THERE’S A BIGGER EMISSIONS SCANDAL THAN VOLKSWAGEN, SAYS NEW BILLBOARD

Producing 1 Kilo of Beef Pollutes as Much as Driving 115 Kilometres in the (Not So) ‘Clean Diesel’ VW Golf, PETA Points Out

For Immediate Release:
13 October 2015

Sydney – As Volkswagen (VW) comes under fire for cheating on emissions tests, PETA is pointing to a far greater source of pollution: the meat industry. The group is negotiating with outdoor advertisers in Sydney to erect a billboard that depicts the VW logo made out of animal flesh and proclaims, “How About an Even Bigger Emissions Scandal? Eating Meat Destroys the Climate!” As the billboard points out, producing 1 kilo of beef results in the same amount of emissions as driving 115 kilometres in a VW Golf.

A staggering 51 per cent or more of global greenhouse-gas emissions are caused by animal agriculture, according to a report published by the Worldwatch Institute. A United Nations report further concluded that a global shift towards a vegan diet is necessary to combat the worst effects of climate change.

“PETA is calling on anyone who’s truly concerned about the environment to focus less on what we’re driving and more on what we’re eating”, says PETA Director of Campaigns Jason Baker. “As the meat and dairy industries suck up dwindling resources and spew out hazardous emissions, it’s clear that the only truly ‘green’ meal is a vegan one.”

The meat, egg and dairy industries are among the top contributors to the planet’s most serious environmental problems, including destruction of the rainforests, water shortages, air and water pollution, and loss of biodiversity.

PETA – whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to eat” – hopes to run the billboard in other cities as well.

For more information, please visit PETA.org.au.

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