Sir Paul McCartney has never made a secret of the fact that he is a vegetarian. He switched his diet a long time ago, both for the health benefits, and for the benefits to the environment and the planet.
Regarding animal foods and the environment, according to the United Nations’ data, meat production and consumption are responsible for 18 % of global greenhouse gas emissions–more than cars.
The chair of the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, Dr Rajendra Pachauri, who is considered the world’s leading authority on global warming, said that people should have one meat-free day a week if they want to make a personal and effective sacrifice that would help tackle climate change.
In May, the Belgian city of Ghent took Dr. Pachauri up on his statement and announced that the entire city would go meatless one day a week in order to help the environment. In announcing this, city officials said that, “if everyone in Flanders does not eat meat one day a week, we will save as much CO2 in a year as taking half a million cars off the road.”
And so, Sir Paul decided to take a stand and get involved in this. In June, Sir Paul, with the help of others, began his MFM campaign – Meat Free Mondays.
By asking households to cut out meat on Mondays, the goal is to lower meat consumption in order to tackle climate change and slow global warming.
“I think many of us feel helpless in the face of environmental challenges, and it can be hard to know how to sort through the advice about what we can do to make a meaningful contribution to a cleaner, more sustainable, healthier world,” said McCartney. “Having one designated meat free day a week is actually a meaningful change that everyone can make, that goes to the heart of several important political, environmental and ethical issues all at once.”
Reducing meat consumption won’t just slow climate change, he said, but would help to fight global hunger and
improve the welfare of animals.
If you watch the above video, you can learn more about Sir Paul McCartney’s campaign and hear him discuss it.
And here is Sir Paul singing his “Meat Free Monday” song:
And before Sir Paul was Sir Paul, he used to sing songs with a band. This past July he sang one of those band’s
songs on top of the marquee at the Ed Sullivan Theater,
as part of his appearance on the David Letterman show:
And back in his day, when Paul McCartney was young and sang with his band, one day the band got up on
a roof and gave a rooftop concert. Here’s one of the songs from that concert:
You can learn more about the Meat Free Monday campaign by visiting their website: http:www.supportmfm.org/