PLANET'S WORST FRIEND

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The Today website introduces today's closing discussion in this way:
"Some scientists are questioning the environmental cost of owning a pet, saying that pet lovers have a higher carbon footprint than people without pets. There are an estimated 20m domestic cats and dogs in the UK. Dr John Barrett, research associate at the Stockholm Environment Institute, York University, and Tony Juniper, an environmental campaigner, consider the environmental impact of man's best friend." http://news.bbc.co.uk/today/hi/today/newsid_8501000/8501780.stm

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The professor from the green policy institute argues that fewer carnivorous pets (like the enemies of the planet pictured above) would significantly help reduce our 'carbon footprint', whereas Mr Juniper from the Green Party, who owns cats and dogs, disagrees (like a good nimby) and would rather deny us other pleasures instead and tax us more too - and who has a problem with the practice of keeping caged birds as pets.
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If only Andrew Neil rather than Sarah Montague had been in charge of this interview! Sarah never thought to challenge the underlying assumptions shared by both of her guests, and treated the topic as if it wasn't slightly absurd.

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