On the 24th of May, I attended a very interesting virtual panel discussion. As the title suggests, it was on the topic of plant-based diets and public policy. This is right up my street and I could not wait to attend once I found out about it, thanks kindly to one of my supervisors who informed me about it.
It was hosted by PlantEurope, a European Network for a Plant-Based Diet.
The event provided a platform for stakeholders to discuss the importance of incorporating plant-based diets into public policy as a means to promote health and environmental sustainability, from different perspectves, including talks given by health professionals and those in government positions.
In recent years, there has thankfully been a growing recognition of the benefits of plant-based diets for personal health, environmental sustainability, and, close to my heart, animal welfare. While this movement has gained traction worldwide, with more and more people taking on Veganuary each year, some countries have emerged as pioneers in embracing and promoting plant-based lifestyles. Countries like Denmark, France, Belgium, and specifically Ghent, the veggie capital of Belgium, are doing great, positive work in terms of heading towards a more plant-based future. This also hopefully could allow Ireland to lead as an example and join this global movement towards a sustainable and compassionate society, away from profit-driven, mass-scale animal agricultural practices.
Perhaps a large-scale plan could be put in place here in Ireland, that shares compassion for all, including animals and our many hard-working farmers. After all, farming is deeply rooted here, so why not do it more environmentally conciously?
The conversation needs to be started about where our future is heading – hopefully in a plant-based, empathetic, and caring direction, allowing to help us to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions. Agriculture is our biggest source of greenhouse gas emissions, emittings about 38.4% of our total emissions, mainly from livestock ruminant animals (EPA, 2022). Something’s got to give.
A better world isn’t impossible to achieve, we just perhaps need to embrace more holistic, plant-based, and compassionate mindsets to allow for a sustainable future for us and future generations…
