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Sir Paul McCartney: Go veggie for climate change
Updated 16:30pm on 15 Jun 2009Sir Paul McCartney and his family were joined by Yoko Ono and other celebrity guests today as they launched a campaign urging people to go vegetarian once a week to help combat climate change.
The former Beatle and his daughters Stella and Mary and a host of stars want people to consider giving up meat on Mondays.
The aim of the campaign, called Meat Free Monday, is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the world's livestock population, thought to be a major cause of global warming.
VIP guests including Kate Bosworth, Kelly Osbourne, Lauren Laverne, Monty Don and Moby walked down an appropriately-coloured green carpet to the launch event in St James's Park in London.
Ono's relationship with John Lennon has in the past been cited in some quarters as a factor in rifts between the Beatles.
But Ono and Sir Paul were all smiles today as they posed together for pictures in the middle of a big group of celebrities.
Addressing his guests, Sir Paul said: "I thought this was a great idea. To just reduce your meat intake maybe by one day a week and this would seriously benefit the planet."
He joked: "My family have been this way for years - vegetarians, that is."
According the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation, meat production is responsible for 18% of greenhouse gas emissions. This compares with an estimated 13% from transport.
Sir Paul's late wife Linda, who died in 1998, was a noted vegetarian campaigner, and a range of meat-free dishes bearing her name are still being sold.
Ono, dressed in a sailor-style black and red hat topped off with an anchor, praised the meat-free Monday idea while speaking to reporters on the green carpet.
She said: "Give up one day and then it will be two days maybe. It's a very, very intelligent idea."
Other celebrities also voiced their support.
Kelly Osbourne said: "It's just an easy, simple thing to do."
Moby said the idea was about encouraging people rather than pointing the finger.
He said: "If I point my finger at someone, saying, 'You should be a vegetarian,' they're just going to get annoyed.
"There is definitely a risk (of) alienating people."
But he added that the new initiative was saying: "Maybe one day a week, consider what you are doing.
"We're saying, do this for your personal health and in the process you help animals and you help the environment."
Coldplay's Chris Martin, Hollywood stars Kevin Spacey and Woody Harrelson are among those backing the campaign along with actress Joanna Lumley and Virgin tycoon Sir Richard Branson.
The launch in the busy London park surprised and delighted tourists who whipped out cameras and mobile phones to take shots of the celebrities.
Reader views (25)
More nonsense from the fatuous Paul. Perhaps it is the lack of meat that causes this. There already is a day - Friday - when, traditionally, fish is eaten instead of meat. We don't need a new custome when there is a perfectly satisfactory old one.
- Adam, London, 16/06/2009 06:09
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I can remember when we were young children and at a catholic convent school. We weren't supposed to eat meat on a Friday. Unfortunately this ruling from the Catholic Church beccame extinct for some reason.
To not always eat meat everyday is good for the digestion. It gives the digestive system a rest.
- Maureen Mcgowan, London, 16/06/2009 01:23
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My wife and i discussed this today and we are going to give it ago, we eat far to much meat and everyone knows vegetables are very good for you.We might even loose some weight.
- Andrew, Maryport uk, 15/06/2009 22:46
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Why do vegetarians claim meatless or fishless dishes as "vegetarian" dishes. Cauliflower Cheese, Leek tart, Omelette aux fines herbes, Tomato mozarella and basil pizza, Mushroom rissotto, Spaghetti with a Tomato sauce, Rice stuffed peppers, Vegetable couscous and many many more were classics of English, French, italien and North African cuisine, regularly eaten by omnivours, long before the holier than thou vegetarians came onto the scene.
- James Crawford, London, 15/06/2009 22:02
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Perhaps we should just close down every Burger King and MacDonalds.
- Bob,London, Ilford, 15/06/2009 21:45
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Everyone should be made to live on New Labours old age Stete pension rates; that will stop meat eating and hot cosy homes, and holidays abroad, even holidays in Southend are out.
- Mickyinlondon, london, 15/06/2009 17:59
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The only person to make a valid point is Nils. It's over population that is killing this planet. Too many people and eventually not enough resources to sustain them. Why is that so difficult for people to understand?
- Charlie, London, 15/06/2009 16:33
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SILLY BURGER!
- Trisha Crawford, EAST CROYDON, 15/06/2009 16:15
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Silly old fool!
- A. Cameron, Liege, Belgium, 15/06/2009 16:06
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Am I the only one to be sick and tired being lectured to by hypocrites like Paul McCartney and Bono?
