Stern message to the public: go vegetarian and be green
In an interview with The Times on 27 October 2009, Lord Stern, author of the 2006 Stern Review on the cost of tackling global warming, called for people to go vegetarian in order to halt climate change. Meat production is very inefficient and is responsible for at least 18% of all greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
Obviously, the meat industry (NFU) denied that giving up meat would help the environment and responded by saying that 'we don't have a methane-free cow or pig available to us'. Instead, they look to technological innovations that can re-use slurry to create renewable energy. However, this does not address the GHG emissions from animals' digestion, the lack of forests' capacity to absorb CO2 due to being cut down in order to produce livestock feed, the transport involved in meat production etc.
Channel 4 News asked Ed Miliband, Minister for the Department of Energy and Climate Change whether the government was going to urge people to go vegetarian but Mr Miliband responded that they will not try to influence what people eat as it is their own choice. In addition, Professor Robert Watson, chief scientific adviser at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, added that 'stopping people eating meat was not on the government agenda.'
Animals Count welcomes Lord Stern's remarks, and adds that the production of dairy, and in particular cheese, further increases the amount of methane emissions. We believe that the December Copenhagen Climate Change Conference must include recommendations to curb the livestock industry in order to achieve the desired reduction in CO2 targets.
28 October 2009 
Music legend and Nobel Laureate advise vegetarianism
Music legend Sir Paul McCartney has joined forces with Nobel Prize-winning scientist Rajendra Pachauri to urge the world to become vegetarian.
In a letter to last Saturday's Independent newspaper, they blame global warming on the increase in meat-consumption. The abandonment of a carnivorous diet is "the single most effective act" increasingy-concerned citizens can take towards combatting greenhouse-gas emissions.
In addition to the vast amounts of methane produced, the meat industry, they argue, is responsible for increases in other forms of pollution, due to its reliance on agricultural chemicals.
Sir Paul, who became a vegetarian thirty years ago on animal-welfare grounds, and Dr. Pachauri, who this year received a half-share in the Nobel Peace Prize, as chairman of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), also cite a UN report of 2001, which claimed that seventy per cent of former Amazonian Rainforests, and thirty percent of the world's total land surface, is used in the meat industry.
Although their argument that vegetarianism is "not an emotional issue" is to be disputed (emotion does not equal sentiment, but rather combines with reason at the heart of compassionate philosophy), the claim that it is "a very attractive option for reducing emissions of greenhouse gas, and stabilising the Earth's climate" is scientifically indisputable.
Animals Count does not accept that any species exists for the purpose of utilisation by any other, and, of course, ardently advocates vegetarianism. We trust that such high-profile endorsements of the philosophy, and accompanying scientific weight, will assist its augmentation.
29 November, 2008
Cleared: Jury decides that threat of global warming justifies breaking the law
A jury has decided that campaigners were justified in causing more than £35,000 worth of damage to a coal-fired power station. It is feared this could encourage further direct action. Animals Count believes we need to draw attention to and take action against global warming caused by the livestock industry.
Independent, 11 September, 2008
Dr Pachauri of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change advocates eating less meat
At a Compassion in World Farming (CIWF) Memorial Lecture on 8th September, Dr. Rajendra Pachauri of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change advocated eating less meat. He showed that the livestock sector is responsible for 18% of all greenhouse gases; more than all transport combined. The projected level of global warming is morally unacceptable, and he and a panel of experts called for immediate action.
8 September, 2008
ENVIRONMENT HOT TOPIC, YET ROOT CAUSE OF GLOBAL WARMING IGNORED
Animals Count participated in the Climate Change march on 8th December in London, which attracted over 2,500 protesters despite the appalling weather. While everybody agrees climate action needs to taken NOW, we still came across environmentalists eating meat. Yet livestock farming contributes to 18% of all global warming gases, which is more than the entire transport sector combined.
A drastic reduction of at least 50% in the carbon footprint is required to simply halt the damage. More is needed to reverse damage. The devastating effects of global warming also mean that thousands of species are threatened with extinction; the polar bear being one of the most obvious animals under threat due to melting ice.
Animals Count Chair Jasmijn de Boo recently replied to a letter sent by Kate Hoey MP (shockingly, Hoey is also Chair of the Countryside Alliance, CA) regarding Climate Change. Jasmijn explained about the link between livestock farming and global warming. Ms Hoey then sent a letter completely ignoring this point and simply stating that she would press for a reduction of 80% of 1990 emission levels without listing how to achieve this. It is clear that her links to the CA prevent her from spelling out the obvious: that we need to abolish factory farming!
9 December, 2007
CO2 MATTERS, BUT METHANE MATTERS MOST
At the 'Animals and Environment' meeting on 13th
June in London, environmental, vegetarian, and animal protection groups and two political parties
including Animals Count all agreed that the link between livestock production
and global warming, needs urgent action.
A petition to 10 Downing street has been set up to urge the Prime Minister to take this issue seriously. Please sign the petition and ask your MEP to sign Written Declaration 0036/2007 on 'greenhouse gas emissions by the livestock sector' before 28th June.
Another avenue to take this matter forward is via the the proposed Climate Change Bill. It seems that the 'livestock link' has been completely overlooked in this process. Voice your concern and mention that Animals Count is the only political party to have this issue at the top of their agenda.
Finally, the huge amounts of water used to produce animal products puts enormous pressure on the scarce water resources worldwide. Animals Count urges the government to look at the livestock farming issue from a holistic point of view, including animal suffering, the environment and people's health.
14 June, 2007
GOVERNMENT LEAKED EMAIL TO ENCOURAGE VEGANISM
A leaked email from the Environment Agency, a Government advisory body,
acknowledges the massive contribution of livestock farming to global warming. It suggests that
by adopting a vegan diet a major contribution to slowing climate change could be made.
The leaked email was sent to Viva, a vegetarian campaigning organisation. This was mentioned in an article that appeared in the Daily Mail.
The leaked email mentioned that it would be very difficult to win public support for a move towards veganism and that it was very 'unlikely' that the Environment Agency would ever suggest adopting a fully vegan lifestyle.
Naturally, the National Farmers Union rejected the idea as simplistic, but the the far more important Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) already indicated in 1995 that livestock farming is bad for the environment. In fact, the results from their extensive November 2006 report 'Livestock's long shadow' are undeniable. The FAO figures are summarised in the card above.
Animals Count is the only UK political party that takes the issue of livestock farming seriously; even the Green Party fails to acknowledge the important link and to implement the necessary steps to counter global warming.
We drastically need to reduce our meat consumption and the Environment Agency would do good to put their money where their mouth is and just face the facts.
30 May, 2007