Greta Thunberg warns we must switch to a vegan diet or “we are f***ed”

Environmental activist Greta Thunberg is urging people to follow a vegan diet in her latest short film For Nature. The activist has teamed up with the animal welfare charity Mercy For Animals to create the film.

The 18-year-old is predicting a grim future for humanity if we don’t change our relationship with nature and our diets. According to Thunberg, “we are f***ed” if we continue to farm animals intensively for food.

In the inspiring film, Thunberg highlights how the global health crisis, ecological crisis, and climate crisis were all connected thanks to the industrialisation of animal agriculture for human consumption.

“Our relationship with nature is broken… but relationships can change”

We have all witnessed the catastrophic effects zoonotic diseases can have on humans. From Ebola, Swine Flu, Mad Cows disease, and of course Covid-19.

In For Nature, Thunberg explains that 75% of new diseases come from animals. The conditions in which we farm animals for human consumption and destroy land are not only having a disastrous effect on wildlife, but also on us.

Speaking in the film, Thunberg says that by “cutting down forests and destroying habitats, we are creating the perfect conditions for diseases to spill over, from animal to another, to us”

Thunberg explains that while approximately 83% of agriculture is used to feed livestock, livestock actually only provides 18% of the calories consumed by humans.

This shows that the way we currently raise animals to eat currently needs to change. By hoarding thousands of acres of land to simply grow food for the animals that are we are raising for slaughter, we will eventually run out of land and food.

”Our relationship with nature is broken. But relationships can change. When we protect nature – we are nature protecting itself.”

Thank you @MercyForAnimals for sponsoring this film by @tommustill and me.#ForNature #BiodiversityDay pic.twitter.com/2tXPFaeqWq

— Greta Thunberg (@GretaThunberg) May 22, 2021

“If we changed to a plant-based diet we could save up to 8 billion tones of Co2, every single year”

With more and more awareness being raised about the climate crisis, it is important to remember that agriculture and land use together are major contributors. In fact, they are responsible for a startling amount of about 1/4 of emissions.

Obviously, things aren’t set in stone and there is still time to make a change. The latest film from Greta Thunberg suggests “If we changed to a plant-based diet we could save up to 8 billion tones of Co2, every single year. We could feed ourselves with 76% less land on a plant-based diet.”

Moreover, by following a vegan diet not only are we supporting the end of industrial animal agriculture, but we are also supporting our eco-system, our health system, and helping to reduce the climate crisis.

Furthermore, it is important to remember Thunberg’s reminder that “When we protect nature, we are nature protecting itself”.

Want to become a pro-active vegan? Here are 8 ways you can help fight against animal cruelty.