Ministers to Reduce Emissions by up to 75%

[Earth Day 22nd April]

The Vegan Society Aotearoa is calling on government ministers to go vegan for our Earth on Earth Day. Not just for one day, but to start their plant-based journey and continue to be the leaders we need them to be.
To set an example to all Kiwis and show us all that it really is easy and effective; by going plant-based an individual can reduce their food based emissions by up to 75%.

“Our government needs to step up and make amends for the appalling behaviour of officials within the IPCC Working Groups. We are challenging them all to go vegan for a sustainable future for all. Jacinda Ardern should be ensuring her child has a chance to grow up with the bright future that she herself had, not watching out for a dystopian nightmare,” Claire Insley of the Vegan Society commented, “ When are we going to protect the environment, which houses us all and stop protecting the very few who profit from the polluting? There is no time left to waste!”

The IPCC stated that humans must eat mostly plant-based in their latest report on the state of the climate, but New Zealand officials insisted on changing the wording from “plant-based” to “sustainable” in the guidelines for policy makers. Even now, when the human race is on the brink of causing mass extinction events, officials seek to protect the polluters and emitters. New Zealand should be ashamed of itself.

Last century it was Big Oil throwing money at climate denial, this decade it is Big Ag. The IPCC says there is no time to waste, the human race must go mostly plant-based in order to effectively mitigate climate change. It’s said 25 – 50% of global emissions are due to animal agriculture and by going plant-based an individual can reduce their food based emissions by up to 75%. It is time for the whole planet to reduce eating animals and their products, ideally down to zero.

The human race can keep global warming to within 1.5°C in the long term but only if we act now, with changes to how we do things, Focussing on the solutions, we need to look at the carbon footprint, instead of the economic advantage. The biggest single change an individual can do is to eat plant-based, it’s simple and effective immediately. It doesn’t require changing any infrastructure, it is simply changing a habit.