Our Open Letter

We have united with climate-conscious celebrities, politicians, campaigners and businesses to send an urgent wake-up call about the two biggest global threats we currently face – a global pandemic and catastrophic climate breakdown – and their link to our diets. We are urging everyone to make 2021 the year for positive change and help protect the planet and prevent future pandemics by trying vegan this January.

2021 IS THE YEAR FOR POSITIVE CHANGE –
TOGETHER WE CAN BUILD A BETTER FUTURE

2020 has been an unforgettable year, with our attention divided between fears over coronavirus and anxiety over climate change. What has become increasingly obvious is that these two threats have something in common; both are heavily linked to our consumption of animal products.

Animal agriculture is responsible for an estimated 14.5 percent of all human-generated greenhouse gas emissions. Oxford University researchers found that almost every animal product creates far more emissions than almost every plant product. Quite simply, we cannot tackle climate change while we farm and eat animals on an industrial scale.

Pandemic experts warn that because of overcrowded, squalid conditions, factory farms – especially chicken farms – are breeding grounds for the next global pandemic.1 Already these farms have given us H1N1 (swine flu) and H5N1 (avian flu), the latter having a 60 percent mortality rate.2

More than one billion tonnes of food must be grown to feed the billions of animals we farm3 – far more than is needed if people were to eat plants. That farmland has to come from somewhere, and all too often it is taken from the wild.

In recent years, more than 80 percent of deforestation in Brazil was to graze farmed animals,4 and still more forests are destroyed to make way to grow crops to feed animals on farms around the world. Deforestation is serious for lots of reasons. It pushes wild species to extinction. It displaces indigenous peoples. It drives climate change. And it brings us in ever closer contact with wild animals and any viruses they may harbour, raising the risk of another pandemic.

Catastrophic climate breakdown and global pandemics could not be more serious, but they are not inevitable. If we act now, the future can be better. So, let’s go into 2021 with positivity and a determination to do all we can to protect our planet, its wild spaces and the health and wellbeing of all its inhabitants. To do that, we must change our diets.

Today, we are urging everyone to help build a better future by signing up to try vegan this January with Veganuary. Together, we can create a world that is kinder and safer for all.

Signatories

  • Alan Cumming

    Actor
    UK

    Albert Schweitzer Stifung für unsere Mitwelt

    NGO
    Germany

    Alicia Silverstone

    Actor
    US

    Amelia Mist

    Made in Chelsea Star
    UK

    Animal Libre

    NGO
    International

    Anne Menden

    Actor
    Germany

    Anthony Mullally

    International rugby player
    UK

    Ariane Sommer

    Model and Author
    Germany

    Ariel Kraselnik

    Doctor
    Argentina

    Aveda (Estee Lauder)

