In the wake of the Paris Conference on Climate Change, the Animal Interfaith Alliance (AIA) is launching its Cooler Eating campaign to raise awareness of the effects of meat-eating on global warming. AIA is encouraging people to embrace a plant-based diet which is less harmful to the climate, the environment, human health, the billions of factory-farmed and slaughtered animals around the world and which also helps to tackle world hunger.
Aware of the interconnectedness of all life, AIA is concerned for the care of our common home, its biodiversity and the creatures that share that home with us and make up the inter-related web of life.
AIA supports the report produced by the influential think-tank, Chatham House, on 24th November, entitled Changing Climate, Changing Diets: Pathways to Lower Meat Consumption, which states that almost 15% of global emissions are caused by the livestock sector and a reduction in meat consumption could drastically reduce emissions. Its findings were that:
- Our appetite for meat is a major driver of climate change.
- Reducing global meat consumption will be critical to keeping global warming below the ‘danger level’ of a two degrees Celsius rise.
- Public awareness of the issue is low, and meat remains off the policy agenda.
- Governments must lead in shifting attitudes and behaviours.
The report can be read at https://www.chathamhouse.org/publication/changing-climate-changing-diets and comes on top of a decision by the World Health Organisation (WHO) to classify meat as carcinogenic.
AIA CEO, Barbara Gardner, said, ‘AIA greatly welcomes the Chatham House report. People of all faiths and none must come together to help to tackle the effects of global warming which pose a terrible risk to our common home and to future generations. The issues surrounding meat-eating must be put on the political agenda. We can also make a difference as individuals by changing our eating habits and supporting the many farmers who produce all the wonderful plant-based products available’.
Animal Interfaith Alliance 
Excellent timing, Barbara – well done and best wishes for the campaign.
m.
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