If you're still eating meat, you might as well be driving a Hummer. Studies have shown that raising animals for food is the single largest source of carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide emissions, which are all responsible for climate change. A new study has found that taxing meat could help significantly curtail greenhouse-gas emissions by curbing meat consumption.

The study, from Sweden's University of Gothenburg and Chalmers University of Technology, also found that if land that's used for factory farming were instead used to grow bioenergy crops, greenhouse-gas emissions would be cut even further.

Don't wait for the tax collector to come knockin'—you can get a jump on shrinking your carbon footprint by ordering PETA's free vegetarian/vegan starter kit today.

Written by Michelle Sherrow

In a case of literal overkill, Sweden is turning more than 6,700 hunters loose on just 20 wolves. In case you don't have a calculator handy, that breaks down to about 335 armed-and-dangerous folks per animal—in a country with only about 200 wolves. And Sweden claims that this is being done to increase the country's wolf population. Wow, if that's how they handle reproductive problems, I'd hate to visit a Swedish fertility clinic!

The European Union (EU) is calling Sweden out on its bull … er, wolf droppings, warning the country that the hunt violates EU directives. EU Environment Commissioner Janez Potocnik has proposed formal proceedings against Sweden for breaching EU regulations. But the action will be too late for the wolves—at least 16 have already died, and during a previous wolf slaughter, hunters went over their quota.

caninest/cc by 2.0

Wolves mate for life and live in close-knit family units that work together to care for their young and hunt. They rarely have internal disputes with other pack members—something we humans could learn from. Hunting can devastate entire communities of these intelligent, social animals.

Not mentioning anyone by name (*cough* Sarah Palin *cough*), but some in the U.S. also have wolf blood on their hands. You can do something about it here.

Written by Jeff Mackey

With Sweden poised to consider whether it should ban all fur factory farms (the country has already banned fox fur farms), the Stockholm-based Animal Rights Alliance has just released a new video showing the horrors that it found during its undercover investigation of 17 mink farms across the country. To help ensure that the footage is seen by decisionmakers, CSI star Jorja Fox sent the video to Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt along with a letter describing the nightmarish conditions on Swedish fur farms—conditions that clearly violate Sweden's Animal Welfare Act. You only have to watch the first 30 seconds of this undercover footage to understand exactly why fur farming must end, but please show it to people who might need a bit of a push.

Written by Jeff Mackey

Little known fact about Stockholm: Thousands of rabbits are shot and killed in the city's Kungsholmen neighborhood every year. To up the gross quotient, the city has taken to freezing the bunnies' bodies and shipping them off to a power plant, where they are burned to generate electricity. Eww … it gives a new, vomit-worthy meaning to the term "green," that's for sure.

And if that's not nauseating enough, Stockholm assassins authorities say that many of the rabbits are tame bunnies who were turned loose by people who no longer wanted them. Folks, let this serve as a reminder to never, ever set a domesticated animal loose. Don't even think about it.

I used to have trouble imagining that people could be so irresponsible until my mom discovered two domesticated bunnies, Eddie and Lewie, hopping around in a neighbor's yard. They narrowly escaped becoming a hawk's dinner after chewing their way out of their dilapidated hutches on the next street over. Their owner had no interest in retrieving them, so they rule the roost at Mom's house now. (Shameless plug: Lewie is Mr. April in PETA's 2010 calendar.)

Photo © Chris Garcia

If you're not the kind of scum who would turn a helpless animal loose to fend for him or herself, then step up and be a hero to the animals who have had the misfortune to fall out of someone's hands. Whenever you encounter strays, for heaven's sake, take them to a reputable animal shelter or bring them into your home where they will be safe until you are able to locate their guardian or find them a new home. Wouldn't you want someone to do the same if, heaven forbid, your angel were to accidentally slip out the door?

Written by Alisa Mullins

Santino
telegraph / CC

In case you needed any more evidence that chimpanzees don't want to be locked up in zoos, a chimpanzee named Santino in a Swedish zoo has been collecting hundreds of stones to throw at zoo visitors. On many mornings, Santino calmly gathers rocks into a pile, waits until the zoo opens, and then uses them to dispel the crowd of gawkers surrounding his enclosure.

Can you blame him? If I'd been snatched from my family and forced to live on public display, I'd probably start throwing things too. Santino has also been observed tapping on concrete boulders to find weak spots and breaking off loose chunks to add to his arsenal.

Researchers say that Santino is demonstrating the ability to plan and think about the future. We thought this was already obvious, but some people persist in the mistaken belief that animals act only on "instinct," while we humans always act with intelligence. Well, guess what? Chimpanzees are clearly intelligent, and yet they are still bred and raised to be shown off in zoos, circuses, and other forms of so-called "entertainment." What will it take for these animals to get the respect that they deserve?

Written by Lianne Turner

If you aim a wind-up toy at a brick wall, logic would tell you that the toy is going to continue slamming into the wall unless the wall is removed, right?

Well, as long as the horse-racing industry exists, tragedy is going to follow. Case in point: Two more horses at the Aqueduct Race Track had to be euthanized last week after suffering broken legs on the track. One of the breakdowns was so catastrophic that five horses slammed to the ground. You can watch footage of the race below.

One would think that the horse-racing industry would at least make some changes to protect these horses better, such as mandating turf track, which is softer than either dirt or synthetic tracks. Instead, as The New York Daily News reports, the industry simply tries to cover up fatal falls. When questioned about its decision not to show footage of the fall that brought down five horses, the New York Racing Association (NYRA) claimed that it didn't want the footage to get into the wrong hands, meaning animal rights groups. Oops! Looks like that didn't work out so well, did it?

My favorite quote about the decision not to air the footage comes from a NYRA spokesperson, who said: "It was a judgment call on a particularly scary-looking spill."

Exactly. Don't want to scare off those railbirds and their lucrative bets, do we? As if the tragic deaths of Eight Belles last year and Barbaro in 2006 haven't already given race fans enough to think about.

Written by Jennifer Cierlitsky