An urgent transition away from animal agriculture is needed, in light of IPCC report – SAFE

The latest report from the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released overnight shows that global emissions are now on track to exceed the Paris Agreement’s 1.5 degrees celsius warning limit, reaching 3.2 degrees celsius by the end of the century.

SAFE CEO Debra Ashton said urgent action is needed to address the serious damage caused by animal agriculture.

“The IPCC has said ‘it’s now or never’ and we need to listen,” said Ashton.

SAFE’s recently launched Done with Dairy campaign has called out the dairy industry for being the largest emitter of greenhouse gases in Aotearoa. The campaign is calling on the Government to urgently create a plan to support farmers to transition out of the sector.

“Our largest contributor to greenhouse gas emissions is animal agriculture. If we don’t start transitioning now, we’ll be facing a much tougher task in years to come. ”

The IPCC warned that to avoid catastrophic outcomes, greenhouse gas emissions must peak by 2025 and be reduced by 43% by 2030. At the same time, methane would also need to be reduced by about a third.

The dairy industry accounts for 22.4% and is Aotearoa’s biggest climate polluter. In the last 30 years, the industry’s total emissions have grown 132%.

Recently, the Netherlands initiated a plan to assist their farmers and reduce the impact of intensive animal agriculture. Farmers will have access to a buy-out scheme to either exit the industry, or transition to more sustainable farming systems.

“We need radical change if we’re going to avoid the worst effects of climate change. Aotearoa needs to urgently implement policies that shifts our economy towards sustainable plant-based agriculture.”