment and ultimately about humanities salvation. The focus is animal rights but the goal is far greater than just animal liberation .

[@vinnyhorapeti2461]

@@veganforthemoneyleachlife1392 yes it is like swiss army knife of every issue and their solution as gary yourofsky says it is the first form of hatred that we learn before all this religion, race , gender equality and other stupid things

[@benawsm]

True. Enviornmental benifits and health benifits are bonuses. Which we gotta agree are really great bonuses 🤣

[@vinnyhorapeti2461]

@@benawsm yeah 😇💚💚

[@Magnulus76]

Are animals not part of the environment?

[@adhiantos]

I don't understand why people have this idea that once we free up lands that were once used for animal agriculture, we can use these lands for something else that help to improve the environment! Say plant more trees etc. Or even help to plant more crops to solve world hunger! It's like "Oh you guys go vegan and just leave the lands used for animal farms as barren lands" seriously!

[@carinaekstrom1]

No, veganism can't do it on its own, but the point is, it can't be done without veganism either.

[@deepakhiranandani6488]

👌 very good. The obvious point which you mentioned is that while veganism alone wouldn't solve problems, it could help a great deal. Further, if, as seems appropriate and you rightly emphasised, if the land freed up by everyone becoming vegan is considered, then indeed the effect of veganism is far more. Thanks for another timely video with well reasoned arguments. 😊💐

[@lewisshotton3157]

I don’t think Elon recognizes value of ethics apart from those that serve in facilitating progress toward his specific objectives.

[@tamcon72]

This is a very astute observation.

[@chriswright9096]

Whenever I think it is impossible for Musk to fall any lower in my estimation, he somehow manages it. He is best ignored.

[@wordsmithmofo]

I’ve never told ppl that everyone going vegan alone would stop climate change. We have to also move to renewable energy etc. That’s obvious

[@JenDoe1]

Great video Mic, thank you!

[@Althea-42]

I'm going to say it until we don't have to say it anymore, veganism isn't about being perfect. It's about making a choice to move in a more ethical, and sustainable direction at every meal. We're not single handedly changing the world but we are making a cornerstone of our lives, food, slightly better for the world around us.

[@PercivalBlakeney]

The World quitting fossil fuels tomorrow, will see a reduction in AGW in a matter of centuries. The World going Vegan tomorrow will see a reduction in AGW in a matter of decades. We can but hope. ❤️

[@Cezar835]

i'm sadly from Brazil, the world's biggest butcher, all the damage is misdirected here first cuz we sell all the meat. Water pollution, fires, animals extinction, etc. It's really said and that's the main reason I went vegan, it wasn't even for pity of the animals or anything

[@pixelated.peachyangel]

Well my main reason for going vegetarian was environment as well,then I went vegan (that's for the billions of poor animals).

[@sk.n.9302]

Thanks for sharing your thoughts & for being an activist in this way.

[@Rickenbacker451]

Well, my reason to become vegan was to live healthier but helping the environment is a good side effect.

[@MerkDolf]

It Is the Greatest of All Mistakes, To Do Nothing Because You Can Only Do Little. 👍 Sydney Smith.

[@themax2go]

Elon "doesn't care" (AKA considers that a viable strategy to be spending resources on) about "the planet" (Earth), he cares about getting off of it (leaving Earth)... or that's just my impression / opinion, so I might be wrong about that.

[@carrot3044]

He's not helping the planet. And yeah idk if he would actually succeed in going to Mars but that's probably what he'd rather do. This video explains pretty well lol kzbin.info/www/bejne/h6euY5xvf92sa8U

[@Cat_Woods]

You're right about that. He's so annoying. I'm just glad that he won't really get to ditch the planet and live his dream off the earth. The people who do the colonizing of other planets will make huge sacrifices, but he won't be one of them. And he's not going to find a place on Mars, even after they sacrifice most or all of their lives, that meets his requirements. These pseudo-smart people always forget how much of what gives meaning to our lives comes from living culture, community and relationships. You can't freeze-dry these and reconstitute them on Mars just because you're super-rich.

[@carrot3044]

Who even knows how serious he is. He's made super rich just by acting smart and having fans who pumped his stock. It's a huge bubble that they are probably going to lose a lot on

[@mischief19eilish21]

Not just land use, deforestation, and GHG emissions, there is nitrogen and phosphorus emissions is also an issue related to agriculture.

