Debate around climate change and diet has never been so heated (pun intended). In recent years a wealth of data has been published from a variety of leading, credible sources, such as the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and the EAT-Lancet Commission, to corroborate the undeniable link between climate change and animal agriculture. Despite this, the topic still seems to be the elephant in the room that people in positions of power simply don’t want to talk about.
A couple of recent examples of this include the fact that at the most recent UN Climate Change Conference, the COP25 in Madrid, there was just one vegan food truck, with most delegates choosing steak and jamon. Former MP Claire Perry, when asked whether the Cabinet should set an example by eating less beef, responded with: “I think you’re describing the worst sort of Nanny State ever. Who would I be to sit there advising people in the country coming home after a hard day of work to not have steak and chips?… Please…” A year later she was given the position of President of the UN Climate Change Conference in 2020 (though she has since been removed on a technicality as she is no longer a serving Minister).