LETTER: Cross off meat, eggs and dairy from shopping list

ON MARCH 19, many of us will be turning off the lights for Earth Hour.

On March 19, many of us will be turning off the lights for Earth Hour.

ON MARCH 19, many of us will be turning off the lights for Earth Hour.

While this will make for a nice romantic meal, if you truly want to combat climate change, cross off meat, eggs and dairy products from your shopping list.

Animal products - whether eaten by candlelight or not - require more resources and cause more greenhouse-gas emissions than do plant-based foods.

According to Worldwatch Institute, animal agriculture is responsible for up to 51% of human-caused greenhouse gases.

Would you consider cutting out meat, eggs and dairy to save the environment?

Each year, humans kill 60 billion land animals for food - that's about 7 million animals every hour. All these animals produce massive amounts of waste, which releases powerful greenhouse gases into our atmosphere.

The livestock sector is one of the largest sources of carbon dioxide and the single largest source of both methane and nitrous oxide, greenhouses gases that are 25 and 300 times more potent than carbon dioxide, respectively.

The CSIRO estimates that cows, chickens, pigs and other farmed animals are responsible for 55 million tonnes of greenhouse gas in Australia.

A study from the Institute for Ecological Economy Research shows a meat-eater's diet is responsible for seven times more greenhouse gases than a vegan's diet.

So blow out the candle, turn on the lights and get into the kitchen and cook a veggie meal this Earth Hour.

Doing so will benefit not only the environment, but also animals, and your own health.

ASHLEY FRUNO

Associate Director

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) Australia

Originally published as LETTER: Cross off meat, eggs and dairy from shopping list