It hopes to hold the increase in the global average temperature to below 2☌ (3.6✯) 'and to pursue efforts to limit the temperature increase to 1.5☌ (2.7☏)'.

The Paris Agreement, which was first signed in 2015, is an international agreement to control and limit climate change. 'Food demand is expected to increase massively as our population expands toward 10 billion,' Professor Matthew Betts at Oregon State University, another letter author, told The Guardian.Īpocalypse Cow: How Meat Killed the Planet airs tonight at 10pm on Channel 4 The other three measures for wealthier nations are: set targets to reduce the largest emissions sources in the livestock sector swap from livestock to eco-friendly, crops such as peas, lentils, beans and nuts and turn reclaimed farmland back to its native vegetation cover. 'First, declare a timeframe for peak livestock-ie, livestock production from each species would not continue to increase from this point forward.' In the letter, penned by Dr Helen Harwatt, a fellow at Harvard Law School, it states: 'To help reduce the risk of global temperature rising beyond 1♵☌ or 2☌, we call on high-income and middle-income countries to incorporate four measures into their revised commitments to meeting the Paris Agreement, from 2020 onwards. 'Livestock numbers need to peak very soon and thereafter decline substantially.' 'As a planet, we need to transition away from a dependence on livestock, just as we need to to transition away from fossil fuels, if we are to have any chance of hitting the goals of the Paris climate agreement. 'Ruminant meat is 10 to 100 times more damaging to the climate than plant-based food,' he told The Guardian. The letter has received the support of more than 50 leading academics around the world, including Professor Pete Smith, at the University of Aberdeen. They believe that within the next 10 years it will become essential for humanity to move away from eating animals and rely more on vegetarian alternatives.Īnimal agriculture is one of the fastest growing contributors to global warming due to two factors - the carbon dioxide they emit and the forests being destroyed to create space for expanding farms. The letter sets out a four-part plan, which scientists say will greatly help meet climate targets outlined in the 2015 Paris Agreement. This would mean that, by the end of the incoming decade, the number of livestock around the world should have peaked and started to decline. In an open letter sent to the prestigious Lancet journal, a team of academics from around the world call on 'high and middle income countries' to hit 'peak meat' by 2030 as it is 'necessary' in order to halt the climate emergency. Last month, scientists warned humans needed to drastically reduce the amount of meat they consumed over the 10 years to prevent climate change spiralling out of control. 'The carbohydrates that remain when proteins and fats have been extracted could replace everything from pasta flour to potato crisps.'

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