The UN recently
released a report (titled "
Pathways towards lower emissions") that was
supposed to highlight the most effective solutions to address livestock (animal agriculture)'s outsized emissions impact. An overwhelming scientific consensus suggests that shifting to a lower-meat diet is essential to averting the climate crisis.
Despite this, the report's authors cherry-picked and distorted their data, leading them to
deny the importance of dietary change, and push for expansion and intensification of livestock instead. In doing so, they directly misrepresented scientists' findings, going against research ethics and best practices.
This negligence is not just an oversight; it's a direct threat to our planet's health and the fight against climate change. Sign the petition to demand that the UN correct these grave errors now!More than 20 scientists and 79 organizations have expressed their outrage at the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) for failing to revise or retract this report. In a previous letter to the FAO, scientists assert that this report contains "serious distortions" and "multiple and egregious errors," culminating in a "misuse of our scientific data." Through these errors, the FAO wrongly downplayed the devastating effects of animal agriculture. In doing so, the FAO is also
minimizing the positive impacts of dietary changes away from meat consumption.Livestock farming contributes up to 20% of total greenhouse gas emissions. As a result, there is widespread consensus among scientists that
shifting dietary habits would be a tremendously powerful way to reduce emissions. In fact, researchers have estimated that the UN report
underestimated the incredible benefits of dietary shifts and reduced livestock farming by a shocking factor of up to 40! However, the FAO has brushed aside researchers' concerns with vague responses, leaving scientists frustrated and unheard.
This is not merely an academic issue; this is about our future. The FAO has the power to influence global agricultural policies and practices, and right now, they are falling short. It must prioritize rigorous scientific standards and, in doing so, it must acknowledge the clear evidence:
reducing meat consumption is essential for mitigating climate change and protecting our planet.We cannot allow the FAO to perpetuate the myth that livestock farming is harmless and - even worse - keep pushing for the expansion and intensification of livestock. Sign the petition to demand that the UN withdraw this current misleading emissions report and release a new report that accurately reflects the environmental harm caused by animal agriculture and emphasizes the necessity of dietary change.