Here’s an example of a letter outline the important issues. Drop a comment on this page if you can think of improvements to it.
Dear Sir / Madam
I write to you with great concern and hope. The concern comes as new research brings the deadline for dealing with climate change much closer. The hope is for wise new policies that buy us time by focusing on the easily changed, while we work to deal with more difficult GHG issues.
Much new information has come our way about the climatic situation we face – and the urgency with which we must deal with it. Recent satellite analysis by NASA has brought closer the expectation of an iceless Arctic summer, from 2050 to just 2012. This shortens the time we have to avoid the point-of-no-return to four years or so. Research suggests that without the reflective effect of the Arctic ice, unfathomable amounts of Methane, the potent greenhouse gas, would soon be released from the permafrost and the ocean floor into the atmosphere. If this occurs, the atmospheric conditions will be alike to those 215 million years ago, when 95% of Earth’s life disappeared.
There are certain things we can’t change and would be naïve to expect immediately. Certain GHG emitting activities are inextricably wound in our economies and lives. Transport, for example, can only be reduced so far before our economies would need major restructuring. It is an urgent issue but one that will take time.
However there are things we can change today. Well aware of this is Dr. R.K. Pachauri, head of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). In an open statement on behalf of his organization he recently advised everyone to avoid meat consumption entirely. “This,” he said, “is something that the IPCC was afraid to say earlier, but now we have said it.”
18% of human GHG emissions come from the livestock industry, according to the UN subsidiary the Food and Agriculture Organization. This 18% of c02-e emission – more than from all the cars ships and planes together – alone can be eliminated with absolutely no adverse side effects, buying us time while we seek to mitigate climate change in more testing areas. It is for this reason that I urge you to include in your policy the halting of livestock production through the cessation of meat consumption. It is expected that these overdue policies will be met with fresh enthusiasm and support.
We can also expect significant positive social boons from your policy. It has long been understood that inefficient land-use (apx 7/8ths wasted), water-use and protein conversion (80-95% wasted) have contributed to food shortages and international inequality. Thus we expect not only the preservation of our environment but also the spread of health and peace. Native vegetation is now shown to bring rain. We need a halt to land clearing and a policy for re-vegetation of grazed public land.
Scientific support for this diet is common, entering the public consciousness. Skepticism will soon be conquered by the obvious and immediate health, economic and environmental benefits that vegetarian/vegan diets bring to all. I refer you to the Physicians’ Committee for Responsible Medicine (www.pcrm.org) for clear research showing the damage of meat and benefits of alternative diets.
Famous vegetarians of the past and present such as Albert Einstein, Mahatma Gandhi, Carl Lewis and Jane Goodall have shown that the vegetarian diet is capable of supporting the health and intellect of humankind.
As your constituent I ask for your careful consideration of this grave issue and that what can be done is done. If there is any way I can assist you in your endeavor, do not hesitate to contact me. You may also be interested in viewing and signing our online petition at http://veg4earth.org.
Sincerely,
