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.]