Campaigning group PETA has launched a campaign to get the attendees of the upcoming COP26 Climate Change Conference in Glasgow in November to ‘walk it like they talk it’ when it comes to the food they consume at the event.
It has created a petition urging the president of COP26, Tory MP Alok Sharma, to set a “meaningful example during this climate crisis by serving a fully vegan menu at the event.”
The group argues that “for decades, the U.N. has identified animal agriculture as a leading cause of deforestation, pollution, ocean dead zones, habitat loss, species extinction, and the spread of zoonotic diseases. The fishing, meat, dairy, and egg industries are not only cruel to animals but also catastrophic for the environment.”
It reiterates the benefits of a plant-based diet arguing “ a switch to vegan eating can reduce food-related carbon emissions by 73%.”
The wording on the petition concludes
“Given everything that we now know about the devastating impact of animal agriculture on the environment, serving meat, dairy, or eggs at a climate change summit would be like distributing cigarettes at a health convention.
Plant foods are the way forward, and a vegan menu would not only allow attendees to dine with a clear conscience but also set an important example for the world to follow.”
It will be interesting to see how Alok Sharma responds,
Last week Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng said that going vegan was a key way that Britons could help to slash their personal emissions.
The Conservatives also have a small but vocal vegan group.
