Darebin Council recently passed a motion becoming the first Australian council to endorse the global Plant Based Treaty having been overwhelmingly accepted with eight votes in favour and just one against the motion.
The organisation advocates for a shift towards a plant-based food system, calling for a global agreement that aligns the food system to the Paris Agreement, along with the implementation of best practices in plant-based food policy at the city and institutional levels.
The proposed treaty has been endorsed by 30 cities, including Los Angeles, Amsterdam, Edinburgh, and recently, Belfast. It has thus far generated support from 150,000 individual endorsers, 5 Nobel laureates, IPCC scientists, and more than 3000 groups and businesses, including The Australian Vegetarian Society (NSW), Animals Australia, Animal Justice Party and chapters of Greenpeace and Friends of the Earth.
Other Australian councils ought to follow
Darebin Mayor Susanne Newton is highly enthusiastic. “I encourage other Australian councils and our region to consider the Plant Based Treaty. As one of the regions of the world that could suffer some of the worst climate impacts, we should and can be doing all we can to change our habits for the better,” she stated.
The council officer’s advice back to Councillors included:
- “Darebin Council has declared a climate emergency and committed to taking action to reduce carbon emissions and mitigate the impacts of climate change. The Plant Based Treaty (Treaty) could represent public acknowledgment that food production and consumption are key drivers of the climate emergency.”
- “Council has undertaken work that aligns to the principles of the Plant Based Treaty. These programs will be reviewed as part of implementing the proposed Climate Emergency Plan action – to undertake a scoping study of food security and resilience.”
- “Moving away from meat and dairy would avoid the harm these industries have on the Environment.”
- “There is a diversity of views around food choices and preferences, and discussing plant-based diets has the potential to be a sensitive subject for our community. Encouraging plant-based diets must be inclusive of diverse cultural and culinary traditions. Many cultures have deeply ingrained culinary practices centred around particular cultural dishes, some of which may contain animal products. Therefore, encouraging plant-based diets should be done sensitively, recognizing and respecting cultural preferences and dietary norms.”
Eventually, this will become the new normal
Mayor Newton states, “We are one council leading the way at this point, but my hope is that this is a bit like our climate emergency declaration: once one council does it, more and more can consider it until it becomes a social movement that eventually simply becomes our new normal.”
Sheena Chhabra, Plant Based Treaty Australia campaigner, adds: “Darebin is setting a powerful example in promoting plant-based food and recognizing the urgency of adopting a global Plant Based Treaty to agree on a safe and just food system. Now is the perfect time for individuals to sign the Plant Based Treaty and encourage their councils to endorse it ahead of COP29.”
At COP28, Plant Based Treaty launched its Safe and Just Report, which assesses the food system’s impact on our planetary and social boundaries and the plant-based solutions required to bring the food system into a safe and just operating space for communities to thrive.
