Can Veganism Curb Climate Change?

One of the ways to fight climate change starts from our plates. Switching to vegan not only improves our health or save animals, but it helps save the environment too.

This November, vegans from all across the world are celebrating World Vegan Month. To spread awareness about the plant-based lifestyle, Vegans of Manila have been organizing VegFest Philippines, the first and biggest all-vegan festival in the Philippines.

On its 4th year with the theme “Live kindly for the community”, over 100 merchants have sold a wide variety of vegan and eco-friendly products last November 16-17 at the BGC Arts Center, Taguig.

Included are grilled foods such as isaw, barbecue, and liempo; breakfast foods like longganisa and tocino; and pinoy dishes such as sisig and adobo. There’s no need to feel guilty about eating it because there’s a vegan version for it already.

Going plant-based or eating less meat can lessen the impact of global warming as it reduces greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions according to a 2019 climate change report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).

Based on a 2018 carbon footprint fact sheet by the Center for Sustainable Systems in Michigan, meat produces 47.6% GHG emissions, dairy generates 18.7%, poultry and seafood brings out 13.9%, vegetables at 4.9% and fruits at 3.6%.

The two-day festival was not only filled with vegan food, but it featured various activities such as climate talks, cooking demo shows, vegan quiz shows, and live music.

During the climate talk segment, vegan lifestyle practitioners from different fields introduced the concept of veganism and discussed the impact of meat consumption to global climate change in future generations.

“So the plant-based diet is what you call compassionate and conscious plate because it’s not just about thinking about our own health but, as a whole, it’s also understanding the effects of every act of dish that we have contributes to a bigger scale of things, something like climate change” said Peachy Keen, an environmental consultant and writer.

According to Keen, the journey to being vegan may be difficult at first but if an individual has the mindset of addressing climate change, then she or he will be motivated to continue on with the lifestyle.

Shermon Cruz who specializes in sustainability research said that a “vegan would question faith based religious systems, ethical systems, political and economic movements and business models that supports arrived by products of animal farming.”

Nona Castillo, a lactation consultant who has been promoting vegetable consumption to combat malnutrition, said that the system of food production must change because animal farming and slaughtering accounts for GHG emissions.

According to a 2013 assessment report by Climate Nexus, animal agriculture is the second largest contributor to man-made GHG emissions due to the methane released from manure, carbon put out from deforestation for agricultural land, and fossil fuels burned from fertilizers.

By 2020, food-related greenhouse gas emissions can be reduced by 29–70 percent if people transitions to the plant-based diet according to a 2016 study by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America.

Although veganism would most likely reduce emissions, one can start with a vegetarian (may eat dairy products and eggs) or pescetarian (may eat seafood) diet or choose to lessen their intake of meat instead.

Today, the earth is facing the sixth mass extinction, a phase wherein the ecosystem and species destruction is caused by human activities such as pollution and overexploitation.

“Veganism is not a rebellion against the climate crisis. It is a rebellion against the sixth mass extinction.” said Shermon Cruz.

He added that the future of climate change solutions could change when people have a vegan point of view.

“It is not just a diet... it is a way of rewarding knowledge of existence and a way of knowing power.” said Cruz.