Exmouth has become the fifth UK council to endorse the Plant Based Treaty, joining Edinburgh, Norwich, Lambeth, and Haywards Heath in the fight to address the impact of food production on the climate emergency.
In a statement, the Exmouth Town Council declared its commitment to making a cleaner, greener, and healthier city by endorsing the treaty, adding that the initiative was crucial to its Climate Action Plan, which aims to establish a thriving, carbon-neutral community.
As part of the endorsement, the Exmouth Council has pledged to improve the accessibility and availability of plant-based foods and has committed to implementing various policies, including campaigns and activities to encourage the adoption of plant-based foods and raise awareness about the environmental and health benefits of plant-based diets. Furthermore, it will promote food justice, particularly among low-income communities, by backing projects such as Mushroom, a local food community network.
Louise Venables, Exmouth resident and Town Councillor, comments, “Switching to an increasingly plant-based diet is the simplest and one of the most effective actions we can take to reduce our carbon emissions.”
Additionally, the council has resolved to support tree-planting and rewilding projects to help restore ecosystems, and it will also support endeavors to increase the presence of trees, wildflowers, green community projects, wildlife corridors, and green rooftops within the urban environment.
She adds, “Plant-based diets can also improve health, remedy biodiversity, improve animal welfare, and be financially beneficial.”
Addressing multiple planetary crises
The Plant Based Treaty is a landmark international treaty that puts food systems at the heart of combating the climate crisis.
Following COP28, The Plant-Based Treaty released a report on achieving net zero emissions through plant-based diets for the health of people and the planet. The Exmouth Council highlighted that according to the most comprehensive analysis of UK diets, plant-based diets result in 75% less climate-heating emissions, water pollution, and land use than diets that exceed 100g of meat consumption per day. Meanwhile, vegan diets can potentially reduce the destruction of wildlife by 66% and water use by 54%.
To date, twenty-four cities have endorsed the Plant Based Treaty, along with over 120,000 individuals, five Nobel laureates, various IPCC scientists, and more than 3,000 organizations and businesses, including Ecotricity, Linda McCartney Foods, Heura, and Tofurky.
Andrew Garner, the Plant-Based Treaty UK campaigner, said, “2023 was the world’s hottest year on record, and Exmouth has rightfully recognized the importance of plant-based food solutions and rewilding to address multiple planetary crises.
“Adopting a plant-based diets can cut food emissions, water use and land use by 75% and we need to see more towns and cities joining them to rapidly shift away from our meat and dairy-intensive diets.”
