UN climate change report emergency

Published 08/10/2018

A new report published today (8th October), urges policy-makers throughout the world to bring in urgent changes to our emissions and lifestyle choices, without which environmental disasters will occur, and soon.

Following on from the 2016 Paris climate talks, today’s report, put together by the world’s leading climate scientists, warns of the hugely detrimental effects that will arise, should we continue with ‘business-as-usual’. A rise of even 2 degrees centigrade will lead to: increased drought, floods, and therefore poverty for hundreds of millions of people.

The way forward

A reduction in meat and dairy consumption by approximately 50% would lead to reduced use of arable land, freshwater, energy and pesticides, as well as reduced GHG emissions, deforestation and soil erosion.

Our CEO, Philip Lymbery, says: “We are at crisis point. We must reduce our emissions and our meat and dairy consumption. And we must do it now.

“Our meat-heavy diets throughout the world are making it near impossible to meet the Paris targets. Business-as-usual will lead to food and farming swallowing up 52% of the ‘carbon budget’. Action on climate change can occur, should we include changes to our diets.

“If we ignore this, our planet our people and our animals will all suffer the consequences.”

We have called for a global agreement to end factory farming, including mandatory targets for reducing meat and dairy consumption. Today’s report acknowledges what we already know: that there should be a total rethink of food and farming policies.