Declaration was launched today at the UN’s climate change conference in Bonn
A Declaration calling on UN member states to promote a shift to more climate-friendly, plant-based diets was launched at the UN’s pre-COP climate change conference in Bonn today.
The Belém Declaration on Plant-Rich Diets has been signed by more than 100 stakeholders, including representatives from cities, regional authorities and NGOs across the world, to highlight the benefits of plant-based diets for the climate, people’s health and the food and economic security of nations.
It seeks to both preserve the plant-rich culinary heritage of the Global South as well as address the overconsumption of meat in the Global North (1).
The Declaration, launched at a press conference at the Bonn event, known as the June Climate Meetings, will be handed over to the organisers of the COP30 climate summit, which takes place in November this year in the Brazilian city of Belém.
Juliette Tronchon, Head of UN Affairs at ProVeg, said: “We are very excited to present this Declaration, which we hope will raise the profile of plant-rich diets at the coming COP30 summit in November.
“Plant-based diets not only play a huge role in mitigating the climate crisis, they are also healthy for people, they support food security and can bring about large-scale employment opportunities.”
Enric Noguera, European cities campaigner at Plant Based Treaty, said: “The food systems, and specifically animal agriculture, is the main driver of ecological devastation and yet, it is not being seriously addressed within the climate discussion. That is why we celebrate this initiative, as it is a significant step towards driving meaningful action in this regard.”
The Declaration, which is framed largely by the UN’s own scientific findings on plant-rich diets, calls for the following:
- Establishment of National Action Plans For Plant-Based Foods to promote healthy sustainable diets – from farm to fork – in order to increase food security and resilience, improve public health, mitigate climate change, protect and restore biodiversity, provide economic benefits, and ensure policy coherence.
- Commitment to a deadline for the publication of National Action Plans For Plant-Based Foods in time for them to be tabled for discussion at COP32 in 2027.
- Commitment to financial support for the implementation of National Action Plans For Plant-Based Foods from agrifood promotion budgets.
Why food system transformation matters
Up to one fifth of total greenhouse gas emissions comes from animal agriculture(2) and 32% of human-cased emissions from methane(3) – a powerful greenhouse gas – comes from animal farming.
Plant-based foods, however, emit half the amount of greenhouse gases compared to animal-based foods. Plant-based foods also use far less land and water than animal foods, produce less air and water pollution, and do not require the use of antibiotics or contribute to the risk of a pandemic.
“The time is ripe for plant-rich diets to climb up the agenda of the UN climate summits,” Tronchon said.
“There is a huge amount of understanding and agreement now at UN and national level on the benefits of plant-based foods for both the Global South and Global North countries.
“We urge the COP30 Presidency to seize the opportunity at Belém to make this a priority on the agenda so that societies can set about transforming their food systems for the better,” she added.
ENDS
Footnotes
1. Meat consumption must fall by at least 75 percent — University of Bonn
3. Cutting livestock methane emissions for stronger climate action (fao.org)
Notes to Editors
The website for the Declaration can be found here.
For media inquiries, email Peter Rixon at [email protected].
For scientific data about the benefits of plant-based eating, see our Food System Data website.
About ProVeg International
ProVeg International is a food awareness organisation 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.
