McCartney calls on leaders in Copenhagen to adjust policies

McCartney calls on leaders in Copenhagen to adjust policies
by Daelyn Fortney
December 13, 2009

Earlier this month Paul McCartney spoke at the European Parliament’s hearing on Global Warming and Food Policy where he promoted his Meat Free Monday campaign.

After the hearing McCartney signed a joint statement with European Parliament Vice President Edward McMillan-Scott and Chairman of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Dr. Rajendra Pachauri calling on individuals and governments to recognize the importance of meat’s impact on health and the environment.

The statement read, “We call on those governments, and all represented at COP15 and in subsequent discussions, to adjust their agriculture, development, environment and public health policies to reflect the role of livestock production in climate change. We call on the local authorities and municipalities in Europe and worldwide to adopt the principle of a meat-free day for their employees. We call on people worldwide, but especially in the developed nations to change their diet to one meat-free day as the most effective way to combat global warming.”

The trio, who all adhere to a vegetarian diet and believe that Less Meat = Less Heat, notes that “a modest change to our eating habits can have a major effect on the rate of climate change. Even better is that vegetarians have 28% less heart disease, 39% lower cancer mortality, and suffer 50% less diabetes."

Representatives of 192 nations are currently in negotiations at COP15 Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen hoping to develop an international strategy for fighting global warming. The conference runs through December 18. (See slideshow below.)
http://www.examiner.com/x-29556-Cleveland-Vegetarian-Food-Examiner~y2009m12d13-McCartney-calls-on-leaders-in-Copenhagen-to-adjust-policies