This Union Notes (FACTS):

The extent of climate change was discovered and documented in a 2014 report published by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). 2oC in global warming was acknowledged as the point at which an increase in heavily detrimental climate extremes will occur. In order to refrain from surpassing this point, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are required to be 40-70% lower by 2050 than they were reported as being in 2010.[1] That the LSE is noted as one of the greenest universities in the UK [2], whereby a policy to stop the retailing of meat on Mondays would place the LSE at the forefront of the Green League. That the UN has recognised that the meat industry and animal agriculture is a leading cause of our continually degrading environment. They have reported that livestock themselves are responsible for approximately 14.5% of global GHG emissions, and they are encouraging the adoption of more plant-based dietary options.[3] Another analysis done by Goodland and Anhang on the GHG emissions of animal agriculture (that includes emissions from the industry’s transportation usage and hand in deforestation), states that the whole industry is responsible for 32.6 billion tons of CO2 released per year, which is 51% of worldwide GHG emissions.[4] That animal agriculture use ranges from 34-76 trillion gallons of water annually[5]; once a breakdown of water usage within animal agriculture was conducted it was found that in order to produce one burger, 660 gallons of water is required.[6] In contrast, in order to produce a pound of vegetables only 39 gallons of water are required.[7] This is particularly distressing considering that 1/5 of the world’s human population live in areas of water scarcity.[8] That cattle grazing is responsible for 91% of the world’s deforestation[9]; where 15% of GHG emissions are caused by deforestation.[10] That somewhere between 1-2 acres of the rainforest are demolished every second for animal agriculture[11]; and because of this destruction, 110 plant, animal and insect species are lost daily.[12] That animal agriculture is the leading cause of species extinction, ocean dead zones, water pollution and habitat destruction.[13] That a popular environmentally friendly initiative to combat the above crises is to adhere to the recommendations within the Meat Free Monday’s campaign. This entails abstaining from eating meat every Monday, in an attempt to reduce one’s carbon footprint. That the adoption of Meatless Mondays need not impact the health of any LSE student or otherwise, as all 8 essential amino acids and other vital nutrients can be found in plant based and supplementary food items that can be served at all of the LSE’s catering establishments. That many organisations, individuals, and academic institutions including UCL, the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts, Wadham College and Regent’s Park College of Oxford University, and other London schools, are not serving meat on Mondays as part of a Meat Free Mondays policy. That currently our dietary standards are environmentally unsustainable.

This Union Believes (OPNIONS)

That Meat Free Mondays could be an ethical, environmentally friendly, and economically achievable policy to adopt. That meat is being consumed at a rate that is not only unhealthy to human health, but also is being done at the expense of the planet’s environment. That being a member of an intellectual and progressive academic institution means taking responsibility for our dietary choices and educating ourselves on the damage those choices could be causing to the environment. That adopting Meat Free Mondays in campus restaurants, and choosing not to support the meat industry for one day a week, is an environmentally progressive initiative that would greatly reduce the LSE’s GHG emissions and improve its carbon footprint.

This Union Resolves (ACTIONS):

To campaign about the detrimental effects of animal agriculture on the environment with posters, leaflets and through social media. To advise students on how they can engage in Meat Free Mondays as an environmentally friendly and health-conscious initiative. The SU Trustee Board to discuss implementing a policy to offer students a wider variety of meatless and dairy-free foods within SU catering outlets. That the Sabbatical/Environment and Ethics Officer should lobby for no meat to be sold on any Monday from any of the following establishments: The Bean Counter, the Fourth Floor Restaurant and Café Bar, The Garrick, Café 54, Plaza Café and George IV pub. That the Sabbatical/Environment and Ethics Officer should lobby for Meatless Mondays to be adopted in these establishments as soon as is feasibly possible, i.e. as soon as economically sound vegan and vegetarian options to replace meat-products on Mondays have been conceived. For the SU to mandate this motion.

[1] http://www.ipcc.ch/pdf/assessment-report/ar5/syr/SYR_AR5_SPM.pdf

[2] http://www.theguardian.com/news/datablog/2013/jun/10/green-league-university-list

[3] http://www.fao.org/news/story/en/item/197623/icode/

[4] WorldWatch, November/December 2009. Worldwatch Institute, Washington, DC, USA. Pp. 10–19.

[5] Pimentel, David, et al. “Water Resources: Agricultural And Environmental Issues.” BioScience 54, no. 10 (2004): 909-18.

[6] “USDA ERS – Irrigation & Water Use.” United States Department of Agriculture Economic Research Service. 2013.

[7] Mekonnen, M.M. and Hoekstra, A.Y. (2010) The green, blue and grey water footprint of farm animals and animal products, Value of Water Research Report Series No. 48, UNESCO-IHE, Delft, the Netherlands.

[8] Human Development Report 2006. UNDP, 2006.

[9] Oppenlander, Richard A. Food Choice and Sustainability: Why Buying Local, Eating Less Meat, and Taking Baby Steps Won’t Work. . Minneapolis, MN : Langdon Street, 2013. Print.

[10] http://www.greenpeace.org/usa/Global/usa/binaries/2009/6/slaughtering-the-amazon-part-1.pdf

[11] “Avoiding Unsustainable Rainforest Wood.” Rainforest Relief.

[12] Oppenlander, Richard A. Food Choice and Sustainability: Why Buying Local, Eating Less Meat, and Taking Baby Steps Won’t Work. Minneapolis, MN: Langdon Street, 2013. Print.

[13] Ibid.