BANNER FLIES OVER ROME; PETA SAYS POPE'S HISTORIC CALL FOR CLIMATE-CHANGE ACTION MEANS END TO ANIMAL AGRICULTURE

PETA Urges Residents to Go Vegan in Support of Pope's Message

London — In the wake of Pope Francis' call for action on climate change, a sky-borne message proclaiming, "Pope's Message Requires All to GO VEGAN!" flew over Rome this afternoon, courtesy of PETA. The banner enlightened Rome's residents, pointing out that every discussion of climate change must include the devastating effects of the meat and dairy industries—which guzzle natural resources, including ground water and top soil, and cause deforestation and the pollution of soil and waterways at an alarming rate.

Images of the plane and banner can be seen here and here. Video is available here.

"Pope Francis' message is that we must respect God's creation and the Earth—and there is no such thing as a meat-eating environmentalist," says PETA's director Mimi Bekhechi. "That's why we're calling on all caring people to reduce their carbon footprint by switching to environmentally friendly vegan foods."

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that "animals are not ours to eat"—points out that according to the United Nations, a global shift toward a vegan diet is necessary to combat the worst effects of climate chance. It takes an amount of water equivalent to six months' worth of showers to produce just 1 pound of meat, and animal agriculture is a major producer of the greenhouse-gas emissions that cause climate change.

For more information, please visit PETA.org.uk