The ‘Elephant in the Room’ campaign from The Vegetarian Butcher aims to help consumers participate in bringing a crucial issue to COP26’s attention: the environmental impact of animal meat consumption on the planet.
“The numbers don’t lie. A transition to diets that incorporate more plant-based food is a vital part of the solution to the climate crisis”
Looking for meaningful action from leaders and policymakers, the campaign highlights how reducing animal meat consumption and switching to a plant-based diet can play a significant role in the fight against climate change. The campaign claims the issue is conspicuously absent from the COP26 agenda and lacking in European policy.
Since the livestock industry contributes between 14.5% and 18% of global anthropogenic greenhouse gases, according to the United Nations and the University of Oxford, respectively (more than the global transportation industry), drastically reducing animal meat consumption has been widely recommended by scientists and policy advisors globally. Yet concrete policy that would support the systemic reduction in animal meat consumption is limited.
Hugo Verkuil, CEO of The Vegetarian Butcher stated, “The numbers don’t lie. A transition to diets that incorporate more plant-based food is a vital part of the solution to the climate crisis. We can all do our bit as individuals to switch from animal meat to plant-based protein, but the onus can’t just be on us. We need to see increased collaboration between NGOs, policy makers, and businesses for decisive progress to be made in building a more sustainable, food system.”
