Animal agriculture has a massive environmental burden, including as a major greenhouse gas emitter. In nearly every step of meat, egg and dairy production, climate-changing gases are released into the atmosphere, potentially disrupting weather, temperature and ecosystem health. Hence food choices have a significant influence on climate change.
Shifting towards more climate-friendly plant-based diets should be a priority in developed countries’ Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs – climate action plans) in order to reduce animal agriculture’s climate impact. However, no governments are currently meaningfully addressing the farm animal sector’s greenhouse gas emissions by introducing policies to encourage a shift towards more plant-based diets.
This event discussed a toolkit of policy recommendations to encourage a shift towards more plant-based diets as a way to combat climate change.
13 December 2018, 11:30–13:00
Room Warmia, COP24 Katowice
Watch a recording of the livestreamed event.
Read the press release.
Organisers
Humane Society International
Speakers
Florent Marcellesi MEP, Greens/EFA, European Parliament
Dr. Doru-Leonard Irimie, DG Research & Innovation, European Commission
Dr. Cristina Tirado, Loyola Marymount University
Marie Persson, Nordic Food Policy Lab
Dr. Marco Springmann, Oxford Martin Programme on the Future of Food, University of Oxford
Jenny Chandler, Forward Food, FAO Special Ambassador for Pulses 2016
Moderator
Alexandra Clark, Humane Society International/Europe
Agenda
Watch a recording of the livestreamed event.
11:30 Seating and welcome
11:35 Dr. Marco Springmann, Oxford Martin Programme on the Future of Food, University of Oxford
11:42 Florent Marcellesi MEP, Greens/EFA, European Parliament
11:49 Marie Persson, Nordic Food Policy Lab
11:56 Dr. Doru-Leonard Irimie, FOOD2030, European Commission
12:03 Jenny Chandler, Forward Food, FAO Special Ambassador for Pulses 2016
12:10 Dr. Cristina Tirado, Loyola Marymount University
12:17 Moderated Q&A session
13:00 END
HSI’s 2017 report, Addressing Unsustainable Animal Product Consumption in the European Union [PDF], offers policy recommendations that could serve as a model for UN Member States.