Make COP30 Vegan
We are asking the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) to show climate action leadership by encouraging the hosts of COP30 to provide 100% plant-based catering and to create a policy for future climate conferences to offer 100% plant-based catering, ideally showcasing locally sourced vegan organic (veganic) and agroecological produce. In addition, we ask the UN to ensure their own summits, along with their cafeteria in New York City, provide 100% plant-based catering, following the example set under Mayor Eric Adam's initiatives to make New York City a plant-based city. Between 10 November and 21 November 2025, the United Nations will hold its 30th annual climate change conference in Belém, Brazil. More than 85,000 participants, including heads of state, government officials, industry leaders, academics, and representatives from civil society organizations, attended COP 28 in Dubai, which closed with an agreement that signals the “beginning of the end” of the fossil fuel era according to UN Climate Change Executive Secretary Simon Stiell.The path was laid for a swift, just, and equitable transition, underpinned by deep emissions cuts and scaled-up finance. For the first time ever, COP28 featured a whole day devoted to food and agriculture, and saw a food systems road map laid out by the COP28 UAE declaration on sustainable agriculture, resilient food systems, and climate action. However, we need much more attention on food systems. The current global food system with expanding meat, dairy, and egg consumption is alarmingly transgressing planetary boundaries, risking food security, and harming human health and animal wellbeing. Even if fossil fuel emissions were halted today, emissions from the food system alone could increase global temperatures by more than 1.5ºC (Clark et al., 2020). A plant-based diet is the most climate-friendly diet and has been repeatedly endorsed by the IPCC. However, delegates at COP28 again struggled to access climate-friendly meals despite increased accessibility to plant-based foods. YOUNGO, the official children and youth constituency of UNFCCC, sent a joint letter request for sustainable plant-rich catering at COP28 attracting signatures from over 150+ organizations. Now is the time to take tangible next steps: We call for: 1. 100% plant-based catering during COP30 and all UN climate conferences and offices, showcasing locally sourced, veganic produce where possible. 2. Negotiate a global Plant Based Treaty as a companion to the Paris Agreement. Forty two cities, including the Scottish Capital, Edinburgh, Amsterdam, and Los Angeles have called on world leaders to negotiate a Plant Based Treaty as a companion to the Paris Agreement. A focus on the multitude of benefits and opportunities of a transition towards a plant-based food system to address the triple threat of the climate crisis, food insecurity, and the cost of living crisis. 3. COP30 to take a zero-tolerance approach to greenwashing by the animal agriculture lobby by ensuring industry representatives are not platformed for the purposes of promoting unproven measures that are at odds with the latest IPCC science. It is imperative for climate conferences to provide climate-friendly catering. So please help nourish the planet and nourish ourselves by supporting plant-based catering at COP30! Impact 70,000 participants eating two vegan meals daily at COP30 would equate to 1.8 million climate-friendly plant-based meals. For example, if beef was swapped to plant-based protein and all dairy and cheese to plant-based alternatives, this would spare almost 40,000 metric tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions (CO2e), 64 square kilometres of land, and 728 million litres of water. That’s equivalent to sparing the emissions from driving over 154 million miles (taking 8,600 cars off the road for a year), more than the land area of Manhattan, and the water use of 291 Olympic-sized swimming pools. Take Action Help the petition reach its goal: 1. Share this petition with your friends, family and coworkers. 2. Post about this petition on your social media accounts, online forums, and groups. 3. Ask your partners and community groups to sign and share the petition. 4. Include a link to our petition on your website, blogs, newsletters, and social media bios. 5. Write to your elected officials and ask them to sign and share the petition. 6. Tweet the UNFCCC and COP30 and ask them to make climate conferences vegan. Background What is the Plant Based Treaty? A global Plant Based Treaty presents 3Rs and 39 detailed proposals to shift the world towards a plant-based food system in order to halt the widespread degradation of Earth's support systems caused by animal agriculture. Plant Based Treaty launched their Safe and Just Report at COP28 which offers a framework to address food’s impact on climate and other planetary boundaries and includes bold policy responses for a plant-based transition. Goals: 1. A global Plant Based Treaty as a companion to the Paris Agreement. 2. Local implementation of best practices from around the world. New York City is exemplary in its schools, with two plant-powered days per week and plant-based meals by default in hospitals (60% uptake); Edinburgh is also showing bold political leadership by endorsing the treaty and taking positive steps to implement proposals that fall within its jurisdiction. Essential reading: 1. Plant Based Treaty Safe and Just Report 2. Blog: 7 things NYC Mayor Eric Adams is doing to create a plant-based city 3. Webinar: Reducing the Environmental Impact from Food, with Joseph Poore 4. Book: Regenesis by George Monbiot To learn more and sign the Plant Based Treaty as an individual, group, business or city please visit www.plantbasedtreaty.org