ANIMAL
PETITIONS

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We urge the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) to demonstrate true climate leadership by encouraging the hosts of COP29 to provide 100% plant-based catering. Furthermore, we call on the UNFCCC to establish a policy mandating future climate conferences to offer exclusively plant-based catering, ideally showcasing locally sourced vegan organic (veganic) and agroecological produce.

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In addition, we ask the United Nations to lead by example and ensure that all of its summits, including the cafeteria at its New York City headquarters, provide 100% plant-based catering. This would align with Mayor Eric Adams' initiatives to make New York City a plant-based city, setting a precedent for other cities to follow.

From November 11 to November 22, 2024, the United Nations will hold its 29th annual climate change conference (COP29) in Baku, Abseron, Azerbaijan. COP28 in Dubai, attended by over 85,000 participants, including heads of state, government officials, industry leaders, academics, and civil society representatives, closed with an agreement that UN Climate Change Executive Secretary Simon Stiell described as "the beginning of the end" of the fossil fuel era. The path was laid for a swift, just, and equitable transition, underpinned by deep emissions cuts and scaled-up finance.

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Notably, COP28 featured a whole day devoted to food and agriculture for the first time ever, and saw the adoption of the COP28 UAE declaration on sustainable agriculture, resilient food systems, and climate action, laying out a roadmap for food systems.

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However, we need to place even greater emphasis on transforming our food systems. The current global food system, with its expanding meat, dairy, and egg consumption, is alarmingly transgressing planetary boundaries, risking food security, and harming human health and animal wellbeing. Even if fossil fuel emissions were halted today, emissions from the food system alone could increase global temperatures by more than 1.5ºC (Clark et al., 2020).

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By committing to 100% plant-based catering at UN climate conferences and events, the UNFCCC can lead by example and demonstrate the urgent need to shift towards sustainable, plant-based food systems as a crucial component of mitigating climate change and protecting our planet's future.

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We urge you to sign this petition and demand that the UNFCCC take decisive action to align its practices with its climate goals, setting a powerful precedent for governments, organizations, and individuals worldwide to embrace plant-based solutions.