James Cameron and Arnold Schwarzenegger Promote Eating Less Meat to Save the Planet
An Environmental Article from All-Creatures.org

From

Joe Loria, Mercy for Animals
June 2016

A recent Vanity Fair article highlights James Cameron and Arnold Schwarzenegger’s fight against climate change through meat reduction.

Longtime friends, the famed duo has created a new PSA on the impact of meat production on our planet, taking aim at China and the United States, two lead contributors of carbon emissions.

“If the world ran like my sets do, everybody would be plant-based right now,” said Cameron. The legendary actor-director and committed vegan activist understands that asking the world to go plant-based might be a stretch. For now, he’ll settle for convincing people to reduce their meat consumption.

A recent VICE article discusses animal agriculture’s impact on our climate, and it’s frightening. Worldwide, livestock accounts for about 15 percent of global emissions. That’s more than all forms of transportation combined.

Cameron tells Vanity Fair how the Chinese diet was primarily plant-based for centuries but recently became more Westernized and animal-based. “The irony is they’ve had it right for centuries and they’re only changing now to be like us.”

The effect of animal agriculture on our planet is already on the Chinese government’s radar. Just last month, Chinese leaders released an updated set of dietary guidelines. They’re urging citizens to consume 50 percent less meat to help protect resources like water and land as well as substantially reduce global emissions.

Arnold Schwarzenegger, former California governor, recognizes the connection between eating meat and climate change. Last December, he told the BBC that “28% of the greenhouse gasses come from eating meat and from raising cattle, so we can do a much better job.”

Reducing meat consumption to save the planet is an important message to share. You, too, can help combat climate change by ditching animal products altogether and switching to an environmentally friendly vegan diet.

As Cameron once said, “There’s no such thing as a meat-eating environmentalist.”

Return to Environmental Articles