- Henry Bodkin, Science Correspondent
2 October 2019 • 11:30pm
Breastfeeding for longer could help save the environment, scientists have said as they reveal Britain’s poor rates cause the equivalent of 77,000 cars worth of damage.
Experts at Imperial College London have for the first time calculated the harm to the planet from infant formula.
They found that, not only does it produce significant amounts of greenhouse gas due to the in creates for dairy cows, but it also depletes water and electricity, as well as producing waste.
Health leaders encourage mothers to breastfeed for at least the first six months after birth because it supplies all necessary nutrients in exactly the right quantities, protecting babies from disease.
Britain’s breastfeeding rates are among the lowest in the world, however, with just 34 per cent of babies still receiving any breast milk at this stage.
The Imperial team calculated that breastfeeding for six months would save up between 95 and 153 KG of carbon dioxide per baby.
This means that if all mothers in the UK followed the guidelines it would equate to taking up to 77,500 cars of the road each year.
Cow milk also has a large water footprint, up to 4,700 litres per kilogram of powder.
In addition, powdered infant formula has to be heated to at least 70C during production, an energy use equivalent to charging 200 million smartphones a year.
HT/Willie Soon
Britain’s breastfeeding rates are among the lowest in the world, however, with just 34 per cent of babies still receiving any breast milk at this stage.
The Imperial team calculated that breastfeeding for six months would save up between 95 and 153 KG of carbon dioxide per baby.
This means that if all mothers in the UK followed the guidelines it would equate to taking up to 77,500 cars of the road each year.
Cow milk also has a large water footprint, up to 4,700 litres per kilogram of powder.
In addition, powdered infant formula has to be heated to at least 70C during production, an energy use equivalent to charging 200 million smartphones a year.
There is far more worrying damage to human health by formula feeding.
See my book http://myBook.to/TheKindness.
The Kindness of Human Milk is about the origin of western diseases from formula feeds.
Do you get into excess manganese in soy formula? There is a hypothesis currently floating around that such is damaging to infants’ brains due to the fact that manganese is a neurotoxin in excessive amounts (e.g., manganese madness, welders’ disease, wasting disease, etc).
Yes. If women aren’t feeling guilty enough for not breastfeeding, “doing it for the planet” will be the thing that puts them over the top. Riiiiight. I suppose one side benefit would be that breast feeding in public would allow them to virtue signal.
Wouldn’t it be hypocritical for a vegan to breastfeed?
I seem to remember that back in the 1970’s there was a push from the usual suspects to condemn the use of infant formula because it was produced by Evil Corporations™ and therefore unnatural and dangerous. This seems like more of the same.
I’d comment, but I’d make a boob of myself. (Hey wait, I could save the planet doing that!)
Can a vegan breastfeed, after all human milk is an animal product?
How do you know if the kid is a vegan?
The child wouldn’t be, but if the mother is then they may not wish to give animal products to their child.
Soybeans great for fattening young animals, and cheap as chips, so no wonder the formula folks will love to pad their product with it ? Result, an abnormal amount of phytoestrogens being consumed by ones pride and joy.
So the results of this study seem to suggest that following its guidelines will mean fewer ‘SoiBois’ to fill the ranks of those who want to inflict their own paranoia on others ?
Combined with those of the cult who have forsworn the creation of children, it does seem as if the Exstinktion cult is destined to follow the trajectory experienced by the Shaker movement 🙂
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shakers
AHA ! Finally the next step in liberals evolution theory….! Babies eating babies….
And I’m sure the fact that breastfeeding lowers fertility chances has nothing to do with their angle here… these people HATE people.
nicholas tesdorf October 11, 2019 at 8:41 pm: —There are lots of good reasons for breastfeeding babies—
Perhaps also some of the following motives that came up when a Medical School class requested five reasons why mother’s milk is better than cow’s.
1. It’s faster.
2. It’s cleaner.
3. It’s safer (the cat can’t get it).
4. It’s easier to handle, especially when travelling.
5. It’s kept in more attractive containers.
.-
Don’t forget mothers’ breast milk contains colostrum very important for baby development and immunity.
The key to the importance of mothers’ milk is immunological – during gestation the child’s immune system comes to treat anything from the mother as self. At birth this arrangement persists so that mothers’ milk cannot trigger any immune reaction that might lead to allergic reactions. Putting milk from a cow – a very different mammal species – into a child triggers an immune reaction that may persist throughout life. Asthma sufferers tend to react to milk and beef. When these are no longer consumed the asthma tends vanish.
https://thekindnessofhumanmilk.com/about/
Apparently breastfeeding women (and men) don’t drink increased amounts of milk and other foods to supply breast milk- human milk production is magic just like solar and wind energy- totally free from any inputs needed.
And due to our less advanced digestive system humans can’t even make milk from grass, it takes higher quality feed.
Being a man I have nor practical experience in the field, but my mother used to say that she couldn’t understand why anyone would bother with baby formulas if they were physically able to breast feed, because it was so handy. Always at hand, no worry about temperature, or mixture, or clean water, or cleaning bottles, or buying more or anything.
“it produce significant amounts of greenhouse gas due to the in creates for dairy cows, but it also depletes water and electricity”
Putting aside the fascinating question what “dairy cow in create” is, the idea that you can “deplete” water is ridiculous. Electricity, yes, when you use it it ultimately ends up as heat, but all water that goes into a cow (or a woman for that matter) after a little while comes back out undepleted.
Approximately 32 million cars in the UK.
Breastfeeding for a bit longer, up to 6 months, [not a bad idea in itself] equates to saving the emissions of 77,500 cars so we are told.
That’s the equivalent of reducing car emissions by 0.24%
Maybe just stick to encouraging breast feeding for its own sake.
… not only does it produce significant amounts of greenhouse gas due to the in creates for dairy cows …
Due to the what? Do they not employ editors any more?
–> Ingredients:
https://www.google.com/search?q=ingredients&oq=ingredients+&aqs=chrome.