Is the Climate Crisis All Talk? Well, ‘Go Vegan, or Put a Cork in It!’ Is PETA’s Earth Day Message
For Immediate Release:
April 19, 2023
Contact:
Nicole Meyer 202-483-7382
Are you walkin’ the walk or just talkin’ the talk about the climate catastrophe? That’s the question PETA asks in its new, sky-high message in Hillcrest at the intersection of University Avenue and Vermont Street, reminding everyone that greenhouse gases from animal agriculture are a leading contributor to climate change—so anyone who says they care about our heating planet had better go vegan or hold their tongue. According to the United Nations, about a third of all human-caused greenhouse gas emissions are linked to food production, with the largest percentage of some of these gases, particularly methane, coming from the meat and dairy industries.
“Putting meat, eggs, and dairy on the table while claiming to care about the Earth is like pouring gasoline on the fire that’s burning down your house,” says PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman. “PETA is asking everyone to take personal responsibility for our planetary crisis by going vegan on Earth Day and every day, and we have free vegan starter kits for all.”
PETA notes that growing water-intensive crops just to feed animals raised for food consumes more than half the water used in the U.S. and that up to 80% of deforestation in the Amazon rainforest has been caused by the destruction of land to grow animal feed and graze cows. Vegan foods—such as fruits and vegetables, whole grains, beans, peas, nuts, and lentils—require less land, energy, and water. According to the United Nations, switching to plant-powered eating can help the world avoid the worst effects of the climate catastrophe.
PETA’s billboard is located at 1119 University Ave.
PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to eat”—opposes speciesism, a human-supremacist worldview. For more information, please visit PETA.org, listen to The PETA Podcast, or follow the group on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram.
