London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Aug 28, 2025

NGO urges leaders in COP27 to discuss ‘plant-based treaty’

NGO urges leaders in COP27 to discuss ‘plant-based treaty’

In open letter to world leaders, NGOs and climate activists call for ‘sustainable and just plant-based food transition’.

An NGO and climate activists have called on world leaders attending this year’s COP27 climate summit in Egypt to start negotiations for a “plant-based treaty”.

An open letter signed by celebrities, politicians, and businesses was delivered to COP27 President Sameh Shoukry, calling for “a broad, holistic approach to a sustainable and just plant-based food transition through a global Plant Based Treaty this decade to avert climate catastrophe”.

The treaty outlined three core principles; to stop the expansion of animal agriculture, promote a shift to sustainable plant-based diets, and “reforest and rewild” planet Earth.

Food production accounts for approximately a third of global greenhouse gas emissions and is the main threat to 86 percent of the world’s species at risk of extinction, while cattle ranching is responsible for three-quarters of Amazon rainforest loss.

Livestock accounts for nearly a third of the global methane emissions linked to human activity, released in the form of cattle burps, manure and the cultivation of feed crops.



According to the letter, fossil fuels and animal agriculture are the main driving forces behind global warming and climate change issues. The group said the three main greenhouse gases are at “devastatingly high levels and rapidly accelerating”.

The signatories hoped to bring the issue of a transition to plant-based food production to the forefront of food insecurity and the climate agenda.

They also hoped that world leaders would start negotiations for the treaty on COP27’s Agriculture and Adaptation Day on November 12.

“A step in the right direction would be an acknowledgement of the wastefulness of the animal industries of the Global North and their massively negative implications on food security all over the world,” Plant Based Treaty campaigner Maximilian Weiss, told Al Jazeera.

While the issue is becoming more mainstream in some regions such as the United Kingdom, Weiss said more is needed to be done using a “bottom-up” approach to pressure governments into including plant-based solutions in climate actions plans.

“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. It’s time for a plant-based food and renewable energy revolution,” said Anita Krajnc, Plant Based Treaty global campaign coordinator.


Impacts of ‘animal production’


“It is high time for decision-makers in the climate debate to stop overlooking the impact of animal production. We no longer have time to explain the links between animal agriculture, human rights, biodiversity, natural resources, and environmental protection,” said Anna Spurek, chief operating officer of Green Rev Institute.

“COP27 should be the moment to endorse the Plant Based Treaty and decide on a just transition of the global food system.”

Some of the measures to transition to a plant-based food system is making such food the default option in all public hospitals, schools, nursing homes, prisons and public institutions, the letter said.

According to the Plant Based Treaty organisers, the letter has been endorsed by more than 60,000 individuals and 2,000 groups and businesses. Among their main objectives is a “global agreement alongside action at all levels”, they said.

Earlier this week, a senior executive at the UN food agency told the Reuters news agency that the body aims to launch a plan within the year to make the world’s food system more sustainable.



Speaking to Reuters news agency on the sidelines of COP27, Food and Agriculture Organisation Deputy Director Zitouni Ould-Dada said the plan would show how the food industry and farming can align with the world’s goal of capping global warming at 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7F).

As Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has driven a surge in food prices globally, delegates at the conference were more open to discussing the issue, Ould-Dada said.

He added that the issue is also slowly gaining the attention of some governments.

According to Weiss, action from the UN food agency is “long overdue”.

“With just a decade to implement solutions, action needs to be bolder and faster,” he said.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Bruce Willis Relocated Due to Advanced Dementia
French and Korean Nuclear Majors Clash As EU Launches Foreign Subsidy Probe
EU Stands Firm on Digital Rules as Trump Warns of Retaliation
Getting Ready for the 3rd Time in Its History, Germany Approves Voluntary Military Service for Teenagers
Argentine President Javier Milei Evacuated After Stones Thrown During Campaign Event
Denmark Confronts U.S. Diplomat Over Covert Trump-Linked Influence in Greenland
Starmer Should Back Away from ECHR, Says Jack Straw
Trump Demands RICO Charges Against George Soros and Son for Funding Violent Protests
Taylor Swift Announces Engagement to NFL Star Travis Kelce
France May Need IMF Bailout, Warns Finance Minister
Chinese AI Chipmaker Cambricon Posts Record Profit as Beijing Pushes Pivot from Nvidia
After the Shock of Defeat, Iranians Yearn for Change
Ukraine Finally Allows Young Men Aged Eighteen to Twenty-Two to Leave the Country
The Porn Remains, Privacy Disappears: How Britain Broke the Internet in Ten Days
YouTube Altered Content by Artificial Intelligence – Without Permission
Welcome to The Definition of Insanity: Germany Edition
Just a reminder, this is Michael Jackson's daughter, Paris.
Spotify’s Strange Move: The Feature Nobody Asked For – Returns
Manhunt in Australia: Armed Anti-Government Suspect Kills Police Officers Sent to Arrest Him
China Launches World’s Most Powerful Neutrino Detector
How Beijing-Linked Networks Shape Elections in New York City
Ukrainian Refugee Iryna Zarutska Fled War To US, Stabbed To Death
Elon Musk Sues Apple and OpenAI Over Alleged App Store Monopoly
2 Australian Police Shot Dead In Encounter In Rural Victoria State
Vietnam Evacuates Hundreds of Thousands as Typhoon Kajiki Strikes; China’s Sanya Shuts Down
UK Government Delays Decision on China’s Proposed London Embassy Amid Concerns Over Redacted Plans
A 150-Year Tradition to Be Abolished? Uproar Over the Popular Central Park Attraction
A new faith called Robotheism claims artificial intelligence isn’t just smart but actually God itself
Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner Purchases Third Property Amid Housing Tax Reforms Debate
HSBC Switzerland Ends Relationships with Over 1,000 Clients from Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Qatar, and Egypt
Sharia Law Made Legally Binding in Austria Despite Warnings Over 'Incompatible' Values
Italian Facebook Group Sharing Intimate Images Without Consent Shut Down Amid Police Investigation
Dutch Foreign Minister Resigns Amid Deadlock Over Israel Sanctions
Trump and Allies Send Messages of Support to Ukraine on Independence Day Amid Ongoing Conflict
China Reels as Telegram Chat Group Shares Hidden-Camera Footage of Women and Children
Sam Nicoresti becomes first transgender comedian to win Edinburgh Comedy Award
Builders uncover historic human remains in Lancashire house renovation
Australia Wants to Tax Your Empty Bedrooms
MotoGP Cameraman Narrowly Avoids Pedro Acosta Crash at Hungarian Grand Prix
FBI Investigates John Bolton Over Classified Documents in High-Profile Raids
Report reveals OpenAI pitched national ChatGPT Plus subscription to UK ministers
Labour set to freeze income tax thresholds in long-term 'stealth' tax raid
Coca‑Cola explores sale of Costa coffee chain
Trial hears dog walker was chased and fatally stabbed by trio
Restaurateur resigns from government hospitality council over tax criticism
Spanish City funfair shut after serious ride injury
Suspected arson at Ilford restaurant leaves three in critical condition
Tottenham beat Manchester City to go top of Premier League
Bank holiday heatwave to hit 30°C before remnants of Hurricane Erin arrive
UK to deploy immigration advisers to West Africa to block fake visas
×