France: Brigitte Bardot asks President Nicolas Sarkozy to initiate a vegetarian day in all public establishments

in order to fight global warming

Paris, September 25, 2009

After the climate summit, which has just been held in New York, and ahead of the launch of “carbon” tax on fuels in France, the Foundation Brigitte Bardot contacted President Nicolas Sarkozy and demanded an investigation of animal farming, the environmental repercussions of which are more than alarming.

It is a fact that in their report “Livestock a major threat to environment”, the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations states that the livestock sector is emitting greenhouse gases which are higher than those produced by transport (all means combined). Furthermore the World Bank notified that since 1970, 90% of Amazon deforestation is related to the requirements of the meat industry, thus aggravating the effects of global warming, which worry us so much today.

Moreover, the sector is responsible for 37% of all methane due to human activities (which influence global warming 23 times more than CO2), mainly produced by the digestive systems of ruminants, and 64% of ammonia which contributes to acid rains.

Factory farming is furthermore leading to soil degradation and represents a danger for natural water reserves because the production of only one kilo of beef requires 323 m² of grazing land, 7 to 16 kilos of grains or soy and up to 15.500 liters of water!

Thus the livestock sector has a direct impact on global warming, the pollution of soil and water sources, and is a terrible waste since nearly a third of globally harvested cereals are used for the production of meat.

If the “developed” countries decreased their meat consumption, it would be possible to eradicate global hunger, which kills nearly six million children each year.

This is why, in a letter addressed on September 25 to the Head of State, Brigitte Bardot is appealing to the President “to give meaning to the climate summit and stay in coherence with the launch of a carbon tax”, by initiating one vegetarian day in all public establishments and by inviting private corporations to do the same, as an initiative of responsible citizenship.

Brigitte Bardot sayst: “Other than environmental and humane concerns, the refusal of meat consumption is also the best way to protest against the inhumanity and cruelty in factory farms, during transport and during the slaughter of billions of animals that are sacrificed and eaten each year. ”

In conclusion: “There is already a ‘day ago without car’, a ‘day without tobacco’, but the initiation of a vegetarian day would have a much greater impact than all ‘carbon’ taxes put together, and the planet would be in infinitely better shape (which would be even still better if that vegetarian initiative would be valid for 365 days per year”).

Source: Fondation Brigitte Bardot
Author: Fondation Brigitte Bardot

Link: The information in Russian, translated by VITA