In light of a plethora of scientific evidence stressing the grave state of our planet caused by climate change and the urgent need for immediate action, Supreme Master Ching Hai affirms the important message she has been delivering for over the past two decades: we must be vegetarian, meaning an animal-free diet,
and we must practice sustainable living.


May 4, 2008 - Monaco The significance of a vegetarian diet, one that is animal free, is further supported by the 2006 UN report, “Livestock’s Long Shadow,” which states that raising animals for livestock generates more carbon emissions than all of the world’s transport combined.

Furthermore, in late 2009 the Worldwatch Institute published a new study called “Livestock and Climate Change” which revealed that “livestock and their byproducts account for at least 51% of the annual worldwide greenhouse gas emissions.”

In fact, farm animals also release other noxious gases including methane, a gas that is 72 times more potent a greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide over a 20-year period.

After over 20  years of sharing her knowledge on how to live a balanced life while pursuing a spiritual path, Supreme Master Ching Hai continues to dedicate her time and effort to uplift and enhance the life of all beings.

Motivated by her unconditional love and overflowing compassion for our planet and its co-inhabitants, humans and animals alike, Supreme Master Ching Hai selflessly accepts invitations to share her insights and wisdom on the topic of global warming and climate change, such as at gatherings with our Association members,
symposiums, interviews, video messages, or via live videoconferences and the like.

Today we present to you Supreme Master Ching Hai’s video message to the Association of Mexican Magistrates Pro Environment Justice on October 29, 2009 in Mexico City, Mexico, and her interview by Country Focus on BBC Radio Wales on November 12, 2009.

Greetings，honorable magistrates，esteemed judges，respected assistants，noble ladies and gentlemen.
I am deeply honored and humbled by the invitation to participate in this special occasion，inaugurating your new program，the 『Diploma Participation in Environmental Rights.』 As a fellow concerned citizen of this world，I offer my congratulations and gratitude for this sincere endeavor that demonstrates your high degree of care and dedication to the environment and our world.

May it strengthen your ability to carry out what is most just for all beings on this planet. Today，I am very honored to offer my humble contribution toward your wise rulings by sharing some of the newest scientific evidence about climate change and its most urgent cause.

A. CLIMATE EFFECTS & THREATS

We have signs of imminent crisis that are evident in all corners of the world. First，storms have nearly doubled in intensity over the past ５ years，as we can see in Mexico’s own recent hurricanes and floods，which left damage，trauma and grieving families.

Meanwhile，sea levels are rising and at a faster pace，with at least １８ island nations that have completely disappeared and many more coastal areas continually threatened.

Once towering glaciers are receding so fast that over ２ billion people are already short of water and food.
Many more suffer shortage as tens of thousands of rivers and waters are gone or drying. Mexico herself is currently undergoing the worst drought in nearly ７０ years.

With ３００，０００ fellow human beings now dying each year due to climate change，more than ２０ million have been displaced as 『climate refugees.』 Scientists also worry about the billions of tons of methane sitting beneath the now-melting Arctic permafrost and the ever-warming oceans. Just a fraction released from either one could trigger mass extinctions.

B. THE CAUSE
What causes these damaging changes？
It’s not cars，ships or planes. It is not coal plants，and it’s not even all the smoke-spewing industries in our world. The number one cause of global warming is: livestock.

Recent research tells us that livestock raising is responsible for more than ５０％ of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions. Livestock is the single largest source of human-generated methane，a greenhouse gas that traps at least ７２ times more heat than ＣＯ２，as measured over a ２０-year period.

The good news about this heat-trapping methane is that this gas is also more short-lived than ＣＯ２ and disappears very quickly by comparison. ＣＯ２，(carbon dioxide) stays in the atmosphere for thousands of years，while the lifetime of methane in the atmosphere is only about １２ years. In other words，methane does much more damage in the short run but if we stop it，we will be able to reverse the trend of global warming very fast.

Therefore，to rapidly halt global warming，to halt the emission of methane，we must stop its #１ source: that is，livestock breeding.

C. LIVESTOCK
Now，we talk about livestock. Livestock raising is responsible for countless adverse environmental effects，each of which further aggravates global warming. According to the United Nations and other studies，livestock raising is known to cause the following devastating effects:

１. Deforestation:
Livestock raising is the single largest human use of land，and the main reason for deforestation. Since １９７０，livestock production has been responsible for ９０％ of the Amazon deforestation，to clear land for pasture and grow animal feed crops.

A rainforest area the size of a football field is destroyed every second to produce just ２５０ hamburgers. Scientists warn that if we continue on this damaging path，the Earth’s forests will soon stop absorbing greenhouse gases，and instead will start to release huge quantities of carbon dioxide (ＣＯ２). Moreover，deforestation for livestock activities also produces black carbon.

