A West Sussex town in the UK has just made history by becoming the first in Europe to pledge to move towards veganism.
Haywards Heath – which has a population of around 34,000 people – has signed up to the Plant Based Treaty, an initiative aimed at persuading world leaders to move away from animal agriculture due to its environmental costs.
The treaty has 38 demands in total, including transitioning to plant-based meals in schools and hospitals, no new animal farms, and subsidizing fruit and vegetables.
Green councilor Richard Nicholson, who convinced the town to endorse the treaty, said: “The Climate Crisis is no longer a distant future threat but an existential crisis that is upon us in 2022.
“We must all act immediately, and moving to a plant-based diet is the most impactful thing any individual can do to help address the grave situation we face.”
Haywards Heath has said that it will not be directing residents to follow the basis of the treaty, but that it will “educate and encourage the local community to reduce food waste and move to plant-based diets to reduce CO2 emissions; activities which are as impactful as a large-scale move to green energy.”
One of its first steps will be the introduction of environmental awards for businesses and schools that encourage plant-based eating and reduce food waste.
The environmental cost of animal agriculture
Animal agriculture is disastrous for the environment in a number of ways, and a 2018 study from the University of Oxford found that we need to reduce beef consumption by 90 percent to avoid climate catastrophe.
It is estimated that meat production is responsible for more greenhouse gas emissions than all the world’s transportation combined, and contributes to around 80 percent of global deforestation. Farmed animals also consume huge amounts of crops and water that could instead be fed directly to humans.
The Plant Based Treaty’s impact
The Plant Based Treaty was introduced in August of last year as an extension of the Paris Agreement, which saw nearly 200 countries commit to reduce their emissions.
The treaty has already been endorsed in 17 cities worldwide, including Boynton Beach in Florida
Find out more about the Plant Based Treaty on its website.
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Moo!
Poor people, they been brain washed….
The town hasn’t “endorsed the treaty, the council has, not the same thing. Time will tell whether the town goes along with it.
Well said, who do these councillors think they are?
They work for us, not the other way around!
A few facts for the looney left ( read ..oh dear) animal methane produced is 16% in the WORLD , human exhaust 68.5%.
I presume that would get worse if the self righteous get their selfish way and we all, God forbid , start eating processed grass.
It’s the humans who need to stop breeding .
For all you do-gooders to remember, it’s of no earthly good repairing
a tiny dripping tap i.e. Great Britain, when there is a massive burst water main
I.e. the World raging everywhere else.
I presume the qualifications required to be a councillor in what, I presume is a Labour or lib dem controlled council (its daft enough!) The intelligence of a chimp is required.
Load of rubbish. Humans have eaten meat and animal produce of millions of years and we still here its just immoral.
Thanks for your comment Tex. If it’s immoral why continue doing it when we have alternatives?
Who says it is immoral? A minority, no thanks we’ll keep the meat!
Could you explain how it is moral to breed and take the life of a sentient being when you have no necessity to do so?
Do we not have an obligation to protect those more vulnerable than ourselves? Not exploit them?
It has been the status quo for millions of years.
Oh no……hang on… Mother Nature hasn’t got a clue has she….
You obviously know better.
Grow up before you infect other vulnerable idiots.
There’s nothing else we’ve done for hundreds of thousands of years that isn’t okay today…?
Can you explain to me how we can get all our nutrients from a plant based diet, answer we can’t. So we just stop. It’s immoral to grow monocrops and kill the planet and more animals than animal farming does..
Hi, all major dietetic and health organizations have stated that a plant based diet is suitable for all stages of life, so yes, you can get all of your nutrients from a plant-based diet.
What nutrients are you concerned about?
Plant base isn’t an alternative, please learn about nutrition and the long term affect before preaching others.
We would be more than happy to take a look at any evidence you have about ‘nutrition’ to support your claim, Clive.
It would be very interesting to find out what do these towns who join the treaty actually do to fulfill their pledges? Several towns across the world have already joined the treaty with little visible effect!
It’ll take more than “several” towns to have a visible effect. It’s a huge start and as more towns sign on to actively educate it’s populace, the sooner we’ll see positive climate improvements.
