Community
Print
Formula 1 champion Lewis Hamilton has promoted a plant-based diet to his 14 million Instagram followers, as Australia continues to suffer from ‘catastrophic’ bushfires.
The pro racer, who regularly uses his platform to advocate for veganism, posted a series of stories highlighting how animal agriculture impacts the environment.
‘Reduce your impact’
“Grazing livestock is responsible for 54 percent of Australia’s land use. Urban usage is less than 0.18 percent. Eight percent is conservation,” read one of Hamilton’s posts – sourced from the Australian Government, Department of Agriculture and Water Resources.
Another post, citing an Oxford University study, said: ” A vegan diet is probably the single biggest way to reduce your impact on planet Earth, not just greenhouse gases, but global acidification, eutrophication, land use, and water use. It is far bigger than cutting down on your flights or buying an electric car.”
‘1 billion animals feared dead’
Hamilton, along with a plethora of celebrities including Elton John and Pink, has donated to charity to help tackle the fires – where more than one billion animals are now feared dead.
The fires have also destroyed more than 2,000 homes, and burned more than 30,000 square miles, across the states of New South Wales and Victoria – killing an estimated 27 people.
Disaster relief
A fundraiser for fire services in NWS raised more than A$20 million in 48 hours to help tackle the fire. While Prime Minister Scott Morrison has called up 3,000 reserve troops.
If you would like to donate or volunteer to help with the fires, click here
