Announcement

May 2008

Amsterdam | Tuesday 27th of May 2008

International version climate film
‘Meat the Truth'
presented on Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam

Livestock farming creates major environmental problems:

A reduction in meat consumption is inevitable

On Tuesday the 27th of May VU podium and the Institute of Environmental Studies (VU) presents the international version of the climate film Meat the Truth.

Meat the Truth is the very first documentary to address the relationship between livestock farming and climate change. The film is presented by the Dutch politician Marianne Thieme, member of parliament for the Party for the Animals in the Netherlands. Meat the Truth is based on authoritative and influential scientific sources as the research by the Institute of Environmental Studies of the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, which demonstrate that livestock farming is one of the most important causes of global warming. The conclusions reached by this Dutch production have already generated more societal debate than the underlying reports upon which it is based.

In the documentary it becomes clear that worldwide the livestock industry is a far greater cause of global warming than all of the cars, lorries, aeroplanes and ships added together. A dairy cow emits just as many greenhouse gasses as 4.5 cars. The issues of the impact of livestock farming on water shortages and the unequal distribution of food resources are also raised in this documentary. At the end of the film, practical solutions to tackle climate change at the level of the individual consumer are presented.

Many celebrities, such as Pamela Anderson, Bill Maher, James Cromwell, Emily Deschanel, Tony Denison, Esai Morales, Megan Blake, Debra Wilson Skelton, Elaine Hendrix, Kate Flannery, Carol Leifer, Joy Lauren, Hal Sparks, Constance Marie, Kristina Klebe, Skyler Gisondo, Graham Patrick Martin, Greg Vaughan, Harry Aiking and Touriya Haoud Vaughan, participated in the making of this documentary, which has already been described by Dutch newspapers as being better than Al Gore's An Inconvenient Truth.

After the film there is time for a discussion with Karen Soeters, director of the Nicolaas G. Pierson Foundation, Harry Aiking, associate professor of the Institute for Environmental Studies (VU) and Karel Knip, science editor NRC Handelsblad. Chairman is Joyeeta Gupta, professor of the Faculty of Earth and Life Sciences (VU).

Where and when?

Date: Tuesday 27 May 2008

Time: 15.30-18.00 h

Location: Amsterdam | Vrije Universiteit | room 1A05 | De Boelelaan1105

Admission: free

Information and registration

Internet: www.vupodium.nl

E-mail: vupodium@dienst.vu.nl

Tel. (020) 598 9292

VU podium organises activities around science, society and philosophy