0:00:06.049,0:00:09.498
I'm confident that the Earth[br]revolves around the Sun

0:00:09.498,0:00:11.058
and not the other way around.

0:00:12.039,0:00:15.769
Who else in this room thinks the same way?[br]Let's show a raise of hands.

0:00:16.500,0:00:18.940
OK, that's pretty much all of you.

0:00:19.929,0:00:21.609
I am equally confident

0:00:21.609,0:00:24.959
that keeping the human diet[br]practically void of animals

0:00:24.959,0:00:26.645
is the right thing to do.

0:00:27.435,0:00:29.295
It was not always so, though.

0:00:29.538,0:00:31.238
Just as there was a time

0:00:31.238,0:00:34.832
when people tried to undermine[br]the Sun-centered view of the solar system,

0:00:34.832,0:00:38.822
there was a time when I[br]didn't quite like vegetarians.

0:00:39.516,0:00:42.366
At best, I thought[br]vegetarians were tolerable,

0:00:42.366,0:00:44.806
and at worst, they were[br]just plain annoying.

0:00:46.333,0:00:49.143
And it is strange that this[br]was my impression of vegetarians

0:00:49.143,0:00:50.663
since until recently,

0:00:50.679,0:00:53.539
I have only known one person [br]who was a vegetarian,

0:00:53.717,0:00:57.507
one person who decided not to eat animals.

0:00:57.804,0:01:00.494
And she was fun and not annoying at all.

0:01:01.056,0:01:04.276
So I wondered why she was a vegetarian,

0:01:04.546,0:01:07.436
and it turned out that in the country[br]where she is from,

0:01:07.786,0:01:12.136
animals raised for food have to endure[br]horrid conditions and suffering.

0:01:13.494,0:01:16.374
So, I kind of understood[br]why she was a vegetarian,

0:01:16.850,0:01:18.498
but it felt strangely comforting

0:01:18.498,0:01:21.498
that I did not have to resort[br]to any such measures

0:01:21.498,0:01:25.318
since where I come from,[br]animals are treated nicely.

0:01:25.937,0:01:28.214
Also, I had heard one time on the radio

0:01:28.214,0:01:31.284
that domesticated animals[br]could not survive without us,

0:01:31.662,0:01:34.072
just as we could not survive without them.

0:01:35.115,0:01:36.512
From that perspective,

0:01:36.512,0:01:39.442
the human-animal relationship[br]was a win-win situation.

0:01:40.962,0:01:44.072
However, since about five years ago,

0:01:44.526,0:01:47.946
I have reduced my amount[br]of animal intake to such an extent

0:01:48.314,0:01:50.734
that today, it is practically zero.

0:01:51.866,0:01:53.856
Now, why would I do that?

0:01:54.777,0:01:58.027
Well, inspection shows that, frequently,

0:01:58.027,0:02:02.025
animals raised for food have to endure [br]horrid conditions and suffering,

0:02:02.432,0:02:05.932
not just in my friends country,[br]but in every country across the globe.

0:02:08.857,0:02:10.087
And there is more.

0:02:10.128,0:02:13.218
Raising animals for food[br]is destructive to the environment,

0:02:13.633,0:02:15.773
and the leading cause of human death

0:02:15.843,0:02:21.223
are diseases which are associated[br]with a poor diet, rich in animal products.

0:02:22.538,0:02:25.718
So the human-animal relationship[br]is not a win-win situation,

0:02:26.048,0:02:29.568
it is a lose-lose-lose situation.

0:02:30.233,0:02:31.383
We are losing,

0:02:31.383,0:02:32.834
the animals are losing,

0:02:32.834,0:02:34.894
and the environment is losing.

0:02:35.136,0:02:38.483
These are the three pillars[br]advocating the shift

0:02:38.483,0:02:42.033
from an animal-based diet[br]towards a plant-based diet.

0:02:43.583,0:02:45.633
The first pillar: human health.

0:02:46.839,0:02:49.229
Current research strongly suggests

0:02:49.229,0:02:52.229
that if humans would shift [br]towards a plant-based diet,

0:02:52.229,0:02:53.854
they would live longer,

0:02:53.854,0:02:56.944
and healthcare systems[br]across the globe could be streamlined.

0:02:57.660,0:03:02.870
This is related to reduction in deadly,[br]difficult and expensive diseases,

0:03:03.178,0:03:07.178
such as heart disease, diabetes[br]and certain forms of cancer.

