Multi-part Series of Courage and Compassion on the Street, Part 22: Plant Based Treaty

Over the years, seeing little progress on advancing the ban on livestock operations to regulate the climate, Dr. Anita Krajnc (vegan) and her team, disillusioned with the lack of momentum the organic, vegan solution obtained during COP26, were inspired by the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty. In April 2021, they launched the Plant Based Treaty (PBT). Researchers point to a key solution: a ban on livestock production and a return to organic farming methods. “If we continue business as usual, we are on track to reach 1.5 degrees warming by around 2030, and 2 degrees warming by 2040, which would be catastrophic. If the whole world went vegan, we could save about eight gigatons of carbon equivalent per year.” “This is not a call for minor adjustments or superficial changes. This is a call for a systemic transformation. Switching from animal-based products to plant-based food systems is a simple step for us but it has profound implications for our planet.”

During COP28, Plant Based Treaty held a press conference to deliver their report titled, “Safe and Just: The Plant Based Treaty’s Vegan Doughnut Economics Approach to the Food System.” “Notably, in 2021, animals raised for food were the largest contributors to anthropogenic methane emissions, accounting for 36% of the total.” “The transition to plant-based diets has the potential to reduce the amount of land use by 75%, reduce water consumption by 20%. Restoring 15% of agricultural land has the potential to sequester 30% of all emissions since the industrial revolution and to conserve 80% of plant and animal species and can avoid 60% of their extinction.” “From an interspecies justice perspective, we need to have an immediate ban on live animal exports. These worrying figures show the pressing need to introduce policy measures such as redirecting subsidies to veganic agriculture, introducing meat taxes, a ban on meat advertising, carbon labelling and funding for far reaching public education programs.”