James Cameron: ‘We Need Less Meat And Dairy – And More Plant Based Options’

Legendary filmmaker James Cameron and his wife, Suzy Amis Cameron, have written an article for The Guardian, which urges readers to ditch animal products – and turn to plant-based foods.

In a piece titled Animal agriculture is choking the ?Earth and making us sick. We must act now, the high profile vegan couple argued that raising animals for meat, dairy, and eggs has devastating impacts on the environment.

Plant-based

“Animal agriculture is choking the Earth, and the longer we turn a blind eye, the more we limit our ability to nourish ourselves, protect waterways and habitats, and pursue other uses of our precious natural resources,” the article says.

The Camerons offer a solution: “The truth can be hard to swallow: that we simply need less meat and dairy and more plant-based options in our food system if we’re to reach our climate goals.”

The couple went vegan in 2012, after watching the documentary Forks Over Knives – with Amis Cameron citing the connection between food and the environment as ‘a major eye-opener’.

Impact

The article goes on to say: “Raising livestock for meat, eggs and milk generates 14.5 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, the second highest source of emissions and greater than all transportation combined. 

“It also uses about 70 percent of agricultural land, and is one of theleading causes of deforestation, biodiversity loss, and water pollution.

“On top of this, eating too much meat and dairy is making us sick, greatly increasing our risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, several major cancers (including breast, liver, and prostate), and obesity.” 

Action

While the Camerons agree that change can start with individual action, they argue that: “To create change at the scale needed, this will take more than individual choice – we need to get climate leaders on board about the impact of food.

“Cities and counties have used their buying power to transition fleets from diesel to electric, and we need to do the same with how we purchase food. 

“We have done this in our own community, moving the lunch program of Muse School, in Calabasas, California, and the Avatar movie set to plant-based menus.”

They believe it’s initiatives like these that can make a difference.

Choice

“If the US reduced meat consumption by 50 percent, it’s the equivalent of taking 26 million cars off the road,” the pair writes. “We think that’s damn hopeful.”

They also acknowledge that ‘food is inherently personal’, and that ‘yes, Americans love meat and cheese’.

The article concludes: “But more than that, we love our majestic national parks, family beach vacations and clean air and water for our children and grandchildren. 

“As individuals, we can make choices on how to better nourish our families, and as citizens, we can encourage local leaders to make choices that will allow us to enjoy our land and natural resources now and in the future.”

You can read the full articlehere

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