Plant Based Treaty
Georgie PURCELL (Northern Victoria) (09:45): The Climate Change Authority has just told the federal government what many of us have been saying for a long time: Australians must cut back on red meat in order to reach net zero by 2050. In fact the future of our planet relies on it. Fighting fossil fuels simply is not enough. We must transform our food system and we must do it urgently. That is why one of my first actions as a member of Parliament was to endorse the Plant Based Treaty. Animal agribusiness is one of the driving forces behind the climate emergency, yet it remains the cow in the room that no other politicians want to talk about. It does not just stop there. Our exploitation of animals is also causing extensive biodiversity loss, deforestation, species extinction, water depletion, soil degradation and ocean dead zones. Just like the Paris agreement, the Plant Based Treaty recognises that no one single country can tackle the ecological impact of animal agriculture by itself. A global solution to a global emergency is essential to avert a climate catastrophe, and while so many focus on corporations and industries to bring about change, we all have the individual power and the responsibility as well. The world is burning, and if we are genuinely serious about ensuring that our planet is inhabitable in the future, I urgently call on my colleagues in the Parliament here and around Australia to add their name to the Plant Based Treaty too.