Black carbon is a greenhouse particle that is ６８０ times as heat-trapping as ＣＯ２，and causes the ice sheets and glaciers around the world to melt even faster. Up to ４０％ of black carbon emissions come from burning forests for livestock.

２. Soil erosion and desertification:
Over ５０％ of the world’s oil erosion is caused by livestock，which along with deforestation leads to desertification.

３. Biodiversity loss:
Livestock is the leading cause of animal and plant extinction due to land degradation and other habitat-destroying effects. The livestock industry is killing off our beautiful wildlife，including Mexico's own.

４. Deadly pollution:
Of all sectors，the meat industry is the biggest source of water pollution. Excessive and unregulated animal waste，chemical fertilizers，pesticides，antibiotics，and other livestock-related contaminants choke our waterways and create oceanic dead zones，such as the massive one in the Gulf of Mexico.

５. Disease:
Over ６５％ of human infectious diseases are known to be transmitted by animals.  The filthy and inhumane conditions of factory farming harbor lethal bacteria and viruses such as avian and swine flu，
which we all know is a pandemic continuing its global deadly toll.

６. Food waste:
Livestock uses up to １２ times the amount of grain as the same amount of vegetable protein. About ７３０ million tons of the world’s grain harvests are used to produce animal protein.
This could feed all the hungry people，numbering １ billion in the world，and many times over.

７. Water waste:
It takes over １，２００ gallons of water to grow １ serving of beef，but only ９８ gallons of water for one complete，nutritionally balanced vegan meal. While １.１ billion people lack access to safe drinking water，we waste ３.８ trillion tons of precious clean water each year for livestock production.

８. Energy and Resource waste:  
Animal products require ８ times as much fossil fuel energy to be produced，compared to vegetable products. A study found that meat and dairy production in Mexico use the most agricultural supplies and resources in the country，and this is reflected elsewhere around the world as well. All the evidence speaks so loud and clear. If these resources – land，water，and grain – were turned instead towards the direct support of human life instead of livestock，what a different world we would have.

Respected climate scientists including Dr. James Hansen of NASA，Dr. Carlos Nobre of Brazil’s National Institute for Space Research，and Dr. Rajendra Pachauri，head of the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) – all have stated that reducing meat consumption or becoming vegetarian would be an effective solution to global warming.

That is，we have to live an animal-free lifestyle，a compassionate lifestyle. Now，I will present just some of the many benefits of a vegan organic diet.

D. We have VEG BENEFITS.  

First，the land for grazing and feed-growing could become forests that help reduce global warming. In addition，if all tillable land were turned into organic vegetable farmland，not only would people be fully fed，
but up to ４０％ of all the greenhouse gases in the atmosphere could be absorbed. This is in addition to the elimination of over ５０％ of emissions caused by livestock raising.

 Therefore，in sum，we eliminate most of the human-made greenhouse gases by simply adopting the animal-free vegan organic lifestyle. This also leads to considerable financial savings for world governments.
It has been calculated that by shifting to a vegan diet，the world’s governments would save US$３２ trillion by ２０５０，or a full ８０％ of total climate mitigation costs.

Finally，of course，there are the excellent health benefits of the vegan diet，which has been shown to prevent cancer significantly. It prevents and reverses heart disease and diabetes.

It boosts the immune system，extends longevity，and preserves the health，intelligence，and calmness of the adults and children alike.

In closing，honorable sirs and madams，the great country of Mexico has always looked toward advancement in her environmental actions，and are planning to be at the forefront to combat climate change and protect the world.

The Mexican Constitution even states that 『all persons have the right to an environment appropriate for their development and well-being.』 Bravo. At this most urgent time for the planet，I beseech your honorable graces to please help your country and our world spare lives from the impending global warming calamity.

If you don’t，there will be too massive a catastrophe，too immense a suffering upon people，families，the children，that our conscience might never be able to bear it.

I can only honor you with the truth when I say that we must become vegan to save our planet.
We cannot wait for the sustainable energy and green technology to be available and used by everyone. It would be too late.

I call upon the courage of all counsel present，with the authority and power vested in you， may you lead your co-citizens toward the noble，virtuous，life-saving，and planet-sustaining path. Thank you

for your attention. God bless you all. God bless us all. God bless Mexico. Thank you. [Muchas gracias.]


After a memorable visit to the beautiful woodland in Cwn Mynach，Wales，which is protected by the Woodland Trust，UK’s leading woodland conservation charity，Huw Jenkins was impressed and wanted to know more about Supreme Master Ching Hai’s £１００，０００ contribution to the preservation of one of Wales’ natural wonderlands.

