The findings and recommendations contained in the new Chatham House report were presented yesterday at an online event that saw the participation of speakers from UNEP, Chatham House and Compassion in World Farming, together with Dr. Jane Goodall, PhD, DBE , Founder of “The Jane Goodall Institute” and UN Messenger of Peace. And they speak for themselves: our diet is destroying the planet and above all biodiversity.
Read: Plant-based diets are the only way to save biodiversity
For this, scientists ask us to change it and choose a plant-based one. Jane Goodall increases the dose.
According to the ethologist, the intensive farming of billions of animals globally seriously damages the environment, causing biodiversity loss and producing massive greenhouse gas emissions that accelerate global warming:
“The inhuman crowding conditions of animals not only cause intense suffering to these sentient beings, but allow the transfer of pathogens from animals to humans, risking new zoonotic diseases. For ethical reasons it should be eliminated as soon as possible ".
“The current food system is a double-edged sword, created by centuries of the 'cheap food' paradigm, in order to produce more food, faster and at lower cost without taking into account the hidden costs for biodiversity and its essential functions for life - and for our health. Reforming the way we produce and consume food is an urgent priority - we need to change global food patterns, to protect and isolate areas for nature and to activate agricultural practices that are more respectful of nature and that support biodiversity "he added Susan Gardner, Director of the ecosystems division of UNEP.
Human and animal welfare are closely linked
Today more than ever we have experienced on our skin that human and animal well-being are intertwined. Philip Lymbery, Global Chief Executive of Compassion in World Farming, also underlined this, according to whom
“At a time when much of the world continues to fight the Covid-19 pandemic, it has never been so obvious that the well-being of people and animals, wild and farmed, are intertwined. As this new report shows, the future of humanity depends on whether we live in harmony with nature. We have to work with nature, not against it. There has never been a more appropriate time for us to understand that protecting people also means protecting animals. The future of agriculture must be respectful of nature and regenerative, and our diets must become more plant-based, healthier and more sustainable. If we do not put an end to intensive farming, we risk having no future ”.
We are willing to do anything, except to give up meat
A recent poll, one of the largest ever on the issue, found that nearly two-thirds (64%) of people think climate change is a global emergency. Among them, more than half (59%) believe that the world must "do everything necessary and urgently" to tackle the crisis.
Respondents were also asked to choose possible climate actions from a list that included 18 options in six fields of action: energy, economy, transport, farms and food, protection of people and nature. In all, respondents to the survey, conducted by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) with the help of the University of Oxford, were 1,2 million from 50 different countries.
It thus emerged that the promotion of a plant-based diet was not considered among the solutions to be adopted and it ranked, overall, as the least chosen option, with only 30% of people surveyed approving it.
In the series, we help the planet but without changing our food choices.
To read the full report, click here
Sources of reference: Unep
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