McCartney family sends open letter to British Prime Minister

www.PaulMcCartney.com

NOV

27

2015

McCartney Family Ask UK PM to Raise Meat

 Reduction at COP21

McCARTNEY FAMILY CALL ON PRIME MINISTER TO TAKE MEAT REDUCTION ON
BOARD AT COP21
Paul, Mary and Stella McCartney Write to David Cameron

London – As world leaders prepare to head to the climate conference (COP21) in Paris, Paul,
 Mary and Stella McCartney have written to David Cameron urging him to include meat 
reduction in the new global climate agreement.

In their open letter to the Prime Minister on behalf of the Meat Free Monday campaign, the 
McCartney family highlight how intensive meat production is a major contributor towards 
global environmental devastation and climate change. 

The family have been promoting Meat Free Monday since 2009: The campaign encourages 
people to reduce their environmental footprint and improve their health by having at least one 
meat free day each week.  With increasing evidence of the negative environmental impact of 
the global meat industry, they say that, “meat reduction is now more important than ever”.  

According to new research from the Center for a Livable Future at Johns Hopkins University, 
UN member countries can reduce their carbon emissions by up to 2% per year by going 
meat free one day a week.

The McCartney family also point out that their proposals can be implemented quickly and 
would have almost immediate environmental and health benefits.

In a video message released today alongside the letter, Paul McCartney encourages people 
to take up the idea. “Talk to your people, talk to the schools, talk to your friends, talk to 
anyone you need to talk to and encourage this idea,” he said.“If enough of us do it, it could 
really make a big difference."

For more information about the campaign, and for details about how to join Meat Free 
Monday at the People’s March for Climate in central London this Sunday, please visit
 meatfreemondays.com.

—

Open Letter to Rt Hon David Cameron MP, Prime Minister
 
Dear Prime Minister,
 
We are writing to you on behalf of Meat Free Monday, a campaign launched in the UK in 
2009. The aim of Meat Free Monday is to condense some complicated issues into a 
simple and effective message: to ask people to have at least one meat free day a week 
to help protect the planet and our future. 

Massive meat production creates harmful greenhouse gases and depletes precious r
esources, including land, water and energy, to increasingly unsustainable levels. It is a 
major contributor towards global environmental degradation and climate change and is 
also a major factor in loss of species and biodiversity – if present trends continue, over 
the next 100 years there will be a global mass extinction of species. With increasing 
evidence of the growth of the global meat industry having alarming environmental 
consequences, meat reduction is now more important than ever.  
 
Next week you and other world leaders will meet in Paris for the COP21 to try and reach 
an ambitious global climate deal that keeps global warming well below 2 degrees. A simple 
but significant environmental action that the UK and other countries can take, with the 
added benefit of improved health, would be to endorse Meat Free Monday.
 
Reducing demand for meat, even by a relatively small amount, would have a significant 
impact on greenhouse gas emissions. In fact, according to new research by the Center for 
a Livable Future at Johns Hopkins University, UN member countries can reduce their 
carbon emissions up to 2% per year by implementing Meat Free Monday.
 
There are a number of simple ways to encourage meat reduction, many of which have 
already been adopted in different countries around the world:
 
- Have schools, universities and hospitals go meat free one day a week
- Serve more meat free meals at government offices and during official government 
functions
- Encourage restaurants to promote Meat Free Monday options on their menus
- Support businesses to get involved
 
The proposals we are making can be implemented quickly and would have almost 
immediate environmental – and health – benefits.
 
We strongly urge you to include Meat Free Monday initiatives in the UK climate action 
plan for Paris. One day a week can make a world of difference.
 
Yours sincerely,
 
Paul, Mary and Stella McCartney

Paul McCartney – Message for Paris Climate Conference 2015 (COP21)

Video transcript:

Hello there. Paul McCartney speaking … to you.

If you heard that meat production was one of the biggest contributors to greenhouse gases 
in our atmosphere, what would you do? Would you just ignore that fact, or would you want 
to do something and want to find a solution?

Well, we encourage people at Meat Free Monday to not eat meat on a Monday – or any 
other day of the week – just one day makes a real difference!

The idea has been taken up by schools, universities, governments – all around the 
world – and they’re enjoying it! People are enjoying it and it is going to make a big, big 
difference. 

So we urge you to talk to your people, talk to the schools, talk to your friends, talk to 
anyone you need to talk to and encourage this idea. Because if enough of us do it, it 
could really make a big difference. 


Thanks for listening.