Change will happen exponentially as more people are educated.
It won’t change the climate. Animal farming have very little do do with that. Humans are worse for the climate than agriculture.
Hi Clover, you’re right. It is the human actions of breeding and killing 70+ billion land animals annually that is destroying the climate.
It would be very interesting to find out what do these towns who join the treaty actually do to fulfill their pledges? Several towns across the world have already joined the treaty with little visible effect! Joining the treaty should come with some real actions besides signing a piece of paper in a pompous fashion.
Did you read the article? Did you read the treaty? If you had, you’d know it’s more than signing a piece of paper.
It’s about high time we move away from animal agriculture! It’s a cruel cruel industry and I am a vegan and haven’t eaten animals for over 20 years. I am in the best health I’ve ever been having been very sickly in my younger years. Not only that but the way these animals are treated is despicable! No human being would want to be treated like they are. Animals are sentient and therefore feel pain in the same way we do and they do have emotions despite what some might think! With so many healthy and delicious alternatives out there there is no reason to continue killing our animals! Plant based is the way of the future and we better had do something because the climate deniers are going to have a rude awaking and it will be too late!
Tell India, North Korea, America, China and other countries to sort themselves out first
It’s no good fixing a dripping tap when there are several burst water mains raging world wide!
For heavens sake GROW UP
No more milk for tea. No English breakfasts. No fish and chips. This should work really well. (sarcasm)
Hi Harry, did you know that there is plant-based milk, fish, chips, and any other dish you’re used to?
No because he lives in a cave fucking neanderthal 😂
Such encouraging news… It is exciting to see consciousness finally starting to evolve and to make choices to not participate in the mind melting horrors of animal agriculture.
I have lived in Haywards Heath for 25 years and am a full committed vegan and animal rights supporter. Surprised and thrilled with this news, despite the irony (those who know the town will understand). Let’s keep up the momentum,
Going plant based prevents obesity, diabetes, cancer, hypertension – good for you, the future of our children, the animals and the planet!
It’s the opposite actually. Cutting down meat is why we have a lot of illness. Lack of iron, vit d and vit b12 to name a few. Probably why there is more Alzheimer’s too.
REFRESHING TO READ – I welcome cruelty free, its selfish, unnecessary and backward thinking to make Animals suffer.-Vegan 65 years and counting. LLL
So what do u think happens when a field is made ready to grow monocrops. There are no hedges for small animals to live in so birds and other animals die even before they bring in the ploughs, then once planted they have to be protected from animals and insects so they bring in the chemicals which poison the soil and waterways and us eventually. So enjoy your vegan mars bar while you can as the land will soon go to desert if there are no animals to enrich it.
Hi, are you aware that the vast majority of monocrops are fed to ‘livestock’?
Actually the majority of monocrop waste is fed to livestock. For example oil is squeezed from soy bean and the waste now called soybean meal is fed to the animals. You don’t think they would grow carrots, beans and the like and give them to animals. It’s just the waste like leaves and such.
50% of all grains are grown for the purpose of being fed to ‘livestock’. How could we feed 70 billion animals with the leftovers from 7 billion humans, when they require vastly more food than us?
Yay! Amazing News 🌱 and they said vegans don’t make a difference 😉
They don’t….thank heavens
Going plant based for environmental reasons… Yeah, right….
Us: How’d you get that pineapple in the UK?
Them: ……. 🤯
Hi, not sure if you’ve looked into the data but importing plant foods is still significantly more sustainable than animal products from next door. https://ourworldindata.org/food-choice-vs-eating-local
Don’t believe the massaged figures and be led like a flock of….ahem…lambs
You don’t believe science?
Do you have credible evidence that contradicts the information provided above?
It has been debunked quite a few times. They counted the transport for the animal agriculture but missed a few items for the food agriculture. Almost as if they were bias.
Could you point to credible evidence disproving the evidence we have provided above?
You will find it if you look. It’s out there.
We humans have eaten meat through out our history. Most of the time hunting it. Not wopper burgers or endless chicken basket. Our intensive farming methods globally is killing our plant. How many messages do you need? Add this to our oil and coal usage – we have a problem.
Do they realise that can’t thrive on a vegan diet.