Plant-based meals take the pressure off the world’s ecosystems
Biodiversity Day takes place this Wednesday (22 May) and the best way to celebrate it is to enjoy a scrumptious plant-based meal, says food awareness NGO, ProVeg International.
Biodiversity loss is driven by the conversion of natural ecosystems to grazing pastures and feed crops for animals to meet the huge demand for meat (1).
So reducing meat consumption, by eating more plant-based food, will help reduce the pressure that industrialized animal agriculture places on nature.
“We are not powerless in the face of the alarming loss of biodiversity around the world,” Jasmijn de Boo, Global CEO of ProVeg, said.
“The decisions we make every day about what we eat have a real impact on the environment. By eating more plant-based food, we are contributing to a world where less meat is produced, leaving more land available to be restored for biodiversity to flourish,” de Boo said.
The UN Environmental Program (UNEP) highlights the global food system as a leading driver of biodiversity loss and identifies animal agriculture as the key threat to 24,000 of 28,000 assessed species (2).
A study produced by the University of Bonn in 2022 found that wealthy nations must reduce their meat consumption by at least 75% to prevent ecosystem collapse (3).
“International scientific bodies have made clear the impact that meat production and consumption has on biodiversity. On Biodiversity Day, those messages can be put into action. We encourage individuals, clubs, councils and other institutions to highlight this message by indulging in a tasty plant-based meal to mark the event,” de Boo said.
Hundreds of tasty recipe ideas can be found on the ProVeg Veggie Challenge page, which also invites people to try plant-based food over a longer period of time.
Catering conversion
ProVeg is one of several organizations that has signed a letter written by the Center for Biological Diversity to the organizers of this year’s UN summit on biodiversity, which takes place in Colombia in November.
The letter askes the organizers to ensure that the catering at the summit is plant-based, due to the dire impact of meat and dairy consumption on biodiversity globally.
Similarly, ProVeg has also called upon the organizers of this year’s Bonn Climate Conference, a preparatory event for COP29, to make the catering mainly climate-friendly.
Even the Paris Olympics, which is sport- not climate-focused, has taken the message on board and will be largely serving vegetarian and vegan food to spectators, staff and athletes.
ENDS
Footnotes
1. Global Assessment Report on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services | IPBES secretariat
2. Benton, T, Carling B., Harwatt, H., Pudasaini, R., Wellesley, L. (2022). “Food system impacts on biodiversity loss Three levers for food system transformation in support of nature.” Chatham House report. https://www.unep.org/resources/publication/food-system-impacts-biodiversity-loss
3. Meat consumption must fall by at least 75 percent — University of Bonn (uni-bonn.de)
Notes to Editors
For media inquiries, contact Peter Rixon at [email protected].
About ProVeg International
ProVeg International is a food awareness organization with the mission to replace 50% of animal products globally with plant-based and cultivated foods by 2040. Our vision is a world where everyone chooses delicious and healthy food that is good for all humans, animals, and our planet.
