Will Meat’s Role in Climate Change Become Part of the Debate?

For Immediate Release:
October 4, 2016

Contact:
Megan Wiltsie 202-483-7382

For the first time ever, the town hall–style presidential debate on October 9 will feature questions from the Internet—and PETA is getting in on the action. The animal rights group has submitted a hard-hitting question for the candidates: “Will you reduce support for animal agriculture to counter climate change?”

The 30 submitted questions with the most votes will be considered by the moderators for the debate. PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to eat”— notes in its question that animal agriculture produces 51 percent of greenhouse-gas emissions and asks whether the candidates will protect the environment by promoting a plant-based lifestyle.

“The United Nations has acknowledged that a global shift toward vegan eating is imperative for slowing climate change, yet animal agriculture is often left out of discussions about the environment,” says PETA President Ingrid Newkirk. “PETA is asking our presidential candidates to weigh in on the issue.”

Note: PETA supports animal rights, opposes all forms of animal exploitation, and educates the public on those issues. As a charity, it does not directly or indirectly participate or intervene in any political campaign on behalf of or in opposition to any candidate for public office or any political party.