UNEP 2010 Jun report Summary

In Jun 2010, UNEP (UN Environment Program) published a report
““Accessing the Environmental Impacts of Consumption and Production:
Priority, Product and Materials”. The report studies how our
consumption patterns impacts the Environment.

The UN panel gathered many scientists to provide science-based
assessments of how products, materials and economic and lifestyle
activities, impacts the planet. It is the first global assessment to
determine which type of consumption activities have the biggest impact
on the environment.

The purpose of this U.N. Environment Programme-sponsored study was to
identify the "hot spots" in terms of environmental impacts so that
policy makers can use this information to reform policies
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Summary of UNEP Jun 2010 report:
· Two broad areas are currently having a disproportionately
high impact on people and the planet's life support systems-these are
1) Energy in the form of fossil fuels and 2) Agriculture, especially
the raising of livestock for meat and dairy products.

· A doubling of wealth leads to a 60% to 80% increase in CO2
emissions. (In emerging economies, increase in CO2 emissions are even
higher.)

· Rising affluence had triggered a shift in diets towards meat
and dairy products- livestock now consumes much of the world's crops
and by inference a great deal of freshwater, fertilizers and
pesticides linked with that crop production in the first place

· Agricultural goods, particularly products from animals,
which are fed more than half of all world crops, have a huge impact on
the planet. Agricultural production accounts for 70% of the global
freshwater consumption and 38% of the total land use. Food production
accounts for 19% of the world's greenhouse gas emissions and 60% of
the phosphorus and nitrogen pollution and 30% of toxic pollution in
Europe

· In most countries, household consumption, over the life
cycle of the products and services, accounts for more than 60% of all
impacts of consumption.

The report recommends the following:
· “Decoupling growth from environmental degradation is the
number one challenge facing governments. “ However, the report shows
that this decoupling is not happening, and it will not happen in the
future without strong policy interventions.

· “A Substantial reduction of impacts would only be possible
with a substantial worldwide diet change away from animal products.”
The report calls for a significant shift in diets away from animal
based proteins towards more vegetable-based foods in order to
dramatically reduce pressures on the environment.
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The following is a youtube video on the UNEP report:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nB3kfaomWs0

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News article on the UN Report:
The Guardian: UN urges global move to meat and dairy-free diet:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/jun/02/un-report-meat-free-diet

The Telegraph: Eat less meat to save the planet - UN
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/earthnews/7797594/Eat-less-meat-to-save-the-planet-UN.html

More info can be found in the following websites:
http://www.stwr.org/climate-change-environment/the-environmental-impacts-of-consumption-and-production.html

UNEP “Accessing the Environmental Impacts of Consumption and
Production: Priority, Product and Materials”Full report (112 pgs) :
1. http://www.unep.fr/scp/publications/details.asp?id=DTI/1262/PA
2. http://www.unep.fr/shared/publications/pdf/DTIx1262xPA-PriorityProductsAndMaterials_Report.pdf
………

The report shows that globally, we (as consumers) should adopt a diet
change, away from animal products, to reduce our impact on the
environment.

Perhaps, we can start by adopting meatless days to help the planet:
www.veggiethursday.sg
http://www.meatfreemondays.co.uk/

Let’s do all we can to help the planet.

SPRING Singapore GW lunch-talk (01 Dec)

Ms Ariel Lee, Senior Officer from Textile & Apparel Department of SPRING Singapore, invited Mr Low to conduct a GW company lunch talk on 01 Dec to 30 staffs from SPRING.

For this special event, Ms Ariel Lee catered vegetarian food from Loving Hut (a local Vegan restaurant) for the staffs.

The lunch talk was held at Solaris building, an elegant white-and-blue building with space-age design. While looking at the building, Mr Low felt that humans who are capable of designing and building such elegant structures should be able to work together to halt global warming and secure a future for mankind.

