[hanomantoto]

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta – Vegan Squad Indonesia has submitted an open letter to President Prabowo Subianto regarding issues of food management and deforestation in relation to Indonesia’s presence at the 29th Conference of the Parties (COP29) in Baku, Azerbaijan.

Researchers from The Institute for Ecosoc Rights who are also members of Vegan Squad Indonesia, Sri Palupi, stated that the community has proposed five suggestions and urged the government to take various strategic steps.

The first suggestion is to create a policy to reduce meat consumption, which is considered a strategic and economic step to address climate change. “In this case, the livestock industry has significantly contributed to climate change through large amounts of greenhouse gas emissions (carbon dioxide/CO2, methane/CH4, nitrous oxide/NO2),” she said during an interview at SAMOFIS Coworking Space, Jakarta, on Sunday, November 10, 2024.

Sri Palupi mentioned that the impact of the livestock industry includes environmental destruction due to air, soil, water pollution, and widespread deforestation. This is one of the factors influencing global warming that cannot be ignored.

According to Vegan Squad’s perspective, not significantly reducing global meat consumption will lead to missed opportunities in addressing climate change and saving the planet. In addition, what humans consume can have an impact on climate change and environmental damage.

Palupi stated that as the second suggestion, Vegan Squad calls on the government to fulfill its commitment to significantly reduce deforestation and avoid development projects that worsen deforestation.

“Conducting and expanding education for the public about the vegan/vegetarian lifestyle as an effective step to address climate change by involving various parties, such as the media, educational institutions, religious groups, corporations, vegan communities, and others,” she said.

Fourthly, Vegan Squad requests the government to promote and facilitate the production of local plant-based food to support and expand the implementation of the vegan or vegetarian lifestyle. The vegan lifestyle is believed to help reduce environmental impacts, given the presence of the livestock industry.

Moreover, Palupi mentioned that the government needs to reconsider the agricultural sector. “Supporting and facilitating the expansion of agriculture in harmony with nature involving farmer organizations and communities,” she added.

Vegan Squad works to support and campaign for an environmentally friendly vegan lifestyle. This is a community-based non-profit organization, which also participated in World Vegan Day on November 1st.

This year’s annual event at COP29, as a platform for leaders from various countries to assess global efforts to advance the Paris Agreement and the Convention, also aims to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius.

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