[@katiehemstreet8939]

There's also a ton of co2 that gets released from the ocean floor by bottom trolling for fish. The coral reefs sequester more carbon then the Amazon yet are constantly overlooked.

[@rasputozen]

So glad you touched on the sheer amount of land animal agriculture requires that could be sequestering MOST OF THE CURRENT EMISSIONS.

[@starsaligninthesky]

Great vdo Mic! You are always so right-on!

[@lorah3005]

#BoycottMeat and all other animal products of cruelty and exploitation in any way possible!

[@chadwaters5894]

Before I watch the rest I wanted to comment, it's good for business for him to say other things won't fix climate change on their own.

[@Richard-dm4it]

Elon Musk is pretty much never right. It's almost axiomatic.

[@gregbernard4466]

He lies too and says he founded Tesla when the engineers that founded Tesla like 9 years before Elon came there say he does stuff like that. He write these press releases and clauses that say he founded the company with his "genius" Odd behavior. Maybe he wants us to feel inferior like we need him to save us. Point is vegans are awesome enough to see thru the lies of the corporate world.

[@howellheather6969]

‘Mic the Vegan makes the videos that Andy wants me to‘ ngl that could be a catchy channel name.

[@Gratefulmomdoc]

Mic, wow this is great. This is important. Another consideration is not just the freed up land by a vegan diet but improved health freeing up health care dollars, which could be used to plant forests, develop other sources of energy etc.

[@BanAlMandalawi]

Boy it's great to have you by our side! Thanks Mic 🙏🏻

[@sparky9839]

Thanks for this, this should be self evident by now we all know that the animal ag industry does creative accounting to obfuscate their impact. The tragedy is that for years this has been the elephant in the room that no one is allowed to talk about. I’m reading a great book called Food is Climate by Glen Merzer. I’d highly recommend it. 🙏🏻✌🏻

[@sojournern]

Mic thanks for doing this video. I believe the environmental aspect of veganism is critical for people to understand.

[@sorgi9]

For plant based construction materials,fuel,plastic replacements,food,& saving trees,imagine planting hemp on all that agricultural land.GO HEMP!!GO CARBON SEQUESTRATION!!

[@ronaldgarrison8478]

A big problem in breaking down GHG contributions: How do you classify a certain kind of emissions? When you carry food to stores on trucks, is that agriculture, or transportation? If you have a coal plant used to charge an EV, is that transportation, or electric power production? When you use coal-fired electricity pump and refine petroleum, then use that for an oil heater (actually still done in some places), is that coal burning, electricity generation, oil combustion, or heating buildings? A useful aid to this is a certain type of flow diagram, sometimes called a Sankey diagram. I wish they were used more.

[@linzertube]

As always, you provide excellent arguments, backed by research and published data. Thanks for your dedication and hard work, Mic. I believe that the more people to adopt a vegan diet, the better, for the animals, the earth, and for the health of ourselves and the 1 billion fellow humans that are starving. Happy New Year to you and yours!🥳🎉

[@lacha608]

Elon also thinks we can migrate to a planet where without oxygen or an ecosystem that can support life.

[@ukkiesc5087]

well that's definitely not impossible, it's just a lot harder than fixing our mistakes on this planet

[@kin.9133]

Another problem with just showing a pie chart and stating agriculture isn't the biggest slice - it's not equally possible to decarbonise each slice of the pie! Say for example animal agriculture is 10% and transportation is 25%. It's possible to complety eliminate the 10% almost overnight with no compromise to your health and enjoyment as we know. But the technological advancement, capital investment, political will and time that would be required to reduce the 25% to 15% (I.e. Equal total reduction) is huge!

[@wildrice8199]

Elon won't get all of us to Mars, he'll escape on his own ship and eventually get eaten by a Bronteroc. And I'm sure Elaine was happy to get that second like randomly on her two-year-old tweet.

[@annala2956]

Musk's point is like saying that because you are genetically predisposed to diabetes, you shouldn't bother with eating healthier. No!

[@chiefchimp2789]

He's rich...people think whatever he says is correct because of that. This is the world we live in now.

