Alliance Submits Declaration to Copenhagen Climate Conference; Urges Dietary Changes To Save The Planet From Catastrophe
- Thursday, December 17, 2009, 23:41
- Breaking News
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For Immediate Release
Copenhagen, Denmark (December 17, 2009) - A major societal shift to plant-based diets is essential to avoid an unprecedented global climate catastrophe, according to In Defense of Animals (IDA) and a broad coalition of environmental, vegetarian, animal rights, health and other organizations.
In an attempt to "turn Copenhagen into CopenVegan," the alliance presented a Declaration on Meat Consumption and Climate Change (copy available upon request) promoting a major shift toward plant-based diets. The Declaration is supported by In Defense of Animals, the Danish Vegetarian Society, the Veg Climate Alliance, CopenVegan, Global Vegetarians Against Climate Change (GVCC), the Nicolaas G. Pierson Foundation, Jewish Vegetarians of North America and others.
The coalition also held a forum on "Vegetarianism: Essential to Save the Planet?" on December 13. The event featured talks, videos, panel discussions, questions and answers and a sampling of vegan foods.
The organizations sent letters to conference delegates and key government officials stressing the urgency of dietary changes. Those letters can be seen at: www.vegclimatealliance.org/veg-climate-alliance-letter-to-copenhagen-delegates/.
"We feel that the fate of the planet is at stake," said Dr. Elliot M. Katz, President and Founder of IDA, "and it is essential that the urgency of dietary changes to avoid a climate disaster be part of the message resulting from the Copenhagen climate conference."
Richard H. Schwartz, director of Veg Climate Alliance, one of the groups behind the initiatives, stated "a major switch to plant-based diets would have many additional benefits, including reducing: human health concerns and diseases, the wasteful use and pollution of land, water, energy and natural resources, species extinctions and environmental problems; and the massive mistreatment and slaughter of billions of farmed animals annually"
IDA and the Veg Climate Alliance are urging consideration of numerous recent reports showing the significant role animal-based agriculture plays in causing global warming. The flyer being distributed in Copenhagen by the alliance may be seen here: http://copenvegan.com/banners-and-signs/
For further information: www.idausa.org, www.VegClimateAlliance.org, www.Copenvegan.com, www.PlanetDiet.org.
Contacts:
Dr. Elliot M. Katz, (415) 448-0048 x. 208, emk@idausa.org
IN DEFENSE OF ANIMALS • 3010 KERNER BLVD. • SAN RAFAEL, CA 94901 • 415-448-0048
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At a time when the world is rapidly approaching an unprecedented climate catastrophe, I think we can best respond by increasing awareness of the inconvenient truth that even Al Gore has been generally ignoring: the major impact that animal-based agriculture has on global warming, A UN FAO 2006 report indicated that animal-based agriculture emits more greenhouse gases (in CO2 equivalents) than all the cars, planes and other means of transportation worldwide combined. And a recent cover article by two environmentalists in World Watch magazine argues that the livestock’ sector is responsible for over half of the human-caused greenhouse gases. Hence to avoid the impending climate disaster and shift our imperiled world to a sustainable path, a major societal shift to plant-based diets is essential.
Such a shift would reduce the many other negative effects of animal-based diets: disease, increased hunger, water pollution, deforestation, soil erosion, rapid species extinction, desertification and many others.
As to global climate change naysayers, we should ask them to please explain why the glaciers and polar ice caps are melting faster than climate scientists’ worst scenarios, why so many areas are experiencing such severe droughts, why there are more and larger wild fires, why this century is the warmest on record and much more.
In summary, by promoting plant-based diets we can do the most to help shift our imperiled planet to a sustainable path.
For further information, please visit JewishVeg.com/Schwartz, where I have over 140 articles and 25 podcasts of my talks and interviews and ASacredDuty.com, to see our acclaimed documentary “A Sacred Duty: Applying Jewish Values to Help Heal the World.”