Desmond Bellamy, PETA Australia
The deputy prime minister has said that the government will consider excluding agriculture from future long-term climate change targets. That makes about as much sense as smoking during cancer treatment.
As the government struggles to reach our modest Paris target of 26–28 per cent below 2005 emissions by 2030, it’s clear that animal agriculture is a huge part of the problem. According to the International Journal of Climate Change, animal agriculture is the largest contributor to greenhouse gas emissions in Australia – 50 per cent of emissions come from the livestock sector.
Globally, emissions from agriculture alone are enough to put the Paris goals out of reach, even if all the other major sources of emissions were closed down. Stopping the breeding, feeding, and killing of animals is the quickest and easiest way to reduce greenhouse emissions.
To exclude one of the worst climate offenders, one that causes horrendous suffering to its victims, is grossly negligent politics. Mr McCormack says he is ‘certainly not worried about what might happen in 30 years’ time’. How nice for him; our kids and grandkids certainly are.
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