OPEN LETTER TO STOP FACTORY FARMING EUROPE, FRIENDS OF THE EARTH, AND ALL THEIR AFFILIATED ENTITIES
CALL TO STOP SLENCING THE PRIMORDIAL MEASURE: THE SHIFT TO PLANT BASED DIETS, AND TO STOP DEFENDING THE INDEFENSIBLE: EXTENSIVE LIVESTOCK
To Stop Factory Farming Europe network and all its affiliated organizations particularly Friends of the Earth,
From the organisation Indignant Rebels, a split from Scientist Rebellion, and following up on the Open Letter to major environmental NGOs previously published with the support, so far, of thirty organizations, we wish to express our grave concern regarding the misinformation and denialism prevalent within the environmental movement and in the fight against industrial livestock farming fundamental issues affecting the pillars of these movements. We urgently submit a series of proposals for discussion at your network.
Since the emergence of Indignant Rebels a year and a half ago, we have been denouncing the way in which environmental and social movements systematically silence what is recognized by the scientific consensus as the most urgent and impactful measure to end the climate-ecological crisis and its social consequences on health and inequality: the transition to plant-based diets. The animal-based food industry is recognized by mainstream science as the primary cause of our current exceeding of planetary boundaries —that is, the limits of habitability on Earth—: the greatest challenge in history. This industry emits more greenhouse gases than global transportation, is the leading cause of mass extinctions, pollution, human health problems, inequality, food and water insecurity, and animal holocaust.
On the other hand, clearly, and let’s not fool ourselves, the transition to plant-based diets would be the only real measure to end industrial livestock farming. However, discourses that silence this crucial issue are chosen, and instead, indefensible practices are defended, such as extensive livestock farming, which is recognized by the same mainstream science as being three times more damaging to the climate and biodiversity emergency than industrial farming. On this thorny issue, we have published numerous reports compiling hundreds of high-profile scientific studies, including those on the role of extensive livestock farming as a primary cause of deforestation and wildfires, as evidence against that other minority pseudoscience so prevalent in environmentalism, which spreads misinformation about the supposed benefits of extensive livestock farming.
Industrial livestock farming is, of course, far worse for non-human animals and, perhaps, for certain forms of pollution, and should be eradicated immediately. However, it is wishful thinking to believe that such a thing is possible if the ecosocial movements themselves continue to avoid, despite the evidence, the elephant in the room: the transition to plant-based diets.
The environmental movement bears a heavy responsibility for this misinformation, as we denounced in the aforementioned Open Letter and extensively documented in the report “Hidden at First Sight.” This has resulted in a lack of information among global citizens regarding the most important measure to address the greatest crisis in history, a measure conspicuously absent from public discourse.
We call upon SFFE, Friends of the Earth, and its affiliated organizations to abandon this dead end and join the wave of change that RI and other organizations are promoting, always based on rigorous study and critical thinking. Faced with a systemic crisis of this magnitude, we can no longer avoid uncomfortable truths or patch up a sinking Titanic. We must connect all the loose threads and attack the heart of the problem.
We are, and will in future continue to be, publicly denouncing every organization that perpetuates this criminal misinformation and silencing on the most urgent measures for the biggest challenge in history.
We invite you to discuss this shift and are available for online meetings. We also offer training on this topic, both in person and online, for all your organizations. And we invite you to join the mentioned Open Letter and our associated campaigns.
Looking forward to yur reply,
best regards