Mr. Jenkins asked，『Of all the places in the world，why did you choose to help this remote woodland
in a valley in Wales？』

Supreme Master Ching Hai : Okay，sir，if you ask why，then why do we help Darfur？
Why Katrina (Hurricane Katrina)？
Why do we plant trees in Âu Lạc (Vietnam)？
Why in Mongolia？ Why do we give water in Kenya？
Why，why，why…many others，I can’t list them all，because we just do them，and then we forget them，you know？ Okay. And now，it seems like a very beautiful
piece of the wild，for what I’ve seen in the picture.
(Yes.) And it seems like they’re very sincere to preserve it. And it seems like their goal is reachable，like one million dollars something. So，I would really like to help them to do it.. I wish I could give them the whole sum of money to buy it; I would do it myself，you see？

Huw Jenkins then asked，『So you do similar projects in other parts of the world？』

Supreme Master Ching Hai : Oh，many. We have many. It’s just that we do what we can because our planet is in trouble everywhere. I wish I could do more than that. It’s just I’m an individual person，and I earn whatever I can earn – my honest money and labor – and whatever I know I can help，I help. There’s no particular this or that. And sometimes I also have helped other projects，similar，but we don’t always list it on TV; and not everybody knows，not even my people know about it.

We just do what we can，everywhere，according to the need and according to my means at that time.

On the topic of global warming，Mr. Jenkins recounted how he had heard a man from Australia calling in to the radio station to say，『This is just part of a natural cycle，the world has warmed and cooled many times over its life. And what’s happening at the moment is just a natural process.』 According to Mr. Jenkins，the radio caller claimed that the current weather patterns are completely natural and not a result of human activities. Thus Mr. Jenkins posed the question to Supreme Master Ching Hai，『What do you think of those views？』

Supreme Master Ching Hai : No，no. Maybe he didn’t do so much research lately. But there are so many esteemed scientists who have proven otherwise，and they have evidence for it.
We have collected many of those information on www.SupremeMasterTV.com，if you would like to refer to them. For example，one of the scientists said that according to the research，at this time of our planet，if it’s natural，then it should be cooler at this time，at this era of our planet; but then it became hotter. So that’s not natural at all，going against the trend，yes.

And many of their measurements and many of the proven research and experiments have told us that animal raising is producing methane，which is heating up our planet ７２ times more than ＣＯ２.

And besides，another scientist has also proven that ＣＯ２ is also cancelled out by aerosols; even though both of them are not good for us，but at least the thing that is heating up our planet is not ＣＯ２，because it’s cancelled out already at the same time. And it’s not as heat-trapping as methane and others，
like nitrous oxide，for example.

We have to do a lot more research before we can conclude anything. And if you would like to know all this research，recently，we have it on SupremeMasterTV.com，all free of charge for anyone to download any time.

Thereafter，Mr. Jenkins inquired of Supreme Master Ching Hai，『So your donation to the Woodland Trust will go some way to help halt the global warming. Is that the intention？』

Supreme Master Ching Hai : Yes，sir. Yes，sir. Many other similar projects we did，like help people to plant trees in Mongolia where there’s a lot of desertification. In Âu Lạc (Vietnam) also，because of erosion and global warming.

And other projects，sometimes not listed，or not announced，yes; similar，yes. Of course，wherever I can，I help to halt global warming，as much as I can; but I can only do what I can.

If every one of us does similarly，then we can help stop the climate change and save our world.

Mr. Jenkins’ final question to Supreme Master Ching Hai was，『In Wales，do you have any other project that you are involved in，or this is the first and to date，the only project in Wales？』

Supreme Master Ching Hai : I think it’s the first one，but there’re some other connected with Wales which I can’t reveal to you. Sometimes the organization doesn’t want to be revealed.

When we donate，or we help somebody，we don’t really want to have our names or to be broadcast on the air; it is an embarrassing thing. It’s just that because of our urgent situation right now，I sometimes sacrifice my principle to let it be aired so that other people might know that，『okay，we can do something.』
Maybe they’d want to do what I do，to help that particular organization or the other particular organization，or some of the disaster victims，etc.，etc.

You have to do by example. That’s what I think. Normally，we should not even talk about what we do，
the good things，the so-called good things.

As the interview came to a conclusion，Mr. Jenkins inquired，『Master Ching Hai，is there anything else you would like to contribute or to say at this stage？』

Supreme Master Ching Hai : I would really like to plead with all the people to please awaken to our dire situation of the planet，and just do what we can in our individual capacity.

And the easiest and fastest thing we can do is just to become vegan，so that we don’t have to raise more animals – to feed them and to take care of them…

and then because they emit a lot of methane into the air，and that warms our planet. And ５５-plus billion… murdered every year. It’s not the way we should keep going，especially if we want to save our planet.

All that land wasted，forest burnt，water used for animal raising…makes our world becomes depleted in many different ways – in water，in food，air quality，and now it’s eating up our planet.

All the evidence points to that direction: that if we stop animal raising our planet will cool down. Because the time given here is very short，I cannot report to you everything; but，please，refer to the website of www.SupremeMasterTV.com.

We collect all the information，data，and evidence for anyone to refer to so that you can inform yourself what to do for the planet. Very easy，just be vegan – every one of us，yes，one simple solution.