It's high time we bring attention to our food systems and our eating habits (protein consumption habits) and their contribution to climate change.
There is nothing more important than the planet. We all know this, and we are all doing our best to protect it.
Yet, we often fail.
Meat production is one of the biggest contributors to climate change. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, animal agriculture is responsible for 14.5% of greenhouse gas emissions (even more than all the cars, planes, and other forms of transport put together) and a shocking 51% of methane emissions. For instance, Pork and chicken are often overlooked as contributors to climate change, despite a staggering 69 billion meat chickens and 1.5 billion pigs produced annually, mostly in cruel factory farms.
The report “Climate change and cruelty” captured the environmental and climate change impacts of farmed pork and chicken meat production in the world’s four biggest factory farming hot spots: Brazil, China, the USA and the Netherlands (representing Europe)
The good news is that there are plenty of ways you can lead a more sustainable lifestyle without sacrificing taste or quality—all while helping the planet at the same time
There are positive choices you can make to improve the lives of farm animals around the world. In addition to the meatless day, we recommend using the less and higher rule of thumb. That is, less meat consumption while choosing higher welfare meat products if you must eat meat.
World Animal Protection as an animal welfare organization, recognizes the significant impact that eating less but higher-welfare meat can have on animals, health, and the environment.
The #eatlessmeat challenge may be aimed at anyone who wants to make a conscious decision of eating less meat in an effort to protect animals and the planet. You can encourage family and friends to give up meat for a day in order to contribute to better animal, human and planetary health.
The best way you can personally protect animals and tackle climate change is to lower your overall meat consumption in the coming decades.
How you can help
- Select one day to be your meatless day.
- Prepare or order a meatless meal, and take a photo of it.
- Post a photo on social media and:
- Use hashtag #EatLessMeat
- Tag us
- Facebook: World Animal Protection Africa
- Twitter: @MoveTheWorldAF
- Instagram: world_animal_protection_africa