December 12, 2009 is Global Day of Action of the Global Climate Campaign, and Friends of the Earth International is inviting people to ‘flood’ Copenhagen in a call for climate justice.
From December 7-18, 2009, the 15th UN climate conference (COP-15) will take place in Copenhagen, Denmark. Measures to tackle global warming will be on top of the agendas of government representatives from all over the world.
Friends of the Earth International is asking activists from all around the globe to call for urgent responses to the climate crisis, including cuts of greenhouse gas emissions by the rich industrialised countries:
“We invite everyone who shares our vision to join the exciting spectacle on December 12, when we will use our bodies and our voices to create a message that decision-makers and lobbyists cannot ignore: The Flood Is Coming!“
Further info:
http://www.foei.org/en/what-we-do/un-climate-talks/global/the-flood-is-coming
Veg Climate Justice
With the kind permission of Friends of the Earth International, the Veg Climate Alliance is urgently calling on pro-vegetarian and pro-vegan organizations from all over the world as well as all likeminded individuals to join the Human Flood for Climate Justice, supporting its vision through a call for Veg Climate Justice and a Veg Solution to Global Warming.
Here are some facts to consider:
- One sixth of humanity is undernourished, more than one billion people are hungry, more than 25,000 people – mostly children, who generally live in ‘developing countries’ – die each day from malnutrition. The countries in the Global South are the ones most severely affected by climate change, which is mostly caused by the greenhouse gas emissions of the rich industrialized countries.
- Every year 56 billion land animals (in addition to many billions of sea animals) are raised and slaughtered for food worldwide, and the number is expected to double by 2050. If the worldwide agricultural production were shifted from livestock feed to food grains, there would be enough food for all the world’s hungry people.
- Animal agriculture is the main source of methane, which accounts for almost 50 % of human-induced global warming and is a 72 times more potent greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide when a 20-year period is considered. Methane only stays in the atmosphere for 9 – 15 years, while CO2 stays in the atmosphere for 100 to 10,000 years. If everyone went vegan, or at least sharply reduced their consumption of animal products, global warming would be stopped from spiralling out of control very quickly.
- Animal agriculture also contributes significantly to the destruction of habitats, species extinction, an enormous waste of water (taking up 70 % of the overall freshwater supply), pollution and deforestation (mostly to create pastures for livestock and fields for growing feed), the latter causing nearly 20 % of CO2 emissions.
- According to recent reports, global warming is occurring much faster than expected, and scientists agree that rapid mitigation is required to avoid an unprecedented climate catastrophe. Greenhouse gas emissions have already reached 387 ppm, while 350 ppm is considered to be the safe upper limit of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.
- According to James Hansen, director of NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies, world leaders have only a few years to act before a major tipping point may be reached, with catastrophic consequences for the global climate and species survival.
- Sea levels are now estimated to be rising 50 per cent faster than projected by the International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). If a global temperature increase of about 4C is reached, sea levels could rise around seven meters, which would result in utter devastation. A one-meter sea level rise would lead to the submergence of numerous low-lying islands like the Maldives, the loss of coastal cities and farmland all around the world and the contamination of fresh water supplies. Climate change could create 200 million refugees by 2050.
Sources:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2009/mar/08/climate-change-floodinghttp://www.newjerseynewsroom.com/science-updates/climate-change-we-have-run-out-of-time
http://worldfocus.org/blog/2009/06/12/rising-sea-levels-force-island-populations-to-evacuate/5779/
http://www.mcspotlight.org/media/reports/beyond.html#5
http://www.earthsave.org/globalwarming.htm
http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=2367646
http://au.news.yahoo.com/a/-/world/5667177/1-in-6-people-starving-un/
http://trendsupdates.com/global-malnutrition-one-sixth-of-humanity/
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20090618/ts_afp/climatewarmingscience
http://www.vnv.org.au/site/htmfiles/eatinguptheworld.htm
http://knowledge.allianz.com/en/globalissues/climate_change/global_warming_basics/methane_livestock_global_warming.html
http://www.reuters.com/article/environmentNews/idUSN2329105720080624
www.350.org
Join the Human Flood to tell world leaders and industries to stop this madness!
- Use your body, your voice and your creativity to call for truly sustainable agricultural policies: (organic) vegetable farming instead of wasteful and environmentally destructive meat and dairy production and overfishing, which is rapidly depleting the oceans!
- Call on world leaders to stress the importance of a major societal shift to plant-based diets as part of the Copenhagen Climate Treaty!
- Call on them to take action NOW, forsaking all protocol! Cutting down on greenhouse gas emissions is no longer a matter of climate politics. It has become a matter of survival!
- Call on the world to stand together as one big family and be part of the veg solution in this urgent time of global crisis!
In the name of global climate justice and solidarity with the world’s poor!
In the name of compassion for billions of innocent animals!
In the name of love and responsibility for our beautiful planet, the protection and preservation of all lives and the well-being of future generations!
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For further information on how to join the Human Flood contact Carlos from Friends of the Earth International at: carlosagrb@gmail.com
For further info on the work of the Veg Climate Alliance see www.vegclimatealliane.org or write to info@vegclimatealliance.org
The world is heading toward an unprecedented catastrophe and a major global shift toward vegetarianism is an essential part of what is necessary to prevent it. So, please help us spread this message.
Go Veg, Be Green, Save the Planet