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Last year researchers at the University of Chicago took the Prius down a peg when they turned their attention to another gas guzzling consumer purchase. They noted that feeding animals for meat, dairy, and egg production requires growing some ten times as much crops as we'd need if we just ate pasta primavera, faux chicken nuggets, and other plant foods. On top of that, we have to transport the animals to slaughterhouses, slaughter them, refrigerate their carcasses, and distribute their flesh all across the country. Producing a calorie of meat protein means burning more than ten times as much fossil fuels -- and spewing more than ten times as much heat-trapping carbon dioxide -- as does a calorie of plant protein. The researchers found that, when it's all added up, the average American does more to reduce global warming emissions by going vegetarian than by switching to a Prius.

http://www.alternet.org/envirohealth/47668/?comments=view&cID=522181&pID=522169

You could exchange your “regular” car for a hybrid Toyota Prius and, by doing so, prevent about 1 ton of carbon dioxide from entering the atmosphere each year, but according to the University of Chicago, being vegan is more effective in the fight against global warming; a vegan prevents approximately 1.5 fewer tons of carbon dioxide from entering the atmosphere each year than a meat-eater does.4 The math is simple: You could spend more than $20,000 on a Prius and still emit 50 percent more carbon dioxide than you would if you just gave up eating meat and other animal products.
http://goveg.com/environment-globalwarming.asp

But what about all the methane produced by the flatulance caused by a vegetarian diet?

Maybe since we'll need fewer cows (with their 4 stomachs) will help offset? ;)

I've been reading this in the past week, and gave it a small mention here....thank you tarabell.

I've read that Americans a century ago ate considerable less meat becuase of the expense - maybe just a couple of times a week instead of a couple of times daily. Just from a numbers game, if the general population just cut back, it would make a big difference.

Maybe since we'll need fewer cows (with their 4 stomachs) will help offset? ;)

I know enough about this topic to be dangerious.

Livestock manure is good compost, but not from people or pets (sorry if this is gross). The reason seems to be the meat-free diet. Livestock animals have a longer digestive tract to digest plants. On the other extreme of cows is cats (including the big ones). Their digestive system is simpler and need mostly meat to survive in the wild. Humans' digestive system is in the middle and can eat meats, vegetables, or both.