0:03:08.611,0:03:12.071
Given the likelihood of a better health [br]on a plant-based diet,

0:03:12.261,0:03:16.471
it is an option that people should be[br]encouraged to exercise more often.

0:03:17.860,0:03:19.990
Compared to eating animals,

0:03:19.990,0:03:22.902
eating plants is not only[br]more likely to be more healthy,

0:03:22.902,0:03:25.332
it also has a much stronger[br]ethical standpoint.

0:03:26.135,0:03:29.665
Which brings us to[br]the center pillar: the animals.

0:03:30.966,0:03:33.426
The vast majority [br]of animals raised for food

0:03:33.579,0:03:35.419
reside on factory farms.

0:03:36.517,0:03:40.897
And every single year,[br]we kill over 60 billion land animals.

0:03:41.453,0:03:45.663
Out of these 60 billion[br]land animals, 1.3 billion are pigs.

0:03:47.055,0:03:50.534
So, to sustain the demand[br]for pig-eating humans,

0:03:50.534,0:03:52.814
these killings need to be maintained.

0:03:52.814,0:03:55.091
And to maintain these killings,

0:03:55.091,0:03:57.927
the first line of business[br]is to make sure that the pigs

0:03:57.927,0:04:01.867
are giving birth to all the piglets[br]that we kill every year.

0:04:03.176,0:04:06.658
So, through the centuries, [br]female pigs, or sows,

0:04:06.658,0:04:08.688
have been bred and selected

0:04:08.688,0:04:12.018
to be able to give birth[br]to as many offspring possible.

0:04:12.018,0:04:17.498
And today, each sow gives birth[br]to 10-12 piglets, two times a year.

0:04:19.021,0:04:22.351
The days prior to giving birth[br]and during lactation,

0:04:22.351,0:04:28.041
the sow is kept in a metal enclosure,[br]called a gestation crate.

0:04:28.459,0:04:31.698
While in the gestation crate,[br]the sow cannot move about,

0:04:31.698,0:04:33.187
not even turn around,

0:04:33.187,0:04:36.347
let alone make any meaningful[br]contact with her piglets.

0:04:38.231,0:04:41.991
Soon after birth, the testicles[br]of male piglets are removed,

0:04:42.186,0:04:46.186
allegedly to make their meat[br]smell better when it is cooked.

0:04:47.033,0:04:49.543
And to avoid biting and being bitten,

0:04:49.725,0:04:54.035
some piglets have their tail[br]and selected teeth removed as well.

0:04:54.845,0:04:58.255
With certainty, regardless[br]of the conditions until then,

0:04:58.504,0:05:00.674
when the piglets are[br]around three weeks old,

0:05:00.674,0:05:04.134
they are removed from the presence[br]of their mother, forever.

0:05:04.852,0:05:08.852
During the rest of their short lives,[br]they are kept in crowded places

0:05:09.159,0:05:12.879
to be fed and to grow[br]with thousands of their kin

0:05:12.879,0:05:15.799
who are all destined[br]for the same senseless fate.

0:05:17.534,0:05:22.074
Meanwhile, their mother is being prepared [br]for her next pregnancy session.

0:05:22.595,0:05:25.121
To keep the sows constantly pregnant,

0:05:25.121,0:05:28.911
they are impregnated through artificial [br]insemination, performed by humans.

0:05:30.231,0:05:34.231
The pig semen is also collected[br]by human professional masturbators.

0:05:35.696,0:05:40.006
You can lookup "Pig semen collection,"[br]on YouTube, if you are interested.

0:05:41.889,0:05:45.679
So, even though pigs give birth [br]to offspring all the time,

0:05:45.679,0:05:47.159
they never have sex.

0:05:48.870,0:05:53.020
And I guess most of us appreciate[br]that pigs are sentient beings,

0:05:53.020,0:05:56.878
that can feel pleasure and pain,[br]often in similar ways that we humans do.

0:05:57.525,0:06:00.958
Thus it seems inconsistent[br]that losing an offspring,

0:06:00.958,0:06:04.993
which is arguably the most painful[br]experience that humans have to endure,

0:06:05.283,0:06:10.423
is an experience that we carelessly[br]inflict upon pigs, all the time.

