A new report from the Intergovernmental
Panel on Climate Change is out and we should all be terrified. Experts
believe we may have as few as 12 years to cut global emissions by 45 percent to
prevent global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) and
avert a catastrophe.
The 700-page report commissioned by the United
Nations is grim, stating, “Climate-related risks to health, livelihoods, food
security, water supply, human security, and economic growth are projected to
increase with global warming of 1.5°C and increase further with 2°C.
According to Professor Jim Skea, IPCC co-chair, there are
two major takeaways from the report:
The first is that limiting warming to 1.5C brings a lot of benefits compared with limiting it to two degrees. It really reduces the impacts of climate change in very important ways. The second is the unprecedented nature of the changes that are required if we are to limit warming to 1.5C—changes to energy systems, changes to the way we manage land, changes to the way we move around with transportation.
Earlier this year, a draft of a similar report
was leaked. A copy obtained by Reuters claimed global
warming growth was on course to surpass 1.5°C, which would exceed the most
stringent goal set in the Paris Agreement by around 2040. According to the
draft, countries
could keep warming below this dangerous level if “rapid and far-reaching
changes were made.
Sadly, President Donald Trump, an outspoken nonbeliever in
climate change, has remained uncharacteristically quiet about the IPCC
report. Last year, President Trump fulfilled a campaign promise by pulling out
of the Paris climate deal, which makes the U.S. the only country not in the Paris Agreement.
Unfortunately, if we don’t take action now to
curb carbon emissions, scientists warn, the planet faces disastrous
consequences—from intensified storms and rising sea levels to
the extinction of millions of species. And while
not everyone can afford an electric car or solar panels, there is something we
can all do: eat vegan.
You see, animal agriculture is one of the
leading contributors to climate change. Raising animals
for food produces more greenhouse gas than all the cars, planes, and
other forms of transportation combined. According to the Food and Agriculture
Organization of the United Nations, carbon dioxide emissions from raising farmed animals make up
about 15 percent of global human-induced emissions, with beef and milk
production as the leading culprits. In fact, even without fossil fuels, we will
exceed
our 565-gigaton CO2e limit by 2030.
There is no such thing as “sustainable meat,
dairy, and eggs, and plant-based alternatives take a mere fraction of the resources to produce as
their animal-based counterparts.
But a plant-based diet isn’t just good for the
planet—it also spares countless animals a lifetime of misery at factory
farms. Pigs, cows, chickens, fish, and other farmed animals suffer
horribly. From birth to death, these poor animals are caught in a nightmare:
cruelly confined, brutally mutilated, and violently killed.
So what are you waiting for? Join the millions
of people helping protect farmed animals and the planet by eating more plant-based foods. Order your FREE
Vegetarian Starter Guide
today. And check out our Pinterest page for thousands of recipe ideas!