ProVeg warns of “climate diet denial” in wake of COP28

20 December 2023

Progress made at COP28 to cut emissions from agriculture has triggered one US Congressman to berate the UN for its “anti-beef” strategy

The growing call to transition to more climate-friendly diets in order to avert ecosystem collapse will likely see the growth of a phenomenon as counterproductive as climate change denial – climate diet denial.

The UN climate conference, COP28, ended in Dubai last week and made significant strides towards addressing emissions from animal agriculture, including with the publication by the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of its Roadmap to 1.5C, which calls for a decrease in meat consumption.

But the Roadmap triggered one US Congressman to issue a statement claiming that the UN had an “anti-beef” strategy. Representative Mike Flood went on to introduce a Resolution into Congress which disapproves of the Roadmap and opposes the allocation of any Federal funds towards initiatives aimed at reducing meat.

Jasmijn de Boo, Global CEO of food awareness organization ProVeg International, said: “There is an ever broader consensus among the scientific community that the need to shift to more plant-based diets is crucial to mitigate climate change.

“The evidence shows, in particular, that the production of beef is causing huge harm to the environment, not just in terms of methane and other emissions but also in terms of deforestation for the production of cattle feed and the creation of grazing land along with vast amounts of water usage. The high appetite for beef and large imports by western nations fuels massive land, forest and biodiversity loss, and pollution in the global south. This is as much a social justice issue as it is a climate issue.

“To deny the impact of beef on the environment in the way Congressman Flood is doing will delay the action we need to take in order to keep within the globally agreed temperature limits. We have seen the harm that climate change denial causes. We are now witnessing climate diet denial, which is equally counterproductive.”

Animal agriculture and plant-based diets

Animal agriculture is responsible for up to 20% of total greenhouse gas emissions ¹ and 32% of methane emissions ². Animal agriculture is a leading cause of deforestation ³ with around 70% of deforestation in the Amazon due to cattle farming alone.

Animal agriculture also uses about 80% of global agricultural land ⁴ ⁵ – an area the size of North and South America combined. Despite the vast resources needed for production, animal protein only provides 18% of calories and 37% of protein worldwide. Therefore, a vast area of land is needed to supply a very small number of calories, making animal agriculture highly inefficient and harmful to the planet.

As well as the FAO’s Roadmap, the UN Environment Program published a report during COP28 that recognizes the importance of transforming the food system with novel protein alternatives. Other measures, including two Declarations, were agreed at COP28 that highlight the importance of healthy, sustainable diets.

On top of this, the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has made it clear that a shift to more plant-based diets will help mitigate climate change.

Without transforming current food-consumption behaviors, the Paris Agreement will not be achieved ⁶. This means that global warming will exceed 1.5 degrees, even if current fossil fuel emissions are completely halted.

Leading lights in food transformation

Fortunately, several countries are leading the food transformation, most recently Denmark, which published the world’s first Action Plan for Plant Based Foods earlier this year.

This was followed by South Korea, a country that scored a first for Asia when it unveiled its strategy to promote plant-based food.

Last month, Germany announced groundbreaking investment in alternative proteins in its budget for 2024 and this month the UK announced that it will be investing heavily in cellular agriculture.

ENDS

Notes to Editors

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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.