Hi/Below is a draft of a press release I am working with the Plant Based treaty leaders on, aiming to get veganism onto the COP26 agenda/I think it has to be shorter and more dramatic and I plan to work on that tomorrow/But I wonder if you have any suggestions/many thanks/Richard
Richard Schwartz
Interfaith Leaders Urge UN’s COP26 to Adopt the Plant-Based Treaty to avert a Climate Catastrophe
GLASGOW (November 4, 2021) — Over a hundred interfaith leaders including Rabbi David Rosen, former Chief Rabbi of Ireland, as well as dozens of faith based organizations (lists below), issued an open letter to COP26 delegates today, urging them to support the Plant Based Treaty, which advocates shifts to plant-based diets as the best approach to avert a climate catastrophe.
Emeritus Professor and president emeritus of Jewish Veg Richard Schwartz, who is coordinating the open letter initiative with Lisa Levinson, co-founder of Vegan Interfaith Coalition, states: “Such a shift would not only significantly reduces greenhouse gas emissions, because there would be far fewer cows and other farmed animals emitting methane. It also would dramatically reduce carbon dioxide by permitting reforestation of over a third of the world’s ice-free land that is currently being used for grazing and raising feed crops for animals. This could reduce the current 420 parts per million of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere to a much safer level below 350 ppm.”
The open letter also stresses that “it is much easier to adopt a plant-based diet today because of the abundance of plant-based substitutes for meat and other animal products. Many have the appearance, texture and taste so similar to those of the animal products that even long-time meat-eaters can’t tell the difference.”
The complete open letter can be read at Interfaith Leaders Call for a Plant Based Treaty.
“The religious imperative to preserve and protect the Divine Creation demands a major shift to plant-based diets that will reduce emissions of methane gas, facilitate reforesting, and reduce atmospheric carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide to much safer levels. Animal agriculture has garnered relatively little attention despite being one of the most damaging drivers of the planet’s destruction due to its greenhouse gas emissions, land degradation, deforestation, biodiversity loss, water consumption and pollution. Kudos to the Plant Based Treaty organization for highlighting this “cow in the room”,” said Rabbi David Rosen, former Chief Rabbi of Ireland.
“Animal agriculture is polluting our planet and a major threat to the safety of humanity. We urge Secretary-General Guterres to act now to clean dirty animal agriculture out of our food systems,” said Lisa Levinson, of In Defense of Animals and co-founder of the Interfaith Vegan Coalition.
Contacts:
Lisa Levinson,
Anita Krajnc, global coordinator of Plant Based Treaty, me...@plantbasedtreaty.org, cell: 1-416-825-6080
ABOUT THE PLANT BASED TREATY
As a companion to the UNFCCC/Paris Agreement, the Plant Based Treaty is a grassroots initiative calling upon national governments to negotiate a landmark international treaty—the first of its kind to put food systems at the heart of combating the climate crisis.
The Treaty aims to halt the widespread degradation of critical ecosystems caused by animal agriculture, to promote a shift to more healthy, sustainable plant-based diets and to actively reverse damage done to planetary functions, ecosystem services and biodiversity.
Open letter: Interfaith Leaders Call for a Plant Based Treaty (https://plantbasedtreaty.org/interfaith-letter/ ) demanding from UN’s COP26’s president to adopt the Plant Based Treaty, which promotes the shift to a plant based diet to avert a climate catastrophe.
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More information:
Website: https://plantbasedtreaty.org
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/plantbasedtreaty
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Plant_Treaty
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@plantbasedtreaty
Facebook: www.facebook.com/PlantBasedTreaty
In Defense of Animals is an international animal protection organization with over 250,000 supporters and a 38-year history of fighting for animals, people, and the environment through education and campaigns, as well as hands-on rescue facilities in India, South Korea, and rural Mississippi. www.idausa.org
The Interfaith Vegan Coalition (IVC) helps animal activists and spiritual leaders bring vegan values to spiritual, ethical, and religious communities. The IVC provides tools to help all faith and secular wisdom traditions practice the ideals of nonviolence, lovingkindness, and harmlessness toward all animals. www.interfaithvegancoalition.org
Author of Vegan Revolution: Saving Our World, Revitalising Judaism; Judaism and Vegetarianism; Judaism and Global Survival; Mathematics and Global Survival; and Who Stole My Religion? Revitalizing Judaism and Applying Jewish Values to Help Heal Our Imperiled Planet; and over 250 articles at JewishVeg.org/schwartz
President Emeritus, Jewish Vegetarians of North America (www.JewishVeg.org); President, Society Of Ethical and Religious Vegetarians (SERV):
Associate producer of A SACRED DUTY (www.aSacredDuty.com);
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