The World of Pets

A recent article by Terry O’Neill said that, if people really wanted to reduce carbon emissions, they’d take the idea to its natural conclusion and get rid of their pets. Not that O’Neill endorses this – he’s just read about it in a book that claims:

simply feeding an average-sized dog has the eco-footprint of building and fueling a Toyota Land Cruiser. A cat’s eco-paw-print is somewhat less: about the same as a Volkswagen Golf.

(The book is Time to Eat the Dog? The Real Guide to Sustainable Living, by Robert and Brenda Vale, who, as O’Neill says, “may well be