Food & Climate Change 3rd June Day of Action

It's time to detox the planet and take action on food and climate change!

3rd of June will see climate activists take action across the country to coincide with the start of the The UN Conference on World Food Security: the challenges of climate change & bioenergy. As world leaders and corporations come together to talk more hot air, people across the UK are taking real action on Food and Climate Change. Campaigners are planning actions, demonstrations, film nights, workshops and free food events as part of the Food & Climate Change Day of Action.

The campaigners from the Network for Climate Action are calling for a drastic shift in the way we produce and consume food.

Becky Grade from the Network for Climate Action says: " People all over the world are facing severe food & water shortages due to climate change. Food prices are rising and as fuel's peak matters will only get worse. The only solution is to switch to a low-carbon diet & food production system. This means eating local, organic & plant- based food. We need to do this now rather than waiting for more hot air from politicians. Changing your diet is a simple but highly effective step everyone can take".

Says Amanda Woods: "Eating animal products at the current level is simply
unethical in the light of climate change and the current food crisis. The greenhouse gas emissions caused by livestock and industrial fishing account for 18 per cent of global warming: that's more than the emissions from the world's entire transport system (13.5%). We have to reduce the amount of meat and dairy we eat and shift to a plant-based diet."

The activists' call for low-carbon food is supported by two high-profile reports from the United Nations. The 2006 United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation report on the impact of livestock found that livestock contributes 18% of global green house gas emissions:"Livestock's contribution to environmental problems is on a massive scale. The impact is so significant that it needs to be addressed with urgency."

The recently published UN International Assessment of Agricultural Science provided a sobering account of the failure of industrial farming and found that it is small-scale farmers and agro-ecological methods that provide the way forward to avert the current food crisis and deal with the effects of climate change.

Becky Grade continues: "These UN reports prove that non-organic agriculture with it's dependency on fossil fuels for fertilisers & pesticides, GM crops and Biofuels are not the answer to climate chaos. We need to change our patterns of consumption and start eating local, organic, plant based food!"

The following publicly advertised events are happening across the country.
There will also be more surprise actions.
For info and updates before the 3rd June contact: 07510285458
On the day phone : 07961917535


MANCHESTER
01/06 Vegan picnic, demo and surprise activity! Free vegan food 12-4,
Piccadilly Gardens

BRISTOL
* 31/05-01/06 Bristol Vegan Fayre
* 03/06 Eastside Roots Bike powered smoothies for commuters! Offering
train users bicycle powered smoothies using local strawberries. Film &
talks night at Easton Community Centre.
* 04/06 'That'll Learn You' night at the community garden hub. Talk about
food and climate change.
* 05/06 Food for free walk looking at wild food finishing up at a Community Allotment project for a broad bean burger bbq. Also workshops on soil.

SHEFFIELD
03/06 Free vegan food stall.

LIVERPOOL
31/05 Free vegan food event 12-4 Next to Nowhere.

LONDON
* 31/05 Protest against the proposed Combined Cycle Biofuel Electricity
Generation Plant. Stall on Myrtle Road, East Ham from 10:30 to 6:30.
* Banner drop from 3:00 to 5:00pm outside Newham Town Hall, East Ham.
04/06
* Protest outside the final consultation meeting at Newham Town Hall 6:30 to 7:10pm , Barking Road, East Ham

NOTTINGHAM
* Demo & free vegan food give away at Tescos, Victoria Centre,12-2pm
* Tour of Fresh-community garden project & muck in. 3-5pm
* Greenweeks 24/05-15/06 allotment open days, organic growing courses and more!

AMSTERDAM
Veganism and Climate Change film night  http://www.aseed.net/

Notes for editors:

1. Network for Climate Action is a network of grassroots groups taking action against climate injustice. www.networkforclimateaction.org.uk  http://www.daysofclimateaction.org.uk;
2. Within the past year, global food prices have risen by 75%. Prices of wheat, soya, oilseeds, maize and rice are now at record levels. The World Bank has warned that 100 million more people are facing hunger and malnutrition because of rising food prices. This is partly due to rising fuel costs, extreme weather events & the growth of biofuels.
3. The report from the United Nations World Food Programme, the International Assessment of Agricultural Science and Technology for Development (IAASTD) called for a back-to-basics approach to farming to meet the challenges of climate change and escalating food prices. The authors saw little role for GM technology in feeding the poor. The report was based on a rigorous and peer-reviewed analysis of the empirical evidence by hundreds of scientists and development experts.  http://www.agassessment.org/
4. The overall purpose of the UM Conference on World Food Security Climate Change and Bioenergy is to address food security issues in the face of soaring food prices and the new challenges of climate change and energy security. The objective is to assist countries and the international community in devising sustainable solutions to the food crisis by identifying the policies, strategies and programmes required to safeguard world food security in the immediate, short and longer term . http://www.fao.org/foodclimate/conference.html