As Wildfire Rages, PETA Says Go Vegan to Save Your Own Community AND the Planet: Meat Brought the Heat!

For Immediate Release:
February 29, 2024

Contact:
Nicole Perreira 202-483-7382

With the Smokehouse Creek fire scorching the Texas Panhandle, reportedly killing a woman in Hutchinson County and dozens of cows desperately trying to escape the blaze, PETA is making moves to erect a sky-high appeal in the area pointing the finger at the culprit—a climate catastrophe fueled by animal agriculture—and calling on people to fight back by going vegan.

Pollution, deforestation, and greenhouse gas emissions from meat, egg, and dairy production are among the worst drivers of the climate catastrophe. A recent 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.

“The planet is burning because people are still eating animals, who need massive amounts of land, energy, and water and emit enormous quantities of greenhouse gases,” says PETA President Ingrid Newkirk. “Animal agriculture is an existential threat to the Earth, and PETA urges everyone to go vegan before it’s too late.”

Research shows that every person who goes vegan lowers their food-related carbon footprint by up to 73%—making it conceivably the biggest way to reduce one’s negative impact on the planet—and spares the lives of nearly 200 animals a year. PETA offers a free vegan starter kit on its website for those ready to make the switch.

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to eat”—points out that Every Animal Is Someone and offers free Empathy Kits for people who need a lesson in kindness. For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow the group on X, Facebook, or Instagram.