The global increase of meat production comes at a high cost to the billions of factory-farmed animals.
Did you know that the livestock sector alone accounts for approximately 16.5% of global greenhouse gas emissions representing a significant burden on the climate? [1]
Beef production, which is the top driver of deforestation, accounts for 41% of deforestation in the world’s tropical forests. Every year the world loses around 5 million hectares of forest! [2]
It is crucial that we cut down the production and consumption of meat and animal-derived products to reduce the number of factory-farmed animals and to prevent further destruction of our environment.
According to the most recent climate change report by the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, human-induced climate change is already affecting many weather and climate extremes in every region across the globe such as heatwaves, heavy precipitation, droughts and tropical cyclones.
The loss of rainforests like the Amazon, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the record numbers of devastating wildfires worldwide, should give us enough reason to take action now!
To further prevent such disasters from happening, and to decrease the number of suffering animals in factory farms, FOUR PAWS is calling on major food companies to take a stand.
Multinational players in the food industry have an influence on the consumption and production trends of animal products. FOUR PAWS is calling on major companies in the food industry to use fewer animals in their product range and only those that come from high welfare systems, and to promote more plant-based products.
While we are already seeing promising changes in the food industry, such as less meat and more plant-based meat substitutes, we need long-term commitments towards meat reduction. These changes should not include an increase in fish or other animal-derived products but instead more investment towards innovative plant-based food products to help end factory farming and to prevent climate-related disasters from happening. The planet is counting on us!
Join our call of action in urging food companies to create change by signing this pledge!
To help end factory farming, which is linked to immense animal suffering, and climate-related disasters, I call on the food industry to urgently reduce their meat products which need to come from high welfare systems and push for plant-based alternatives!
[1] Appetite for Change (biologicaldiversity.org) - Calculated using the 2017 online update to the FAO 2013 GLEAM assessment that estimates the livestock sector emitted 8.1 GT CO2eq in 2010 (using 298 and 34 as global warming potentials for N20 and CH4, based on the IPCC 2014 report). The IPCC 2014 report estimates total anthropogenic GHG emissions in 2010 of 49 GT CO2eq. See: FAO, Global Livestock Environmental Assessment Model (GLEAM) [online], Rome, www.fao.org/gleam/en/ and IPCC [Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change], Climate Change 2014: Synthesis Report. Contribution of Working Groups I, II and III to the Fifth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, [Core Writing Team, R.K. Pachauri & L.A. Meyer (eds.)], IPCC, Geneva, Switzerland (2014), http://www.ipcc.ch/pdf/assessment-report/ar5/syr/SYR_AR5_FINAL_full_wcov...
[2] https://ourworldindata.org/what-are-drivers-deforestation