0:06:11.733,0:06:16.473
Most pigs never breathe fresh air[br]or walk under the bare blue sky,

0:06:16.905,0:06:19.456
and the only time they[br]might see a glimpse of the sun

0:06:19.456,0:06:23.786
is when they are in a back of a truck[br]being transported for slaughter.

0:06:25.094,0:06:28.693
What I have said here about pigs[br]can without much difficulty

0:06:28.693,0:06:31.653
be adapted to fit the lives[br]of other domesticated animals,

0:06:31.949,0:06:34.009
such as chicken or cows.

0:06:37.094,0:06:39.234
The third pillar: the environment.

0:06:39.876,0:06:42.416
The staggering amount[br]of animals we raise for food

0:06:42.416,0:06:45.338
is having some dire consequences [br]for the environment.

0:06:46.451,0:06:49.661
Consequences that were perhaps [br]unforeseen at the time,

0:06:49.661,0:06:53.241
but have become so blatantly[br]obvious at the present.

0:06:54.602,0:06:58.602
To put things in context, let's go[br]twelve thousand years back in time.

0:06:59.924,0:07:03.760
Twelve thousand years ago,[br]there were no domesticated animals,

0:07:03.760,0:07:06.893
and the combined weight [br]of all large land animals

0:07:06.893,0:07:11.803
was around 300 million tons,[br]out of which humans represented 1%.

0:07:13.101,0:07:16.676
Today, the total combined weight[br]of all large land animals

0:07:16.676,0:07:19.346
is almost 1500 million tons,

0:07:19.846,0:07:22.626
five times the amount[br]it was twelve thousand years ago.

0:07:23.147,0:07:28.477
Out of these 1500 million tons,[br]more than 1100 are domesticated animals.

0:07:29.216,0:07:31.773
More than 300 are humans,

0:07:31.773,0:07:35.463
and wild animals represent[br]only around 30 million tons.

0:07:36.413,0:07:40.231
So, we used to be 1% out of 300 million,

0:07:40.231,0:07:45.981
but today, along with our domesticated [br]animals, we are 98% out of 1500 million.

0:07:46.746,0:07:50.036
That is a huge difference[br]in a very short time.

0:07:50.772,0:07:54.552
So, with this picture in mind,[br]three things emerge.

0:07:55.634,0:08:01.034
Number one: our domesticated[br]animals eat a lot of food.

0:08:02.376,0:08:07.036
How come we are able to feed[br]1100 million tons of animals,

0:08:07.402,0:08:13.682
but we cannot prevent 10 million people [br]from dying from malnutrition every year?

0:08:14.281,0:08:18.249
How come there are more people[br]who die from eating too much,

0:08:18.249,0:08:21.739
then there are people[br]who die from eating too little?

0:08:22.860,0:08:27.600
Number two: Our domesticated[br]animals take up a lot of space.

0:08:28.765,0:08:32.649
To make space for our animals[br]and the food we grow for them,

0:08:32.649,0:08:34.609
we cut down rain forest.

0:08:34.609,0:08:36.472
And when we cut down rain forest,

0:08:36.472,0:08:41.472
we are not only destroying the planet's[br]defenses against carbon dioxide,

0:08:41.472,0:08:46.242
but we are also destroying the habitats[br]of wild species and driving them extinct.

0:08:47.196,0:08:51.836
The main driver for species extinction[br]is rain forest destruction,

0:08:52.389,0:08:56.699
and the main driver for rain forest [br]destruction is animal agriculture -

0:08:57.429,0:08:59.579
mainly, cattle production.

0:09:01.363,0:09:06.383
Number three: Our domesticated[br]animals release a lot of waste.

0:09:07.111,0:09:11.001
All of these animals[br]shit, piss, fart, and burp.

0:09:11.962,0:09:14.307
And while all is bad for the environment,

0:09:14.307,0:09:18.097
it is the burp that is having[br]the most damaging effect.

0:09:18.685,0:09:22.035
When ruminant animals,[br]like cattle and sheep, burp,

0:09:22.274,0:09:26.274
they release methane,[br]and apparently, they burp a lot.

0:09:26.945,0:09:29.185
And methane is a greenhouse gas

0:09:29.185,0:09:31.625
that is much more potent[br]at heating the atmosphere

0:09:31.625,0:09:33.489
than even carbon dioxide.

