Musician Moby – who also is vegan and an animal rights advocate - has criticized the recent Live Earth concerts for selling hamburgers, hot dogs and chicken to fans, despite the environmental consequences of livestock production, including its significant contribution to global warming.

In his July 8 blog post, Moby wrote, citing a U.N. report: “People talk about using compact fluorescent light bulbs or driving hybrid cars (both good things, of course), but almost no one mentions giving up meat, even though livestock production is responsible for more than 20% of the greenhouse gases released into the atmosphere. Again, to be blunt and plain: Livestock production is responsible for the release of more greenhouse gases than every car or SUV or pickup truck on the planet.”

I remember going to a Paul McCartney concert in the Midwest, where there was a big controversy over the fact that he and his wife Linda were vegetarians. The hog farmers actually picketed the arena. One of the first things Paul said when he came out on stage was, “But we love corn!” Alas, the corn farmers weren't out in force showing their support. However, the arena’s concession stands were selling meatless tofu hot dogs (made from soybeans) - and that wasn't even a benefit concert with an overt message. Good for you, Paul. Too bad more musicians with a conscience couldn't have influenced the menu at the Live Earth concerts.

From an animal rights perspective, there are plenty of reasons to go vegetarian. The climate change consequences are just another compelling reason to stop raising farm animals for human use, whether it's for meat, dairy or other animal products. Unfortunately, it's a hard habit for many people to break. Moby sums it up nicely in his blog: He says the glaring omission in the climate change discussion is like “…talking about someone with lung cancer and neglecting to mention that they smoked two packs of cigarettes a day. It's just depressing that some huge truths about climate change are too inconvenient even for the well-intentioned left.”