I was very conflicted before writing this post because it might seem like the usual article that just wants to bring controversy and division among people and I think there is enough of that in the world.

But this post of mine wants to be a call to action for all of us, regardless of our beliefs, the color of our skin or our sex.

In this last year alone there have been 84% more fires than last year.

More than 72,000 fires in the Amazon: 400,000 square kilometers of greenery razed to the ground and hundreds of thousands of charred animals.

Then Africa. The Arctic.

Indonesia. West China. Ukraine.

And now Australia.

In New South Wales alone, over 4 million hectares have been burnt, twice the size of Lombardy. Half a billion animals, innocent, desperate people, are dead.

Some still believe Climate Change is a hoax.
Some people pretend it's nothing and change the conversation.
Some say the fires have always been there.

In part, it is true that fires are part of ecological processes (not arson and the Amazonian forest, humid for most of the year, does not burn naturally), but what is happening today is completely different. What are burning now are the last pieces of a natural ecosystem that we cannot afford to give up.

I hope I am wrong, but my feeling is that we are very close to the point of no return. If we do not act now, it will be too late.

Praying and participating in prayer groups is very good.
Sending energy too.
But on top of all that, we need to act.
Prayer certainly works, but we stop there in situations where there is nothing else we can do.
Here there is something we can do.
We can do much more.

We need to limit global warming and reduce CO2 emissions to zero well before 2050. How do we do that? By using the (very limited) resources of the planet in a conscious way. And by changing our nutrition.

According to several scientific studies, all means of transport together account for only 13% of the cause of CO2 emissions. Nutrition (livestock farms) accounts for 51%.

Joseph Poore researcher at Oxford University said: "A vegan diet is probably the most effective way to reduce the impact on planet Earth, not only greenhouse gases but also global acidification, soil and water consumption. An individual can reduce their ecological footprint by up to 73% by cutting dairy products and meat from their diet. This is a much greater impact than buying an electric vehicle or reducing air travel."

Every day, a person who eats vegan saves the equivalent of:

  • 4,164 liters of water
  • 20.5 kilos of cereal
  • 2.8 sqm of forest area
  • 9 kilos of CO2
  • and the life of an animal.

Even just starting by making a commitment to this diet for 1 or 2 days a week makes a difference for us and the children of tomorrow. It makes the difference between the destruction of the planet and survival. What are we waiting for?

P.S. Some people think that environmental impact can be lessened by choosing meat and dairy farmed with sustainable methods. Examples include freshwater and grass-fed beef. However, Poore says that: “Avoiding consumption of animal products delivers far better environmental benefits than trying to purchase sustainable meat and dairy.” Studies showed that even sustainable farming methods can pose environmental problems. For example, the conversion of grass into the meat (in the grass-fed beef industry) is ‘like converting coal to energy’. This means it produces a lot of emissions and therefore is not an environmentally sound choice.