[@Vanessa-fs7oz]

I appreciate your deep dive into the data. I think what irks me most about that tweet and the point a lot of animal agriculture apologists seem to be ignoring is that when it comes to climate change, on the individual level, changing one's diet from the standard animal-heavy western diet to one that is entirely plant-based is arguably the most impactful action one can take on an individual level. For me personally, since I'm already vegan, the only other things I can do on an individual level to impact climate change would not have nearly the same impact as my diet/lifestyle change did. What can an individual do to contribute to addressing other aspects of climate change? I hardly ever fly in planes (in my 30yrs of life, I've only taken 6 trips via plane, most of which were not possible to drive). I also have only driven a car for 5 of my 30yrs of life, and I work from home so I don't even use my car except for errands since I can't walk most places right now. When I lived in a walkable neighborhood, I used my car even less. I already consume less than the average person in terms of material goods since I stopped shopping for fun after college, and while I recognize there's always potential to decrease my consumption and my waste even more, my individual improvement in that regard would not have nearly the same impact as going vegan did. This is why we need to emphasize going vegan as a climate solution, even though it is not the only one and should not be pitched as the only change that matters. It is, however, the only real change a single person can make that will have a significant impact, especially when the lifestyle becomes a trend. And of course, when I say this is a change an individual person can make, I'm not saying absolutely every single person on the planey; I'm referring to the majority of people who have the accessibility and privilege of being able to grab different items in the grocery store or market, basically anyone in a developed country that isn't experiencing severe food insecurity.

[@Bee_Healthier]

Good job if we had a majority of the people being like you, there wouldn't be the majority of problems. However Don't overlook minimalism, buying less stuff in general is more environmentally friendly, and IMO as important as being vegan.

[@Vanessa-fs7oz]

@@Bee_Healthier I agree because I think for myself personally, the next area I can focus on is my consumption and waste. Minimalism is an aspiration for sure, and I know I consume less than I did when I was younger, but there's potential to consume even less. When we over-consume, we create so much waste. I think in general, there are lots of people who are still in a habit of buying fast fashion or getting the latest technological gadget, and not only is that consumption of all that's new and shiny problematic on so many levels, from the sourcing of materials to the treatment of the laborers, but it then translates into waste because people throw out the clothes and cell phones they no longer need. Obviously much can be donated or recycled, but we all know that those systems are flawed and thrift stores and shelters can't take everything and not everyone recycles their electronic devices correctly. Anyway, I feel like I'm preaching to the choir here, and you get it! I also think something that is key is maintaining the right attitude to combat what can feel like a mentally overwhelming problem. The change that is needed requires mobilization of many to make change on the largescale, but I still manage to get inspired by thinking of what I can do on a small scale, and every real change starts with an individual making a choice to change/improve. 💕🌿

[@melrox8809]

Going vegan will help the planet. It sounds like Elon is just selfish.

[@allancuseo7431]

Love your channel

[@georgomuller]

Hi Mic! Environmental scientist from Brazil here. I'd like to dive a little deeper on your statement at 3:58 that the main cause of deforestation in the Amazon is cattle raising. Well, in a sense it kinda is, but that's not a direct link, it's a little bit more complex than that. Deforestation occurs mainly for two reasons: timber and land. The criminals clear large chunks of forest to sell its timber. It's a quick way to make a lot of money. They usually go away before they can be caught. After some time, the same criminals or other ones come and occupy the cleared land with poor people, usually slaves (yes, in 2022 there's still A LOT of slavery going on in the Amazon) and livestock. They then use these people to start a process with the justice to gain ownership of that land. Our congress is filled with such criminals (always have been, but now they're fully supported by the current government, that's why deforestation levels are skyrocketing), and they made that our laws guarantee regularization of agricultural land in public areas if you prove it's a productive land. That's why the cattle, it's the easiest thing to put there to show productivity in order to gain titularity of the land. After the land is regularized, the criminals then can sell it for higher prices. So no, the deforestation is not for cattle raising. It's for a far more lucrative and intricate criminal process, where the cattle plays a role. Hope I clarified that for everyone reading! 🙏🏻

[@michaelgardoce797]

I think Elon wants to solve the problem through his business ideas rather than switch diets. I think he loves hamburgers... And the world speeding up the climate change is also advantageous to SpaceX....

[@kevinkonig3892]

When he tweeted "we will coup whoever we want! Deal with it." he was objectively stating a fact. If he means the US with we. An uncomfortable truth but still the truth

[@GS-lq2is]

"Deal with it" is not a fact, it's a douche being a douche.

