Our Letter to Rishi Sunak to Take Climate Action Seriously

Viva! has written a letter to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, urging him to read Viva!’s new guide and take climate action seriously.

Enclosed within the letter is Viva!’s brand new Vegan for the Planet Guide – Why vegan diets are best for wildlife, the environment and the future a mini review of the latest research which looks at how the world’s food systems impact the environment and biodiversity. Read the letter and see how you can get involved below:

3 May 2023

Dear Rishi Sunak

Viva! are the UK’s leading vegan campaigning charity and have been running high-profile animal and environmental campaigns since 1994. Please find enclosed Viva!’s latest environment guide Vegan for the Planet – Why vegan diets are best for wildlife, the environment and the future. This mini-review of the latest research looks at how the world’s food systems impact the environment and biodiversity.

Demand for meat, dairy, fish and eggs lies at the heart of every single environmental problem. Currently, the UK is falling woefully short of recognising this, under your watch as prime minister.

Nowhere in the UK’s latest Net Zero Strategy or Paris Climate Agreement and Nationally Determined Contributions is there a mention of veganism or even dietary change. This omission completely ignores a huge body of research from experts in their field showing that animal agriculture is responsible for one fifth of all greenhouse gas emissions and is the leading cause of wildlife loss worldwide.

At Viva!, we are dismayed at the UK Government’s persistent refusal to recognise the role animal agriculture plays in climate breakdown and the loss of biodiversity. The UK has the potential to lead the way in transformative climate action. This guide focuses on why meat and dairy are so damaging and how changing the way we eat is the single most effective action we can take to lower our impact on the planet. You now have a chance to change our broken food system for the better.

We implore you to read this guide and take its contents seriously. Temperatures have already risen 1.1°C above pre-industrial levels. The IPCC says that if we are to have any hope of limiting warming to 1.5°C, beyond which we will be tipped into catastrophic and irreversible climate impacts, we need to act fast to reduce emissions now. The impacts of the climate crisis are already being felt across the world and in the UK – just look at the devastating heatwaves last year. These extreme weather events will only worsen if your party continues to sit by. Our planet is burning, wildlife is on the brink of extinction and people are dying because of climate inaction.

If your party is serious about ensuring the health, prosperity and future of our nation and its people, you need to put changing our food system at the top of the climate agenda. To secure a liveable and sustainable future for all, we need to move away from meat and dairy. As a nation we can choose to be part of the solution or we can choose to continue contributing to our own demise.

I hope this guide gives you the information you need to make the right decision. Decide to take action. Decide to put veganism on the agenda.

Get Involved

If you agree with the points we have laid out to Rishi Sunak, head over to Twitter, or any other of your chosen social media, and comment on Rishi Sunak’s accounts asking him to read our guide. Suggested comment:

• @RishiSunak our planet is burning, wildlife is on the brink of extinction and people are dying, because of climate inaction. Read @vivacampaigns new Vegan for the Planet guide and support a transition to a vegan society.

Profiles:

• Twitter: @RishiSunak
• Instagram: @rishisunakmp
• Facebook: RishiSunak

Thank you for your support!