Scientists Declare Climate Emergency And Tell Us What We Should Do
Scientists Declare Climate Emergency
A Climate Emergency Is Upon Us
William J. Ripple, Christopher Wolf, and more than 11,000 scientists from 153 countries have declared a climate emergency. They have presented graphics that show trends and listed actions that will counter those trends. These graphs showed many climate change indicators and factors over the last 40 years since scientists from 50 nations met at the First World Climate Conference in Geneva in 1979. Although they did mention encouraging signs such as decreases in birth rate, less forest loss in the Brazilian Amazon rainforest, and increase in renewable energies, they still think that we need to act as soon as possible to slow down climate change. One of the lead scientist William J. Ripple stated,
“Despite 40 years of major global negotiations, we have continued to conduct business as usual and have failed to address this crisis. Climate change has arrived and is accelerating faster than many scientists expected.”
How A Vegan Diet Helps
One of the areas to take action is our diet. The article mentioned that sustained increases in meat production contributes to the climate emergency and that we should eat more plant-based foods. The scientists said that this dietary shift from meat to plants would reduce our methane and greenhouse gas emissions and free up a lot of agricultural lands for growing human food instead of livestock feed. One of my reasons for adopting a vegan diet is I care about this planet and the 7.5 billion of us who inhabit it. We need to be more aware that the steak we eat, the milk we drink, the eggs we eat, and the salmon we eat all come from animals who were slaughtered and caught for food. We need to be aware that we can open up more farmlands to feed a lot of the populations suffering from starvation and food shortages. And of course, cows emit more methane emissions, but the factory farms that slaughter these animals and the vehicles that transport them provide double those emissions that animal agriculture already produces. Not to mention these factory farms pollute neighboring communities, especially when people of color inhabit those communities.
Amazon Rainforest Is A Good Example
The article also stated that we need to protect and restore our ecosystems such as forests, wetlands, grasslands, etc. and allow a larger share of these ecosystems to reach their full ecological potential for reducing atmospheric carbon dioxide. The Amazon rainforest is a perfect example of this because a lot of deforestation is occurring there, and one of the causes is animal agricultural. Farmers would clear land so they can grow and cultivate crops that would feed livestock and they would raise cattle for beef. I previously mentioned that beef is one of Brazil’s major exporters to the United States. These farmers would clear land by setting parts of the Amazon rainforest on fire and as a result, one of those fires went out of control and gained media attention. This is another reason for me to go vegan and boycott these beef exports from Brazil and these farmers clearing the Amazon rainforests for livestock feed and raising cattle for food.
Conclusion
The article pointed at other actionable steps, such as replace fossil fuels with renewable energy. However, going vegan for me is a great actionable step to take because I am helping save the Amazon rainforest from deforestation, boycotting the farmers starting the fires in the Amazon rainforests and the beef exports, saving as many farm animals as I can, and reducing my methane and carbon dioxide emissions. Hopefully, what I am doing is slowing down climate change and helping this climate emergency. Yet, I cannot do this alone. I hope that a lot more people become vegan or at least reduce your animal intake to help save the same home that us 7.5 billion people inhabit.
