Victory! This alert made a difference for animals! Learn more.

The city of Los Angeles is on the brink of ushering in a historic resolution that would save the lives of millions of farmed animals, encourage plant-based lifestyles, and help mitigate the climate crisis. The Plant Based Treaty Resolution was proposed on September 6, 2022, and we are asking our supporters to join us in urging members of the Los Angeles City Council to vote to approve the resolution by sending letters to the councilmember who oversees their district. If adopted, Los Angeles would be the first large city in the U.S. to endorse the Plant Based Treaty!

The Plant Based Treaty Resolution was introduced by Councilmembers Paul Koretz and Marqueece Harris-Dawson, and seconded by Councilmember Kevin de León. The resolution cites “quickly-worsening global climate impacts,” a loss of biodiversity, and methane emissions and deforestation at the hands of animal agriculture as driving forces behind the resolution, with a need to take immediate steps in “addressing the food system, including promoting the benefits of locally grown plant-based foods.” Support the resolution by sending a letter to your councilmember today!

The Plant Based Treaty Resolution follows the Plant Based Treaty, which is a companion to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)/Paris Agreement targeting food systems to combat the climate crisis. The Treaty aims to halt the widespread degradation of critical ecosystems caused by animal agriculture, to promote a shift to more healthy, sustainable plant-based diets, and to actively reverse the damage done to planetary functions, ecosystem services, and biodiversity.

The Plant Based Treaty includes a legally binding commitment to the three R's: Relinquish, Redirect and Restore.

Access the full text of the Plant Based Treaty.

Relinquish: Stop the Problem From Increasing

Prevent land use change, including deforestation, for animal agriculture, through:

• No building of new animal farms or slaughterhouses.
• No expansion or intensification of existing farms.
• No conversion of plant-based agriculture to animal agriculture.
• No clearing of forests or other ecosystems for animal grazing, animal rearing, or animal farming of any kind.
• Banning all live exports.

Redirect: Eliminate the Driving Forces Behind the Problem

Promote plant-based foods and actively transition away from animal-based food systems to plant-based systems by:

• Declaring a climate emergency.
• Making food security a priority for all nations.
• Prioritizing a switch to plant-based foods in Climate Action Plans.
• Updating government food and dietary guidelines to promote wholefood, plant-based food.
• Mandating honest labeling of food products, including cancer warning labels on all processed meats which have been declared carcinogenic by the World Health Organization.

Restore: Actively Healing the Problem While Building Resilience and Mitigating Climate Change

Restore key ecosystems and reforest the Earth through:

• Reforestation projects and restoring key degraded ecosystems.
• Establishing no-fishing zones and replanting critical carbon absorbers in oceans.
• Focusing a shift towards nature-based solutions for climate change mitigation and adaptation.

Paul McCartney and his daughters Mary and Stella McCartney, actors Joaquin Phoenix and Rooney Mara, and Ela Gandhi (Mahatma Gandhi's granddaughter) are all proponents of the Treaty, and 18 cities across the world have already solidified their endorsement. Most recently in July, Haywards Heath, a town in West Sussex, England, became the first town in Europe to endorse the Treaty in response to the climate emergency.

Last year, over 8,000 In Defense of Animals supporters took action and urged their local officials to consider endorsing the treaty in their own regions, taking a stand for animals and the environment alike. This is a historic opportunity for Los Angeles and its residents - one that would set undeniable precedence for other cities across the U.S. and the world. Sending letters to the councilmember who oversees your district is the best way to add your voice to an opportunity to create momentous change.

Victory! This alert made a difference for animals! Learn more.