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= Plant Based Treaty =

The Plant Based Treaty initiative is a grassroots pressure campaign modelled on the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty Initiative. It is designed to create a treaty to stop the expansion of animal agriculture and shift towards a plant-based food system as a companion to the Paris Climate Agreement.

The proposed treaty calls for:


 * 1) an end to the expansion of animal agriculture;
 * 2) the promotion of a shift to sustainable plant-based diets;
 * 3) and an effort to "reforest and rewild" planet Earth.

The call for a treaty is endorsed by 27 towns, cities and regions and has the support of celebrities, scientists from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, Nobel Laureates , city councillors and individual Parliamentarians.

History
Plant Based Treaty was officially launched at COP26 in Glasgow and backed by celebrities including Joaquin Phoenix, Moby and Sir Paul, Stella and Mary McCartney. In a video address, Moby said, “We need to strike an agreement about a shift to a plant-based food system this year at COP26,” and in a joint statement, the McCartneys said, “We believe in justice for animals, the environment and people. That’s why we support the Plant Based Treaty and urge individuals and governments to sign it.”

Former Member of the European Parliament, Jens Holm, described the launch of Plant Based Treaty as “one of the most promising events at COP26”.

20 Members of Parliament in the UK signed an Early Day Motion to welcome the initiative and call on the Government to “use COP26 in Glasgow as an opportunity to be a world leader in recognising the negative impact of industrial animal agriculture on climate change and commit to developing a global strategy to transition towards more sustainable plant-based food systems.”

COP28
Plant Based Treaty launched its "Safe and Just" report at the COP28 climate summit in Dubai. The report featured some of the best practices being introduced by cities such as New York City, where Mayor Eric Adams has made vegan the default in hospital menus and introduced "Meat Free Mondays" and "Plant-Powered Fridays" in schools.

Endorsements
As of April X, 2024, the initiative has been supported by XXXX members of the public, XXX civil society groups, XXX businesses and 27 municipalities.

Anita Krajnc, Plant Based Treaty global campaign coordinator, once argued, “We’re on the highway to climate hell with a methane-emitting meat burger in one hand and our foot on the fossil fuel gas pedal.”

Scientists and academics
Climate scientist and activist Peter Kalmus is a supporter of the treaty. He argues that, “Rapidly reducing animal agriculture and shifting humanity to a plant-based diet is one of the best, easiest and fastest things we can do to save the planet," Kalmus said. "It will also buffer food security in a time of increasing crop failures due to global heating. The world needs a Plant-Based Treaty.”

Politicians
Mayor Eric Adams declared XXXX Plant Based Treaty day, and praised the initiative for “its efforts to forge a healthful, equitable and sustainable New York City.”

Municipalities
Following the publication of an impact assessment report on Friday, January 13, 2023 presented at the Policy and Sustainability Committee on Tuesday, January 17 2023, Edinburgh City Council became the first European capital to endorse the Plant Based Treaty. The impact assessment claims that “diets high in plant protein and low in meat and dairy make for lower greenhouse gas emissions, and that consequently, shifting consumption towards plant-based diets has a major mitigation potential,” and states: “Overall, the science is clear, meat and dairy consumption must reduce to achieve climate targets.” The report shows food and diet account for 23% of Edinburgh’s consumption-based footprint, with 12% of these emissions from the consumption of meat.

The report states, “a shift to plant-based diets would therefore significantly reduce the city’s consumption-based emissions.”

Later on XXX the council voted in favour of a Plant Based Treaty Action Plan which included measures such as carbon labelling in universities.

Launch
The Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty Initiative officially launched at Climate Week NYC on September 25, 2020, at an event called "International Cooperation to Align Fossil Fuel Production with a 1.5°C World."[21] Tzeporah Berman, a Canadian environmental activist, was named the chair of the Treaty Initiative, and Alex Rafalowicz, the director of the Treaty Initiative. Berman has argued that by "explicitly addressing the supply side of the climate crisis, the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty offers a way for countries to shift course."[22] Berman has since argued that the Treaty would be a more genuine and realistic way to achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement than the "net zero" approach which, she claimed, is "delusional and based on bad science."[23] As Rafalowicz has put it, the "Treaty aims to be a complementary mechanism to the Paris Agreement by directly addressing the fossil fuel industry and putting the just transition at its core."[24] "The hope many academics, researchers, and activists have is that an international agreement to prevent the expansion of fossil fuels, to manage a fair global phase-out, and to guide a just transition could be used to preserve a planet that can support human life."[9] "The Treaty aims to be a complementary mechanism to the Paris Agreement by directly addressing the fossil fuel industry and putting the just transition at its core," according to Rafalowicz.[24]