Will Climate Change End Animal Farming?

This year, for the first time in its 2,000-year history, Salers cheese will not be made in France. That’s because the drought conditions brought on by the climate crisis make the production of this specific cheese impossible. Under its appellation d’origine protégée (or certification of authenticity), Salers cheese must be made from the milk of cows that graze on grass in the Auvergne region of France.

The problem? Extremely high summer temperatures make green grass a scarcity in the region, making it impossible for most of the region’s 76 farmers to meet Salers’ production requirements. cheese, which must contain at least 75-percent milk from cows that graze locally. grass

“There is nothing left to eat,” Laurent Roux, one of the region’s farmers, told local radio station France Bleu. “The terrain is so dry that in places, it looks like ash. It’s dust.”

The climate crisis and animal agriculture

Temperatures in France—and in many other parts of the world—have hit record highs this year. Like the Auvergne region, much of the United States is currently experiencing widespread drought, with severe drought in large swaths of California, Utah, Nevada, and Texas, according to the US Drought Monitor.

Rising temperatures are disrupting industrial animal agriculture in other ways. In June, by conservative estimates, 2,000 cows died in Kansas from heat exhaustion after enduring more than 100-degree temperatures. According to reports, these cow carcasses are destined to be dumped in unlined pits, posing an additional environmental hazard for the nearby groundwater.

At the other end of the spectrum, floods caused by climate change have led to deadly conditions for cattle and other exploited animals around the world. In Australia, extreme conditions this spring led to the loss of an estimated 10,000 cattle in the New South Wales region, the local ABC broadcasting station reported.

Ironically, the global animal agriculture industry is a main cause of the climate crisis that is now causing these devastating destructions. Climate scientists predict that all these conditions and more will continue and worsen unless serious changes are implemented.

Last April, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released its latest report, which warned that humanity is running out of time to stop the worst of climate change. The report advises that methane emissions—much of which come from animal agriculture—must be cut by one-third by 2030 to save the planet. The report also urges governments around the world to focus on shifting consumption habits away from animal agriculture.

Plant-based treaty as a solution

Due to the climate crisis, some regions are acting by endorsing the Plant Based Treaty (PBT), an initiative launched in 2021 based on three principles: relinquish (to stop allocating resources to expansion of animal agriculture); redirect (to actively switch from animal to plant-based agriculture); and restoration (a push for the restoration of ecosystems destroyed by animal farming).

Plant Based Treaty

Earlier this month, Haywards Heath in West Essex, England became the first town in Europe to endorse PBT. After supporting the Veganuary initiative in January 2022, the City Council is now developing initiatives based on PBT principles to alleviate the climate crisis in the region. “The Climate Crisis is no longer a distant future threat but an existential crisis that will be upon us in 2022,” Green Councilor Dr. Richard Nicholson, who first presented the PBT to the Climate Change Committee, said in a statement. “The South East of England has endured the hottest summer temperatures on record and people’s properties have been damaged by fires and floods.”

PBT Communications Director Nicola Harris is urging governments around the world to follow the city’s example in endorsing the treaty and making changes to shift away from environmentally harmful foods and practices.

“Haywards Heath’s decision to call for urgent global action on plant-based solutions to the climate crisis shows real leadership. It is welcomed by those experiencing the devastating effects of climate change,” said Harris said in a statement. “Recording 40 C + temperatures this summer are a sad reminder that reducing emissions from fossil fuels and animal agriculture will not come soon enough. Livestock farming is directly responsible for a third of human-caused methane. We therefore need local, national, and international cooperation to reduce food-related emissions by switching to plant-based foods, boosted by food waste action.

Since its launch, PBT has gained widespread support from 43,000 individual endorsers, five Nobel laureates, IPCC scientists, more than 800 NGOs and community groups, 700 businesses, and from celebrity activists, including Paul, Mary, and Stella McCartney. “We believe in justice for animals, the environment, and people,” the McCartney family said in a joint statement. “That is why we support the PBT and encourage individuals and governments to sign it.”

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Anna Starostenetskaya is the Senior News Editor at VegNews and keeps an eye on all things vegan in her hometown of San Francisco, CA and beyond.