If you’re striking for the climate this Friday, why not go vegan as well?
On 20 September, many people will strike to raise awareness of the climate crisis and encourage governments to take action to tackle it. While this is a worthwhile endeavour, there’s no need to wait for a special date to commit to saving the planet. If you truly want to combat climate change, you can start today by removing meat, eggs, and dairy from your shopping list.
Each year, humans kill 60 billion land animals for food – that’s almost seven million every hour. All these animals produce massive amounts of waste, which releases powerful greenhouse gases into our atmosphere. Animal agriculture is the single largest source of both methane and nitrous oxide; greenhouses gases that are 25 and 300 times more potent at trapping heat than carbon dioxide, respectively.
A person who follows a vegan lifestyle produces the equivalent of 50 per cent less carbon dioxide than a meat eater and uses 1/11th of the oil, 1/13th of the water, and 1/18th of the land. That’s why the UN has stated that a global shift towards a vegan diet is essential to combat the worst effects of climate change, and research from the University of Oxford has found that going vegan is “the single biggest way” to reduce our environmental impact.
So by all means, take part in the strike for the climate – but remember that change starts on your plate and choose planet and animal-friendly vegan meals.
Sascha Camilli
PETA Foundation
Consigned to the dustbin
Bookshop managers: why not save time and energy and send David Cameron’s feeble, self-justifying political biography For the Record – which is destined for the bargain bins before November anyway – straight from the printers to the pulpers?
Sasha Simic
London N16
Swinson is a disaster
Watching Jo Swinson’s car crash interview with Krishnan Guru-Murthy, it was apparent just how flawed the original vote that led to her anointment as head of the party was. Surely, Lib Dem members were never told during the campaign that their prospective leader was a delusional Queen Canute, unable to distinguish between her own party’s return of MPs at the last election (not quite a minibus full) with the 260-odd MPs democratically elected for Labour. Revoking her appointment must be an option. “No-Jo” should be on the ballot paper along with an option to bring Sir Vince back, or maybe to give Ed Davey a second look.
Ian Dust
Cheshunt
Outcomes, not procedures
“I never heard one coherent fact-filled persuasive speech that we would be better Out than In.” So wrote Melvyn Bragg of his experience of listening to all the Brexit debates in the Lords. The one fact-filled document that this government has eventually been forced to publish, Yellowhammer, is official confirmation of Bragg’s point.
Instead, all they give us are promises to carry out “the will of the people” – the age-old smokescreen of ideologues and authoritarians. It is also a bit rich when the vote to leave was only just over a third of the adult population on the basis of false claims about NHS funding – made by, yes, the current prime minister – and invasion by Turkish hordes. As the country imminently faces government-promoted immiseration it needs to focus on outcomes and not so much on procedures.
Ken Clarke
Southam
Game plan
An alternative game being played to the one posited by Professor Muthoo – “...All the things that Dominic Cummings is getting wrong about game theory” – is no doubt between the prime minister and parliament. Is his do-or-die strategy designed to scare parliament witless, to the point where any deal, however minimally different from Mrs May’s, is leapt upon with relief and passed by the increasing number of MPs who regret not voting for dear Theresa? Johnson and Cummings are no doubt gaming how many new dealers there may be to DUPers and extreme Brexiteers who can be shafted.
Robert Park
Address supplied
Do a little dance
I have a suggestion for the intro music for the prime minister’s address to his party conference this year. It’s the longest song title ever used in a Hollywood musical (Royal Wedding):
“How Could You Believe Me When I Said I Loved You When You Know I’ve Been a Liar All My Life?”
As it was sung by Fred Astaire who was over fifty at the time, I’m sure Boris could manage to emulate his predecessor and do a little dance? At least we’d have something to laugh at in these grim times.
Bruce Napier
Willington