The following are some Feedbacks for the GW talk:

Mr Low is a good speaker, friendly and interactive while conducting the talk. The talk creates an awareness of the seriousness of global warming and provided solutions to reduce global warming. It encourage people to eat more veg / less meat and promotes a “Go Green” environment. Comprehensive materials such as handouts and DVDs are given out to participants after the talk.
– Jeslin Yee, Admin staff, SPRING

Very informative talk, speaker is very passionate. We’ll try to change to eat more vegetable. Videos shown are an eye-opener, we never realise there are so many hungry people around. - Susie/ Juan / Gerard, SPRING

The talk was interesting. Creates awareness about the present global warming situation. Really impresses upon going veg! Keep the good work going, Good Luck!
- Saliha/ Thana, SPRING

Pro-teach Event @ 8 treasures (25 Nov)

On 25 Nov, Pro-teach CEO, Ms Peggy Ong, invited Mr Ganga (Chief Editor of VegeVibe Magazine), Mr Low & Dr Priya to 8 Treasures vegetarian restaurant to speak to 50 Pro-teach staffs.Mr Ganga presented on Kindness to animals, Mr Low spoke on Global Warming & Solutions to climate change and Dr Priya discussed with the staffs about the Health benefits of a Vege diet.

Pro-teach staffs enjoyed a 9-course veggie lunch as they learnt about the environmental and health benefits of a plant-based diet from the various speakers.

Pro-teach management team gave the following comments on the GW talk:

This is a powerful talk that wakes all of us up from our complacency. It empowers us with clear knowledge of how regular people like us can take charge of our destiny and our children's future just by choosing our food responsibly. Since the quickest solution to global warming is by reducing the consumption of meat, Pro-Teach pledges do our part by offering at least twice weekly plant-based lunch to our students across 29 branches! Thank you Mr Low for your generous and selfless sharing! - Ms Peggy Ong, CEO, Pro-Teach Education Group Pte Ltd

The talk strikes into the heart of the whole climate change problem. It reveals the truth which certain industries doesn't want the world to know about. The danger is clear and present: act now or it'll be too late!"
- Mr Aden Gan, Branch Head, Pro-teach Education Group

GW Booth & Seminar @ Singapore Polytechnic (16 Nov)

On 16 Nov, Singapore Polytechnic Environment club invited GW study group to set up a booth @ SP to promote environmental awareness to SP students. We set up a booth from 10am till 3:30pm. Mr Low conducted a GW presentation to 25 students from 3:30 till 5pm. SP students listened very attentively during the seminar.

Feedbacks for the seminar includes:

This talk was awesome! It raises awareness of climate change and the factors that causes it. I really urge all of you to attend the seminar too! Cheers! Go Green, Be Veg, Save the planet! - Jocelyn Lim, SP student

It was really eye-opening and inspiring. I enjoyed it a lot as the speaker is very passionate in conveying the message. Thanks for everything. – Gan Bee Li, SP student

Speech is given clearly and understandable. Able to provide easy-understanding information regarding the impact of human activities on Earth. – Raymond Sim, SP student

The talk is very informative and I believe that it benefits all walks of life. It is a talk which will raise people's awareness ! - Lai Hong Chern, SP student

Republic Polytechnic Technology Day (16 Nov)

Dr Amy Choong, a lecturer in Republic Polytechnic, invited Mr Low to attend a series of talks at Republic Polytechnic on RP’s “Environment & sustainability Cluster Technology Day 2011” held on 16 Nov. Mr Low attend the talks from 9 till 12pm and learnt about the development of green energy such as Photovoltaic cells & Biofuels in Singapore.

GW Booth @ Woodlands Ring Primary school (15 Nov)

GW study group was invited by Ms Mazlindah to set up a booth at Woodlands Ring Primary School’s Science Carnival on 15 Nov. Neighbouring Primary schools such as Innova Primary, Admiralty Primary, Sembawang Primary also set up booths to display their science projects. We networked with the teachers of various schools during the carnival. Many teachers showed concern for the environment and some school were interested to invite us to conduct assembly talks for 2012.