[@kevinkonig3892]

@@GS-lq2is You are right that part is not a fact. Idk what does "deal with it" mean ? I would say people usually mean something like "stop crying about things that can not be changed and accept reality" or maybe "this is reality stop complaining and figure out how you'll deal with it"

[@carrot3044]

Honestly surprised he would say that. That's insanely dumb to tweet. Did he think people would think he's joking? And imagine having the government coup for tesla cars....that would be so stupid...

[@kevinkonig3892]

@@carrot3044 I don't think Elon overthinks his tweets to much. He doesn't seem to care about PR as much as other people in positions similar to his. I see it as someone accusing him of being evil so he gave a snarky response. I too write some exceptionally stupid things from time to time. I'm only human after all.

[@carrot3044]

@@kevinkonig3892 yeah that is true. Crazy the cult followers though

[@Cat_Woods]

Thank you as always for being right on the front lines with facts and analyses based on facts. Really appreciate it in the face of all the disinformation.

[@shawns4354]

He's the world's worst villain. A billionaire that steps on his employees to get rich.

[@shawns4354]

In the end they are all the same.

[@Magda-ko6gj]

Excellent video, as always!

[@kathivy]

I like that you were the second like on the Elaine's global comment 😊👍 Thanks for responding to Elon's tweet 🐣

[@skyobrien]

This is the elephant in the room that humans are struggling to acknowledge. Thanks for the discussion. Trees are not the answer, they will take about 80 years to pull down significant carbon, we do not have the time. Reforestation is a more potent solution as grass and bushes etc will pump more carbon immediately, though trees need to be a part. A narrow look how current animal production rates is a one dimensional view of this three dimensional problem. The historical stripping land of trees for agriculture contributes to an enormous under estimation of the impact that humans have had on the planet. Solving climate change has to recognize this because even if we reduce fossil fuel use to 0 tomorrow, climate change will continue to progress because of the enormity of animal agriculture contributions.

[@Ameylynn]

I think any changes you personally make to help the environment (diet, transportation etc) is helpful. But all of these changes have to be made globally to make the big impact. We can talk about it until the cows come home, but global/personal inertia is the bigger obstacle to overcome.

[@Saltheartfreak]

Going Vegan will make a difference for the animals and our impact on habitat and environment. Going Vegan won't stop the 12,000 year solar cycle and all it's effects is having on the biosphere and the magnetic excursion. I believe Elon is talking about the latter. The papers they release on climate studies are based on old models and to not take into account the complete influence of the sun, comic rays, clouds and orbits (of other stars and planets). Scientist are working on to add all the new data to the new climate studies, but are often brushed aside... I highly recommend researching this on your own. And it's helped me get rid of my climate anxiety. Love from a fellow vegan wanting to know more.

[@ima7333]

Hi, I’m not vegan but i eat whole food plant based 85% of the time, compost my organic waste and grow my own food. I do however eat some oyster sauce & fish sauce along w/ occasionally egg containing cake slices (no vegan bakery where i live). I think if everyone do his/her part to reduce animal consumption along w/ reduction on all carbon footprints, eventually we can let mother earth catch her break. We simply gotta stop abusing her.

[@tamcon72]

Agree, but you can bake your own cakes, you know. I do it whenever necessary and it mostly involves common ingredients and little skill.

[@ima7333]

@@tamcon72 of course i know i can bake my own cake but for just a little slice not worth my effort. I don’t even eat that much of it anyway. I simply buy 1 slice then cut an inch of it off to eat and i let my kids eat the rest.

[@tamcon72]

@@ima7333 So, can't be bothered? I did not expect that answer, but OK.

[@ima7333]

@@tamcon72 seriously? You would bake a whole cake just to eat 1 bite? I wouldn’t. Even back when i was still eating cheese cake, as much as i miss the taste i won’t bother bake my own. These days i don’t do dairy or meat coz they’re too pricey for my taste. I could afford them simply chose not to spend my money on mystery “meat” since i have no idea what they feed those animals. I only “indulge” in a bite of cake once in a blue moon (like literally up to 3x a year). Why should i be bothered baking a whole cake only to eat 1 single bite? Won’t you think it a waste of resources and energy? If i happen to see any individual on instagram taking orders of no dairy, no egg mini cake/ cupcake, then i’d be happy to support them by ordering some. Otherwise i couldn’t be bothered. I don’t get the craving for it that often anyway

[@tamcon72]

@@ima7333 You can buy miniature tins, very cheaply, I might add, and there are recipes for small serving cakes and pies all over the internet that can be frozen and microwaved for eating on the fly. There are vegan brands of single serving frozen pastries. There was a craze last year on social media for single serving vegan mug cake recipes. And on and on. I guess this isn't a priority for you as it would be for a vegan or plant-based eater, so I'll stop offering workarounds.

