As vegan becomes the new green, many people are understanding that eating a plant-based diet has just as much to do with the climate emergency as it does with the death of earthlings for human use.
To coincide with the official Plant-Based Treaty launch at COP26 Glasgow and Wold Vegan Day, international recording artist Moby has called for a global agreement about a shift to a plant-based food system this year at COP26.
A grassroots campaign
The Plant-Based Treaty initiative is a grassroots campaign designed to put food systems at the forefront of combating the climate crisis. Modelled on the popular Fossil Fuel Treaty, the Plant-Based Treaty aims to halt the widespread degradation of critical ecosystems caused by animal agriculture and to promote a shift to healthier, sustainable, plant-based diets.
Organisers are urging scientists, individuals, groups, businesses, and cities to endorse this call to action and put pressure on national governments to negotiate an international Plant-Based Treaty.
In response to the methane emergency, Plant-Based Treaty activists will be holding events inside and outside COP26 asking delegates to begin negotiations for a Plant-Based Treaty as a companion to the Paris Climate Accords.
The Plant-Based Treaty seeks to halt the expansion of animal agriculture and deforestation, incentivise a shift to a plant-based food system by redirecting subsidies, taxes and public information campaigns, along with reforestation and rewilding of land.
The Treaty and Moby join forces
Plant-Based Treaty and Moby have joined forces to appeal to COP26.
In addition to his music career, Moby is known for his veganism and support for animal rights and humanitarian aid. He was the owner of TeaNY, a vegan cafe in Manhattan, and Little Pine, a vegan restaurant in Los Angeles, and organized the vegan music and food festival Circle V.
Moby’s COP26 has released a statement calling for a Plant-Based Treaty.
‘We face a climate catastrophe and especially a methane emergency.
‘We need to strike a global agreement about a shift to a plant-based food system this year at COP26.
‘We are on track to hit 1.5C warming around 2030 and 2C warming around 2040. This would lead to catastrophic climate impacts such as increased heat waves, more intense hurricanes, wildfires, droughts, food shortages, violent weather patterns, sea-level rise, climate refugees, coral bleachings, and the ongoing mass extinctions of thousands, tens of thousands and millions of species.
Our biggest chance of limiting temperature rise
Moby said we need to address all three greenhouse gases: carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide. ‘Our biggest chance of limiting temperature rises in the next 25 years is cutting methane.
‘The Paris Agreement is completely silent on animal agriculture but a third of methane emissions come from animal agriculture.
‘We can all make a difference. Fight climate change simply with diet change. Please join me and endorse and support the Plant-Based Treaty.’
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