New Delhi: As per research by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, animal agriculture is responsible for 18% of greenhouse gas emissions and contributes additional complications to climate change.  Also, it is the single largest anthropogenic user of land. Approximately 70% of the world‘s agricultural lands are dedicated to raising animals for food, including grazing and feed production.

Environmental challenges, including climate change, and the growing threat of disease transmission to and from agricultural animals add further challenges to sustainably meeting the demand for animal agriculture. The current level of industrialisation of animal farming thus presents dire consequences to the world’s most pressing problems. Shifting away from unsustainable food systems is imperative to begin to secure the future of humans, animals and the planet.

A substantial portion of the human population explicitly supports the fact that animal welfare requires looking beyond just slaughter and how animals are treated. Being vegan is not just easier now, but even aspirational with many prominent vegan celebrities openly endorsing a greener diet for a sustainable future. Many celebrities are going all out in support of a greener diet and bringing up the environmental, ethical and health benefits of a plant-based diet.

Recently, Anushka Manchanda- musician, actor, artist, and a fiercely outspoken vegan, collaborated with the Federation of Indian Animal Protection Organisations (FIAPO) for #21DayCompassionChallenge to encourage people to try a vegan diet for 21 days. Along with posting regularly on her social media handles, Anushka also shows up for marches and rallies when it comes to speaking up for the animals and the environment. Anushka, who was a flexitarian before turning vegan shares, “It’s not about being perfect or shaming people who aren’t vegan. It’s about realizing that our planet is dying and there is no planet B. Ethically, I made the connect when I realized I love animals too much to be blindsided by false marketing of animal products. I am an ethical vegan and strongly want to push the vegan movement forward in India.”

FIAPO’s Executive Director, Ms. Varda Mehrotra, said- “In the last decade there has been a tremendous shift in how veganism is perceived in India. With the steep increase in awareness on the prevalence of animal cruelty in the food industry and knowing that raising animals for food is the greatest human-caused source of environment destruction, many international celebrities are now endorsing vegan brands and campaigns, which in turn has led to a to many Indian influencers making this conscious shift to a vegan diet. This trend has given activists and organisations a much needed push to bring veganism to mainstream media.”