[@davidr80s]

i like the plants in the background..on the other stuff my little head breaks:)

[@samwingender]

Gary Yourofsky is right.

[@veganforthemoneyleachlife1392]

On animal rights maybe but not on effective outreach .

[@samwingender]

@@veganforthemoneyleachlife1392 Not true. He helped thousands of people go vegan. Another legend is James Aspey. The two have very contrasting approaches. But both are effective.

[@veganforthemoneyleachlife1392]

@@samwingender Thousands is a very small number when we're talking about a vegan world . Most people I know irl are turned off veganism because of Yorofsy's angry outreach style and the vegans who follow it , so perhaps Yorfsky's thousands are doing more damage than good . I spend most of my outreach correcting the damage Yorofsky and his followers have done. When we reach out with anger and hostility , people look for any excuse to justify their behaviour and it doesn't even have to be a good one . They become extremely defensive and usually they stay that way . When we reach out with compassion and patience , they're far more likely to think about the issue honestly. This is just common sense but it seems to have past many of us by for years . Fortunately , things do seem to be changing slowly thanks to people like Human Hancock and the Roger Yates crew . Also , from the feedback I've been getting , we really need to stop insulting our non vegan audience in the comments . They read this stuff and they tell me it makes them angry . People who care about animals but aren't vegan want to come and justify their behaviour but we've been excluding them from our spaces . This is also why we need to stop gatekeeping veganism . Like founding member Donald Watson wrote : ' Membership shall be open to all who agree with the doctrine and try their best to follow it ' . In practice this means that if a vegan tells you that they eat eggs because they need the protein , you don't revoke their veganity ,but rather , you gently educate them with patience and compassion .

[@samwingender]

@@veganforthemoneyleachlife1392 I agree with you. I also understand why Gary gets upset. I would say the top three videos that had the greatest impact on veganism is probably Gary's, Earthlings and Dominion.

[@veganforthemoneyleachlife1392]

@@samwingender I completely understand where Gary is coming from , I feel it too .

[@zenden8030]

Just goes to show rich people are not always intelligent.

[@stumckhall]

Great arguments, and you didn’t even get into N2O produced by chemical, fossil fuel based fertilisers used on 40% of all land globally just to provide chemical crops for livestock, and N2O is 300 times the global warming impact of CO2. Not to mention all the GMO and pesticides used on said crops, and you’ve mention tree planting, even if that land was just left alone Forrest would return naturally in about 40years, and the soil health would return, these two factors alone would solve the climate crisis, without ever having to mine and extract all that copper and lithium and destroy and extract so much stuff to make EV’s. Musk was wrong AF.

[@haansolo7834]

He basically says, "just buy a Tesla, suckers! "

[@davefx7949]

People read what they want to hear, not necessarily what is there in front of them. He's essentially saying, going vegan would massively help. But we also need to stop being dependant on oil.......

[@VeganicVerse]

Dude! Bravo.

[@DrumBoy728]

Can you make a video on the best healthy yet tasty plant-based snacks? I’m new to this journey

[@alison9189]

Amazing video thank you

[@np2679]

Wow that’s a good logo for Mic the Vegan

[@GoVeganForTheAnimal]

It's wild how people can have this much power and still represent important issues with such disregard... Lost all respect for this man, smh

[@fenysnake]

Great points, thank you for your research!

[@LaurenKinsey]

Important video! We could also add in this information (maybe you mentioned it and I missed it)... 17 March: a study published in Nature estimated that trawling's disturbance of carbon stored in sea beds can re-mineralize sedimentary carbon into CO2 amounts equivalent to 15-20% of the atmospheric CO2 absorbed by the ocean each year, and comparable to that of terrestrial farming.

[@gaBetibu]

. . . great vid, thx . . . gotta post on my FB page . . . God Bless . . . :)

[@fareebug8439]

Cute lemon trees in the background! 🍋💕🍋