There is no such thing as "greenhouse gases", unless you are referring to water vapour. So-called "man-made global warming" is all a great big lie, and the biggest tax-grabbing scam in history.
- Kate, London, 15/06/2009 15:31
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I have been a veggie for 12yrs now,-not because its fashionable or eco friendly. Macca craves the limelight and publicity much more than anything else,-he would hate to admit the fact that his albums no longer sell,-and his songwriting career ended 20yrs ago,-retire Macca and count the money,-you've become boring.
- Jacob, Canterbury Kent, 15/06/2009 15:21
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I wish pop stars even ancient ones would get used to the idea that they are entertainers and stick to that job instead of telling us how to live. They drive around in their eco friendly cars to their private jets and their staff and entourages in huge gas guzzlers, running the oversized houses in all the right locations.The McCartney family should 'bone up' on the damage celebrity lifestyles are having on the climate and then worry about meat!!
How eco friendly is it for the average audience of say 20,000 to get to one of Sir Paul's gigs. say Red Square or if he did Central Park or the accessible by foot Milton Keynes!!!
- Amazonmothe, hasting, 15/06/2009 14:48
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I have several meat-free days a week, not for ecological reasons, but because I am hard-up. So stuff you, Macka!
- Edwina, Teddington, UK, 15/06/2009 14:47
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Sue, looks like we have a fishy dispute. Newly caught fish should not smell. For instance walk past a fish stall in a Finnish street market and you will not realise it but walk past the fish counter in a supermarket here and it may be overpowering although , to be fair, not always so.
- Jack Spratt, Richmond, Surrey, 15/06/2009 13:59
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McCartney had his environmentally friendly car flown from Japan rather than shipped. I may eat meat but his carbon footprint is massively more than most other peoples. The Clebs who sound off most about climate change produce far more pollution than normal people.
Mock a cleb eat meat on Mondays!
- David Burns, Beckenham, 15/06/2009 13:29
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Jack, is your brain cell feeling lonely? Fish smells, it always smells, it doesn't mean its gone '0ff'.
- Sue, Orpington, Kent, 15/06/2009 12:28
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Or maybe he should tell his daughter that using machines to make clothes is
bad for the environment, especially ridiculously priced ones.
- Brian Fast, Sydney, Australia, 15/06/2009 12:23
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Uh? Surely if we stop eating them, the problem just gets worse... More cow's chewing grass and, er, producing gas. How 'bout we eat the rich? Woof.
- Jim, London, 15/06/2009 12:06
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It's overpopulation that kills the planet. Nobody in their right mind would give up a juicy tender steak because a polititian or a "celeb" starts preaching......
- Nils Westesson, Lund, Sweden, 15/06/2009 12:03
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Wow, what an outburst from Paul and George. Don't be too harsh on a man that sent all his kids to state schools and lived in a house so small in a Sussex forest that Linda had to use the freezer of the local shop to store her ice cream.
- Jack Spratt, Richmond, Surrey, 15/06/2009 11:57
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So if the earth were to go into a period of cooling (which may in fact be happening) does that mean that McCartney would recommend us to eat more meat?
If not, he is being disingenuous.
- Johnse18, London, 15/06/2009 11:44
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Presumably Macca has the usual eco-unfriendly trappings of stardom, the private jet, chauffeur-driven car, etc. Maybe he should give up those as well, just to how how committed he really is. Some poor countries have to rely on livestock rather than agriculture for the majority of their food requirements, and this isn't always a viable option. Many of the vegetarians I know are overweight, because they tend to snack more between meals, and to eat more fatty, processed and dairy foods than meat eaters, and there was both a scientific study (supported by a recent statement by Jonathan Porritt) that fatter people are also a major cause of global warming.
- Lj, London, 15/06/2009 11:05
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There's nothing more objectionable than a 'celeb' telling us to cut our own emissions when they, themselves have several houses around the world, and spend huge amounts of time flying between them.
- George, London, 15/06/2009 10:46
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@PaulMcCartney,you and your extended family should stop flying around the world every five minutes if you want to save the planet. We do not need you lecturing us what, when and how we should eat. If you care so much about humanity how about giving away a few millions of your wealth and build some schools,hospitals,child care centers.
- Paul, London, 15/06/2009 10:10
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This is not an option its a necessity. The amount of animal feed, energy and water that goes into the breeding and processing of just one chicken would surprise anyone. In any case meat, or fish for that matter, is unlikely to be fresh on a Monday. Remember if it smells its not fresh its just decomposing.
- Jack Spratt, Richmond, Surrey, 15/06/2009 09:56
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