0:09:35.349,0:09:37.610
Mainly because of ruminant animals,

0:09:37.610,0:09:43.061
the global release of greenhouse gases[br]from animal agriculture is so enormous

0:09:43.061,0:09:46.991
that it is greater than from the whole[br]transportation sector combined.

0:09:50.302,0:09:54.452
Now, reflecting upon these pillars[br]may leave some of you with the idea

0:09:54.808,0:09:57.818
that there is something wrong [br]with the human species.

0:09:58.516,0:10:02.506
That of all the species,[br]it is the absolute worst.

0:10:03.066,0:10:07.066
And given the terms we set[br]for the survival of billions animals,

0:10:07.251,0:10:10.211
it is not that hard[br]to lose faith in humanity.

0:10:11.004,0:10:14.404
And it is not just how we treat[br]non-human animals

0:10:14.409,0:10:17.009
that can deter us from a glimpse of hope.

0:10:17.555,0:10:22.785
We are also dealing with wars, [br]refugee crises, climate change,

0:10:23.546,0:10:30.056
terrorists, nuclear threat, world hunger,[br]and various forms of discrimination.

0:10:31.187,0:10:32.467
There are parts on earth

0:10:32.467,0:10:36.447
where women have little or no control[br]over their lives or their bodies,

0:10:37.057,0:10:39.887
and there are parts on earth[br]where people are being prosecuted

0:10:39.887,0:10:42.717
because they do not love[br]or have sex in an orthodox way,

0:10:44.285,0:10:46.228
and every single year,

0:10:46.228,0:10:49.498
six million children die[br]before they reach the age of five.

0:10:51.018,0:10:54.938
So, with this grim picture in mind,[br]it seems reasonable to ask:

0:10:55.890,0:10:59.480
Will the human species ever make an effort

0:10:59.480,0:11:03.520
to change from an animal-based diet[br]towards a plant-based diet?

0:11:04.178,0:11:07.698
Do we even have what it takes[br]to make such a shift?

0:11:09.295,0:11:12.285
Well, I believe the answer [br]is a resounding "yes,"

0:11:12.285,0:11:13.585
and let me tell you why.

0:11:14.915,0:11:17.265
It is mainly because of two things.

0:11:18.035,0:11:20.375
First, despite all our faults,

0:11:21.507,0:11:24.347
human beings have [br]a great capacity for compassion,

0:11:25.250,0:11:29.480
and our compassion has been increasing,[br]and it continues to increase.

0:11:30.458,0:11:34.638
Also, we have made some meaningful impact[br]in the defense of animals.

0:11:36.173,0:11:41.923
So, many of the bad things humans do[br]is blown out of proportion.

0:11:42.511,0:11:44.361
Human history clearly shows

0:11:44.361,0:11:47.821
that we are much more peaceful[br]and less violent than we used to be.

0:11:48.631,0:11:50.097
There used to be a time

0:11:50.097,0:11:54.587
when encounters between two human tribes[br]burst out in violent conflict.

0:11:55.437,0:11:57.587
We have come a long way since.

0:11:57.873,0:12:03.183
Today, we are over 7 billion human beings[br]living in relative harmony.

0:12:04.427,0:12:07.397
Never before has there been so few wars,

0:12:07.906,0:12:09.294
and despite the media hype,

0:12:09.294,0:12:12.544
the terrorist threat[br]is relatively minuscule.

0:12:13.274,0:12:17.041
Torture used to be at display[br]for people's entertainment,

0:12:17.041,0:12:20.400
the death penalty has been [br]abolished in many countries,

0:12:20.400,0:12:22.488
slavery has been outlawed,

0:12:22.488,0:12:24.495
and slowly but surely, since then,

0:12:24.495,0:12:28.825
discrimination based on race[br]is no longer considered defensible.

0:12:30.240,0:12:32.284
The rights and empowerment of women

0:12:32.284,0:12:37.294
has seen a very positive and dramatic[br]effect over the last century or two.

0:12:38.084,0:12:40.674
And the rights of[br]homosexuals is improving,

0:12:40.928,0:12:46.448
notably, homosexuality was decriminalised [br]in the United Kingdom, only in 1982.

0:12:48.305,0:12:50.932
A further testament[br]to our altruistic behaviour

0:12:50.932,0:12:56.752
can be seen in how we donate money to[br]help people who live in extreme poverty -

0:12:57.220,0:13:00.780
people we do not know and will never know.

