Statement following Lord Stern comments on climate change and meat consumption.

In an interview with The Times, Lord Stern of Brentford said: “Meat is a wasteful use of water and creates a lot of greenhouse gases. It puts enormous pressure on the world’s resources. A vegetarian diet is better.” He predicted that people’s attitudes would evolve until meat eating became unacceptable. “I think it’s important that people think about what they are doing and that includes what they are eating,”

Annette Pinner, Chief Executive for the Vegetarian Society, welcomed Lord Stern’s remarks. “What we choose to eat is one of the biggest factors in our personal impact on the environment,” she said. “The single most damaging foodstuff is beef and all non-vegetarian diets required significantly greater amounts of environmental resources, such as land and water. One of the best choices you can make for the planet is to reduce the amount of meat in your diet.”

To find out more about Why It’s Green to Go Vegetarian visit www.vegsoc.org/environment or call the Vegetarian Society, an educational charity, on 0161 925 2000 for a free copy of its environmental booklet.

To read the original article visit The Times at

· http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/environment/article6891362.ece

Find out about Nicholas Stern, Baron Stern of Brentford