Climates is calling on meat eaters to make their New Year resolution to ‘go climatarian’ for an easy way to make a big impact on climate change and help save paradise island communities from extinction.

Before the Paris climate summit the fate of low-lying islands like the Maldives, Kiribati and the Marshall Islands appeared sealed: they would be washed away by rising seas if global warming reached 2^oC.

But the unprecedented target agreed in Paris, aiming to limit global temperature rise to 1.5 ^oC⁽¹⁾, brings new hope for these islands - if we all act now, and fast. It’s up to all of us, not just governments and business, to rapidly reduce carbon emissions that are fuelling climate change.

The good news is there’s an easy way individuals can have a big impact. 

If everybody in the UK adopted a Climatarian diet it could cut national carbon emissions by nearly 10%. In the US the GHG savings could be nearly five percent⁽²⁾. 

People can pledge to go Climatarian and track how much carbon they save day by day at www.climatesnetwork.com/m/articles/view/Climatarian.

Climatarians are meat eaters who replace beef and lamb in their daily diet with chicken or pork. Food causes 20-30% of all global greenhouse gas emissions and beef and lamb have about five times more climate impact than pork and poultry⁽³⁾.

Climates’ Founder, Biba Hartigan, said, “If you make just one change to your life in 2016, Go Climatarian to show solidarity with all the peoples whose paradise islands will be washed away by climate change. 

“At the climate summit the message from island communities like Kiribati and the Maldives couldn’t have been starker: ‘1.5 to stay alive’. They’re facing extinction from rising sea levels if we don’t act fast. I for one can’t stand by when I know that simply changing what I eat could make a big difference.”

“Going climatarian is a win-win diet: it is good for the planet, it is good for health and you’ll be helping threatened communities.”

A vegan - plant based - diet has the lowest carbon impact⁽⁹⁾.

The climatarian diet was devised by Climates network, as an easy way for individuals to reduce their carbon footprint without giving up meat.  The average UK citizen eating 110g of meat a day could save a tonne of CO₂e a year, equivalent to three return short-haul flights or driving 3,500 miles a year.

Photo courtesy of Ginny under Creative Commons Licence