0:13:01.060,0:13:05.060
Such altruistic behaviour[br]seems impossible in other species.

0:13:06.433,0:13:07.517
And while it is true

0:13:07.517,0:13:11.277
that six million children die, every year,[br]before they reach the age of five,

0:13:11.733,0:13:15.423
it was only 30 years ago[br]when this number was 12 million.

0:13:19.182,0:13:23.062
Improvement in other[br]poverty-related areas is evident as well.

0:13:24.129,0:13:26.341
So, it seems irrefutable

0:13:26.341,0:13:30.411
that human beings have[br]a great capacity for compassion

0:13:30.411,0:13:32.851
and that our compassion is increasing.

0:13:33.317,0:13:35.917
And that gives us[br]a good reason to be optimistic

0:13:35.921,0:13:38.111
that we can make the shift

0:13:38.111,0:13:41.751
from an animal-based diet[br]towards a plant-based diet.

0:13:43.061,0:13:46.841
Also we have made some meaningful[br]impact in the defense of animals.

0:13:47.279,0:13:50.339
Many countries now have laws[br]that govern animals

0:13:50.989,0:13:52.329
where there used to be none.

0:13:53.253,0:13:54.923
Using these laws,

0:13:54.923,0:13:57.283
conditions for animals have improved,

0:13:57.693,0:14:00.473
perhaps most notably[br]in the European Union.

0:14:00.685,0:14:06.355
But also, big American food companies have[br]improved the conditions for their animals,

0:14:06.717,0:14:09.237
not because they were told[br]to do so by the government,

0:14:09.237,0:14:12.637
but rather due to popular demand[br]from their consumers.

0:14:14.327,0:14:16.839
Arguably, these efforts are not enough,

0:14:16.839,0:14:19.668
but they do show that[br]when it comes to animal suffering,[br]

0:14:19.668,0:14:22.958
that people are aware[br]and that they do care.

0:14:24.038,0:14:27.426
Another impact in the defense[br]of animals is the fact

0:14:27.426,0:14:31.588
that more and more people[br]are deciding, for whatever reason,

0:14:31.588,0:14:34.558
to forgo animal products [br]in their daily lives.

0:14:36.296,0:14:39.326
With an increase in demand[br]for [plant] based products,

0:14:39.758,0:14:42.608
restaurants, supermarkets, entrepreneurs

0:14:42.608,0:14:45.715
are responding with an increase[br]in supply and variety,

0:14:46.159,0:14:48.005
which in turn makes it even easier

0:14:48.005,0:14:51.325
for people to accept and choose[br]a plant-based option.

0:14:54.607,0:14:59.337
Despite these positive things,[br]the fact remains that factory farming

0:14:59.337,0:15:02.233
is one of the greatest problems[br]facing the human race,

0:15:02.722,0:15:04.276
a problem of such proportions

0:15:04.276,0:15:07.426
that it affects the entire[br]biosphere of the planet.

0:15:07.996,0:15:12.506
That is why it is genuinely important[br]that as many people as possible

0:15:12.506,0:15:16.506
participate in the shift [br]towards a plant-based diet.

0:15:17.286,0:15:19.866
If you take a look at the atrocities

0:15:19.866,0:15:22.536
that we have successfully[br]and often proudly

0:15:22.536,0:15:25.436
eradicated from our civilized societies,

0:15:25.888,0:15:30.988
such as torture, slavery,[br]death penalty, and discrimination,

0:15:31.482,0:15:34.712
and then look at what is happening[br]with the animals we eat,

0:15:36.503,0:15:40.872
it does not take too much effort[br]of our imagination to appreciate

0:15:40.872,0:15:43.252
that it is with the animals we eat

0:15:43.252,0:15:48.352
where torture takes place,[br]where slavery prevails -

0:15:48.952,0:15:51.940
at it's very essence,[br]it is discrimination.

0:15:55.274,0:15:58.934
Fellow human beings, it is high time

0:15:58.934,0:16:03.904
that we embrace non-human animals[br]within our expanding moral circle.

0:16:04.333,0:16:09.573
It will bring unprecedented benefits[br]to humans and other animals alike,

0:16:09.953,0:16:12.043
for generations to come.

0:16:13.735,0:16:17.074
(Applause)