    Toiletries and cosmetics company
    UK

    Baroness Jenny Jones

    Member of the House of Lords
    UK

    Bella Ramsey

    Actor
    UK

    Benjamin Zephaniah

    Poet
    UK

    Beverley Callard

    Actor
    UK

    Bryan Adams

    Musician
    UK

    Carl Donnelly

    Comedian
    UK

    Caroline Lucas MP

    Member of Parliament
    UK

    Centre for a Responsible Future

    NGO
    Singapore

    Chris Packham

    Broadcaster and naturalist
    UK

    Chrissie Hynde

    Singer songwriter
    US/UK

    Christina Rees MP

    Member of Parliament
    UK

    Crica Wolthers

    Entrepeneur, angel investor, CEO Zen App
    Brazil

    Dakota Blue Richards

    Actor
    UK

    Dale Vince

    Football club owner and businessman
    UK

    Deborah Meaden

    Businesswoman
    UK

    Derek Sarno

    Chef and Director of Plant Based Innovation at Tesco
    UK

    Djurens Rätt

    NGO
    Sweden

    Dotsie Bausch

    Olympic Cyclist
    US

    Dustin Watten

    International volleyall player
    US

    Edie Falco

    Actor
    US

    Eliana Albasetti

    Actor
    Chile

    Emiliano D’Avila

    Actor
    Brazil

    Emily Fleeshman

    Actor
    UK

    Emma Woods

    CEO, Wagamama
    UK

    Enrico Rapalin

    Audiovisual producer
    Argentina

    Eva Henderson

    Nutritionist
    Argentina

    Evanna Lynch

    Actor
    UK

    Fernando Gabeira

    Journalist, writer, former Federal Congressman (Green Party)
    Brazil

    FNDPA – Fórum Nacional de Defesa e Proteção Animal

    Animal Protection NGO
    Brazil

  • Friends of the Earth

    Environmental NGO
    UK

    Fry’s Family

    Food producer
    UK

    Georgia Meacham

    Actor & Model
    UK

    Green Monday

    Social Venture Group
    International

    Greenpeace UK

    Environmental NGO
    UK

    Heather Mills

    Model, skier and businesswoman
    UK

    Henry Smith MP

    Member of Parliament
    UK

    India Reynolds

    Model and influencer
    UK

    James Moore

    Actor
    UK

    Jamie-Lee Kriewitz

    Singer
    Germany

    Jane Fallon

    Author
    UK

    Jane Goodall

    Primatologist
    US/UK

    Jasmine Harman

    TV presenter
    UK

    Jason Gillespie

    Cricketer
    Australia

    Jeff and Sandra Beck

    Guitarist
    UK

    John Bishop

    Comedian
    UK

    John Robins

    Comedian
    UK

    Johnny Marr

    Musician
    UK

    Jon Richardson

    Comedian
    UK

    Jonathan Bartley

    Co-Leader of the Green Party
    UK

    Josh Franceschi

    Musician
    UK

    Julieta Valente

    Writer
    Argentina

    Kaya Yanar

    Comedian
    Germany

    Kellie Bright

    Actor
    UK

    Kerry McCarthy MP

    Member of Parliament
    UK

    Kuntal Joisher

    Mountaineer
    India

    Leslie Clio

    Singer
    Germany

    Lily Cole

    Model, actor
    UK

    LiveKindly Co

    Media outlet
    UK

    Liz Solari

    Actor
    Argentina

    Lucas Reiber

    Actor
    Germany

    Lucy Watson

    Model and influencer
    UK

    Made with Luve

    Food Producer
    Germany

    Marcela Manuzza

    Nutritionist
    Argentina

    María Paz Orrego

    Nutritionist
    Chile

    Marie Wegener

    Singer
    Germany

    Matías Vega

    Actor
    Chile

    Matthias Weidenhöfer

    Actor
    Germany

    Mayim Bialik

    Actor
    US

  • Meatless Farm Co

    Food producer
    UK

    Melanie Joy

    Founding President of Beyond Carnism
    US

    Moses Pelham

    Rapper
    Germany

    Natalia Rosa

    Actor
    Brazil

    Nico Soto

    Doctor
    Chile

    Oli Sykes

    Musician
    UK

    Oliver Petszokat

    Singer
    Germany

    Oumph!

    Food producer
    UK

    Patrik Baboumian

    Strongman
    Germany

    Paul McCartney

    Musician
    UK

    Peter Egan

    Actor
    UK

    Peter Tatchell

    Human rights campaigner
    UK

    Prof. Daniel Braga Lourenço, PhD

    Coordinator at the Centre for Environmental Ethics – UFRJ
    Brazil

    Prof. Paula Brugger, PhD

    Ecological Justice Observatory Research Group – UFSC
    Brazil

    ProVeg International

    NGO
    Germany

    Quorn

    Food Producer
    UK

    Rebecca Callard

    Actor and TV script writer
    UK

    Ricky Gervais

    Comedian
    UK

    Sage Kotsenburg

    Olympic Snowboarder
    US

    Sam Carter

    Musician
    UK

    Sara Pascoe

    Comedian
    UK

    Seth Tibbot

    Founder and Chairman of The Tofurky Company
    US

    Soledad Pérez

    Politician
    Chile

    Stefan Eck

    Former Member of the European Parliament
    Germany

    Steffen Groth

    Actor
    Germany

    SVB – Sociedade Vegetariana Brasileira

    Brazilian Vegetarian Society NGO
    Brazil

    The Vegan Society

    NGO
    UK

    Tig Notaro

    Comedian
    US

    Tim Bengel

    Artist
    Germany

    Ünsal Arik

    Boxer
    Germany

    Vantastic Foods

    Food Producer
    Germany

    Vegane Gesellschaft Schweiz

    NGO
    Switzerland

    Veganz

    Food Producer
    Germany

    Wheaty & Veggyness

    Food Producer
    Germany

    Xuxa Meneghel

    TV Broadcaster, actor
    Brazil

1. The Guardian
2. Ibid
3. Poultry News
4. United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, State of the World’s Forests 2016