Six Ways to Drive Change During Climate Week

The massive annual event Climate Week NYC will take place this September from the 22nd through the 29th! Mercy For Animals is thrilled to join this global gathering for the third time, where leaders and changemakers from around the world converge to drive groundbreaking climate action. Hosted by international nonprofit Climate Group in partnership with the United Nations General Assembly, the event is a big deal! 

Mercy For Animals will be part of the first Tilt Collective Food Day on September 24 and will host a session on governmental and institutional food-purchasing policy, highlighting case studies from the United States and Brazil. 

Why does an animal protection group care about Climate Week? 

Despite animal agriculture’s devastating impacts on our planet, it is often sidelined in environmental conversations. This is because the powerful meat and dairy industries have done an excellent job at pushing their agendas, including advocating greenwashing tactics like biogas. 

In the United States between 2019 and 2023, agribusiness companies and industry associations spent more on federal lobbying than the oil and gas industry or the defense sector. At last year’s UN climate summit in Dubai, meat and dairy lobbyists participated in record numbers—more than three times the number of the previous year!

This is why groups like Mercy For Animals should be present during these conversations and make sure the truth comes out:

• Animal agriculture accounts for the majority of global food-system emissions despite providing only 18% of our calories and 37% of our protein.
• Animal agriculture is responsible for around 44% of human-caused emissions of methane, a powerful greenhouse gas about 80 times more potent at warming than carbon dioxide over a 20-year period.
• Food systems account for a third of all human-caused greenhouse gas emissions, And even if fossil fuel emissions were stopped today, current food-system trends would make achieving the Paris Agreement’s 1.5°C target impossible and its 2°C goal difficult.
• Raising animals for food accounts for at least 14.5% of global human-caused greenhouse gas emissions.

Take Action

We can’t let the meat lobby win! Here are six ways you can take action for Climate Week:

1. Pledge to choose plant-based foods for seven days, and encourage your friends and family to do the same! You’ll be amazed at the impact you can make simply by eating more kindly. 

2. Join us in urging the Biden administration to provide funding to help farmers transition to sustainable operations!

3. Ask restaurant chains to add more vegan options! From where we stand, adding a plant-based option is a no-brainer, but restaurants need to hear from customers before making menu changes.

4. Download our FREE How to Eat Veg guide, and prepare a vegan meal for your friends and family! The guide includes a one-week meal plan with great suggestions for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. 

5. Join Mercy For Animals’ global movement of changemakers who organize local events, take online actions, and support our mission in other ways with their skills and passion.

6. Spread the word about the devastating impacts of animal agriculture by sharing this blog post on social media! Make sure to tag @MercyForAnimals for a chance to be featured in our stories. 

Together, we can take a stand against the meat industry on behalf of our planet, animals, and humanity.