We are delighted to hear that Amsterdam has become the first EU capital to call for a global Plant Based Treaty to address food system impacts on the climate emergency. The proposed treaty is now backed by 25 municipal governments worldwide, including Edinburgh and Los Angeles.

In a statement, the City of Amsterdam Council said, 

“The way we produce, distribute, process, and consume food has a significant impact on the health of people and animals and contributes to the climate crisis. With its Food Strategy, the municipality of Amsterdam takes responsibility to drive changes in the food system, ensuring that all residents of Amsterdam have access to healthy, fair, sustainable, and affordable food and drinks. One effort to achieve this is the shift towards more plant-based food.       

The consumption of more plant-based proteins is better for our health. It can lead to fewer conditions such as cardiovascular diseases and colorectal cancer. It is also better for our climate impact by reducing greenhouse gas emissions and decreasing land use and depletion of oceans. Moreover, less industrial livestock farming is better for animal welfare. The ambition is to shift the protein ratio in the city’s diet from 40 to 60 percent plant-based by 2030.

By signing the Plant Based Treaty, the municipality of Amsterdam supports the global call to cities, organizations, businesses, and residents to contribute to combating the climate crisis by changing dietary patterns. The efforts of its own implementation agenda are pivotal in this regard.”

Last year, the Scottish capital, Edinburgh, endorsed the Plant Based Treaty and in January 2023 published their Plant Based Treaty action plan. 

The Plant Based Treaty

The Plant Based Treaty is modelled on the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty which Edinburgh endorsed in 2021 and inspired by treaties that have addressed the threats of ozone layer depletion and nuclear weapons. Since its launch in August 2021, the initiative has received support from 135,000 individual endorsers, 5 Nobel laureates, IPCC scientists, more than 1000 NGOs and community groups and 1000 businesses, including the TAPP coalition, Redefine Meat, Oceanic Preservation Society and chapters of Greenpeace and Friends of the Earth.

The Plant Based Treaty has secured high-profile endorsements from celebrities, including Paul, Mary and Stella McCartney, who issued a written statement calling for politicians to support the Plant-Based Treaty. They said: “We believe in justice for animals, the environment and people. That’s why we support the Plant Based Treaty and urge individuals and governments to sign it.”

The Green Woman endorses The Plant based Treaty. Find out more about the Plant Based Treaty.