The World Is on Fire. Are You Helping Light the Match?

If your house were on fire, would you sit by and do nothing? That’s exactly what humans are doing when they keep eating meat and dairy as the world goes up in flames. PETA’s scorching new PSA, Room on Fire, holds up a mirror to “environmentalists” who ignore the devastating impact of animal agriculture. Every summer, headlines scream of record-breaking heatwaves, catastrophic wildfires, and unprecedented destruction—yet meat and dairy are still on the menu. PETA’s powerful video turns up the heat on hypocrisy: If you’re not vegan, you’re not part of the solution. You’re fueling the fire.

PETA’s PSA Holds Meat-Eaters’ Feet to the Fire

In the video, a gluttonous dinner party is underway. As the guests gorge themselves on flesh and cheese, flames crackle just outside. With every bite, the temperature rises. Smoke creeps in. The fire enters the room. It surrounds them. But the diners don’t stop—they keep eating, oblivious or unwilling to act, until it’s too late.

A chilling message closes the film:
“The more meat and dairy you eat, the hotter it gets. Please, go vegan.”

Room on Fire calls out humans’ lack of action during a global crisis. Much like the dinner party guests in the video, many individuals who lost everything in recent wildfires—like the ones that tore through Southern California in 2025—continue to eat meat, eggs, and dairy, despite research showing that animal-based agriculture is responsible for fanning the flames of the climate catastrophe.

The Real Cause of the Crisis

Wildfires have been supercharged by the climate emergency, and animal agriculture is one of the biggest contributors. It’s responsible for enormous greenhouse gas emissions, deforestation, water depletion, and habitat destruction.

Still, governments throw money at rebuilding burned communities while giving subsidy money and bailouts to the meat, egg, and dairy industries driving the disaster. It’s like rebuilding your home while the fire is still raging inside.

If You Aren’t Vegan, You’re Helping Light the Match

Room on Fire is a wake-up call: Humans can’t keep consuming flesh, eggs, and dairy and expect a livable future. A study published in the journal Earth System Science Data found that greenhouse gas emissions are at an all-time high, threatening to push the world into “unprecedented” levels of global heating. 

Studies show that the climate catastrophe has increased the frequency and severity of wildfires, and meat, egg, and dairy production are among their worst drivers. Methane emitted by cows is 80 times more powerful at warming the Earth than carbon dioxide, and the massive amount of water used in animal agriculture contributes to the dry conditions that allow wildfires to spread. The U.N. has declared that a worldwide shift toward being vegan is vital to combat the worst effects of the climate crisis. If you’re serious about protecting the environment, going vegan is the most important daily thing you can do.

Will This Message Light a Fire Under Your Butt?

Room on Fire is running before summer blockbusters at movie theaters in California, New Jersey, Hawaii, Oregon, and Idaho, which are all attempting to rebuild from devastating wildfires that burned down homes and hundreds of thousands of acres, killed dozens of humans, animal companions, and untold numbers of wildlife, whose homes also burned down. YouTube viewers will also see PETA’s video during meat- and dairy-promoting shows Hot Ones, Chicken Shop Date, and The Great British Bake Off, as well as on the Food Network and Gordon Ramsay’s YouTube channels.

Going vegan isn’t just about saving the planet—it’s about recognizing that every animal is someone who feels. Cows form long-term friendships, and mother hens teach calls to their chicks before they even hatch. These sensitive, social animals suffer when humans exploit and kill them for “food.”

In addition to slashing their carbon footprint, every individual who goes vegan spares nearly 200 animals each year daily suffering and a vicious death. If you’ve already made the compassionate switch, help someone go vegan today by ordering them PETA’s free vegan starter kit: