Australia is on fire.
(Reporter: Firefighters are racing to save the wildlife.
The staggering toll we've been reporting on here,
now an estimated billion animals lost.)
But is there more to this than we're being told?
It has now reported that over one billion wild animals have perished in the fires,
as well as 27 humans.
In total, more than ten million hectares of land
has been burned across Australia.
This means that the fires in Australia have affected significantly more land
than was affected in the Amazon rainforest fires in 2019.
Now, it must be said that wildfires are not a new occurrence in Australia.
And there are a multitude of reasons why the wildfires start in certain areas,
from lightning strikes to arson.
But experts have clearly stated
that the climate crisis has worsened the impact and severity of bushfires,
causing them to not only start earlier in the season,
but to be increasingly destructive as well.
Australia is currently experiencing one of its worst droughts on record,
with long-term dry conditions and exceptionally low rainfall.
In fact, spring 2019 was the driest on record.
(Reporter 2: Tonight, records have been broken across the state,
as parts of Queensland sweltered through its hottest December day.
R3: ...extreme heat... R4: ...exceptional heat...
R5: ...extreme heat... R6: ...brutal conditions...
R7 (voice-over): ...hot, dry winds creating severe fire danger...
Furthermore, a heat wave in December 2019
broke the record for the highest nationwide average temperature,
and last summer was the hottest on record for the country.
However, Australia is only halfway through its summer season,
with the rest of January and February
still to go.
So with everything that's happening,
is there a conversation that's not being had
about what we all do every single day
that drives the climate crisis?
(Voice-over: The United Nations scientists warn in a new report
that almost a quarter of greenhouse gases now originate
from our use -- and abuse -- of land,
and is no longer sustainable.
The climate crisis is a global issue,
and the lifestyles we choose in the areas of the world where we live
will also, in turn, affect others on the other side of the planet as well.
And so we shouldn't just despair at the climate crisis,
but instead we should use it as an opportunity to motivate ourselves
to make a positive impact as individuals as well.
Let's look at the facts.
In 2018, the most comprehensive analysis ever conducted
exploring the relationship between farming and the environment
was produced by researchers at the University of Oxford.
It looked at 40,000 farms in 119 countries around the world
and analyzed data from 1,530 studies.
The analysis looked at all different systems of farming,
from factory farming
to grass-fed farming
to plant-based agriculture.
It concluded by saying this:
"A vegan diet is probably the single biggest way
to reduce our impact on planet Earth,
not just greenhouse gases
but global acidification,
eutrophication,
land use and water use.
It is far bigger than cutting down your flights
or buying an electric car,
as these only cut greenhouse gas emissions."
On the point of emissions,
the United Nations states that animal agriculture is the second-biggest industry
for greenhouse gas emissions
and is responsible for more emissions
than the entire transportation system combined.
When it comes to water usage,
it takes up to 2,500 gallons of water to produce one pound of meat,
whereas a vegan lifestyle uses less than a third of the water
of the average meat-eating diet.
Right now in Australia,
10,000 wild camels are at risk of being shot and killed
to try and preserve water,
all whilst hundreds of millions of selectively bred animals
are being raised in farms,
where farmers give them billions of liters of fresh water.
And as we look towards the future,
this is a sign of how things will play out during the climate crisis.
We will look at animals in the wild as being a problem,
taking resources away from us.
And then we'll turn inwards,
and begin to see each other as the problem.
In the future, it is said there'll be wars over water.
and we are beginning to see a glimpse of that future right now.
People all over the world are currently mourning the death
of the billions of animals who have died so far from the wildfires.
And yet, billions of animals are killed every day for us to eat.
The farmed animals in Australia who were raised to become food
had no chance of escaping when the fires struck.
Farmers left them there to burn to death.
As we continue to eat animal products,
we, in turn, fund an industry
that is one of the leading contributors to the climate crisis,
which then increases the frequency and severity of wildfires
which, in turn, kills an unimaginable amount of animals,
animals who we then mourn over.
This cycle of absurdity then repeats.
We are heading towards global collapse.
To minimize the catastrophic effects caused by the climate crisis,
we need to address both how we live
and how society operates.
But we should feel empowered to know
that we as individuals hold an immense amount of power
in regards to creating a better world.
And so, if we feel frustrated
that governments and leaders are failing to act
and listen to the science,
then it's important that we are the ones who do act,
and we are the ones who do listen to the science.
It has been said that this is the beginning,
but does it have to be the beginning of the end?
Or can it be the beginning of positive change?
The answer to that question
lies on our plate.
Time is running out.
If not now, then when?
And if not you, then who?
To find out how to go vegan,
visit www.veganauary.com
Thank you for watching.