In an effort to fight the devastating effects of climate change, the Finnish army will serve fully vegetarian meals on a weekly basis. According to Major Eija Pulkki of the Defence Forces, the Armed Forces will update its menu to include two fully vegetarian meals for either lunch or dinner every week. Pulkki mentioned that while standard meals will be vegetarian, vegan meals will also be provided.
Created by Leijona Catering, the new meals will center on potatoes and pasta with soy protein and vegan meat alternatives from Quorn. This new change comes in an effort to improve soldier health and reduce the impact meat consumption has on the environment.
The army will continue to shift toward plant-based meals by providing more vegetables going forward, even if it means increasing expenses for the army. And according to the website Yle, Finland’s is not the first army to serve meatless dishes. Citing the effects of climate change, in 2013 Norwegian defense forces began serving weekly vegetarian meals.
In fact, governments around the world are pushing veganism as a way to combat climate change. In 2017, the Scottish Green Party pushed for measures to “tackle emissions from animal agriculture and used “public procurement to lead the way for healthier food that has a lower impact on the planet.
The Dutch Council for the Environment has also urged citizens to eat more vegan food. Germany’s federal minister for the environment even banned meat from official government functions, citing climate change.
Ditching animal products is one of the best ways to safeguard our planet. Carbon dioxide emissions from raising farmed animals make up about 15 percent of global human-induced emissions, with beef and milk production being the leading culprits, according to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization.
A recent study published in Science found that if everyone went vegan, global land use could be reduced up to 75 percent. Lead author of the study Joseph Poore explained:
A vegan diet is probably the single biggest way to reduce your impact on planet Earth, not just greenhouse gases, but global acidification, eutrophication, land use and water use. It is far bigger than cutting down on your flights or buying an electric car.
By switching to a compassionate, healthy vegan lifestyle, we not only spare animals from intense suffering and cruel exploitation but fight to save the planet.