“I am so hungry”, ECO told itself as it went out of Mazowsze Plenary room. All that talk about transparency reminded ECO of the hole in its stomach. ECO had reached its common time frame for nourishment, having not eaten for more than four hours. ECO was craving some plant-based locally sourced food to silence the growling belly.
ECO spotted the Grab and Go right across the hall. It was salivating for a salad with Polish cabbage, tomatoes and potatoes, and a freshly pressed carrot juice to go with it. And for dessert a banana and an almond milk cappuccino. ECO was happy to know that those plant-based food choices would help mitigate the growing emissions from the agriculture sector, which are projected to reach 52% of global emissions by 2050.
ECO joyfully set itself in the queue to order, but as it arrived to the front, a full platter of baguettes filled with sausage slices occupied half of the shelf. The rest of the menu was overwhelmingly meat based. The cafeteria cuisine wasn’t any better. “Vegetable broth with bulgur groats it is!”.
Later that evening, as ECO entered the Spodek arena for the much anticipated COP24 Welcome Party, it noted the same meat-loving theme: Sausages with ribs and sausages with a side of sausage. ECO stayed hungry and grabbed its locally farmed apple that it picked up from the entrance in the morning…
In a world where GHG emissions need to reach net zero by 2050 to stay within 1.5°C, it’s clear for ECO that a change of diet can be a significant contribution. Halving meat and dairy consumption by 2050 can decrease global greenhouse gas emissions by 64% from the projected BAU agriculture emissions. ECO wonders if anyone else has noticed how we are all eating away the Paris Agreement. Changing one’s diet to reduce meat and dairy consumption is a great way to respond to the SR1.5. Enjoy your rice milk lattes!
