I was talking to a friend of mine who seemed pessimistic about the future. He’d seen the info so he knew that peoples’ eating habits were the main equation. He didn’t expect change to happen in time.

We stood outside the house.

“C’mon,” I said, wishing he could feel more positive. “You never know how things might change. Things can happen. It might be a big surprise!”

At that moment I myself got a surprise. My friend glanced down for a fraction of a second and of all possibilities his eyes fell straight on a four leafed clover.

“See?” I said.

Later I searched the garden looking for a second one. Not to be found.

I’ve always believed in little signs. This coincidence gives me great hope because the way I figure, a vegan earth isn’t less possible than glancing on and recognizing the only four leaf clover in a yard full of three leaf clovers.

It’s clear to me that if we are going to live longer in this world as a species we are going to need a 180 degree change of direction. Veganism is essential in this: a complete overhaul in how we relate to other species and the natural world.

Grab a cuppa and turn on your imagination.

So here’s a story that begins at this moment, retold from the future.

2009: Vegan population: 40% – 60% to go.

That’s right – 40% of the world was already 99% vegan in 2009 though not many people realised it. The day to day meals of many consisted of a few veggies and a bit of rice, or the equivalent. Some of these people were really hungry, and developed diseases of poverty. But many lived healthily, had enough to eat and had decent standards of living. They avoided the ‘diseases of affluence’ that correlated with the extreme omnivorous ‘western’ diet (it was freaking extreme, looking back).

Late 2009: A turning point came at the UN conference in Copenhagen. It wasn’t in terms of a groundbreaking climate ‘deal’ or sudden government willingness. Nothing much happened politically in Copenhagen that would have changed the outlook for the future – all the decisions made were based on old science and a belief that climate change was a  work in progress.

The turn happened because the scientific organizations informed governments and media of their latest consensus: the focus must shift to the short term, with priority on reducing methane and land clearing emissions. Google searches on “methane” soon topped “carbon.”

A new GWP of 100 was informally agreed on for methane, reflecting the new consensus.

In early 2010 the IPCC released an “urgent” document for policy makers which summarised recent findings and took into account the exponential increase in extreme climate related disasters. It highlighted methane and livestock as options for mitigation and this translated into greater authority for calls to quit meat.

The European Union adds mandatory labeling of food with an updated carbon equivalent rating. No industry was exempt – it was across the board. This built on the urgency communicated at Copenhagen and showed the public how damaging meat is – every time they buy it.

Mid 2010: World vegan population: 45%

As a result there was a large and vocal movement which protested a “UN-EU conspiracy.” There were several large protests which included the livestock industry who were very upset at not being exempt from the labeling or reimbursed for ‘damages’. These protests got a lot of media attention – some of it sympathetic.

In order to convince the public of the facts of the matter scientists cooperated with governments to create handbooks and advertising that communicated the most obvious indicators of climate change – such as the fact that temperature has followed atmospheric concentrations of carbon and methane precisely for recoded atmospheric history (800,000 years). Such efforts to educate created confidence in the majority of people, who  were thus more open to arguments against meat – especially as the livestock industry was then on the wrong side of the equation.

At the same time, reduced sales of meat were exactly correlated with reductions in chronic illnesses, a fact that was widely publicised in the media. New questions about meat entered public consciousness. There was thus a large portion of European society that was passively vegetarian.

2011: Meat sales down 35%; World vegan population 55%.

These trends were mirrored in the United States, including an attempt to label food by the Democrat party. However the “conspiracy” protests were much more vocal and their claims much more extreme. The government was much more cautious with the livestock industry. Meat sales nevertheless were lessened and correlated with a reduction in chronic disease.  The public was more divided than in Europe and many people proclaimed their vegetarianism and veganism almost as a political signifier.

China: Meanwhile in the developing world enthusiastic youth sided with the EU. The government of China published information on the harmful effects of meat on an already damaged and resource-scarce environment. A new tax aimed specifically at industrial meat and milk production was introduced, and the fact that this tax was severely evaded due to a lack of local government cooperation was widely known. Livestock producers went on the public’s list of corrupt environmental vandals.  New trends such as MacDonald’s and KFC started to be less fashionable and outlets closed, not opened. Cruelty towards animals became much more taboo than it had been. Videos and information circulated throughout the Chinese population like wildfire and a new empathy with animals was born.

Michelle Obama said publicly that no more meat will be served in her house, “knowing now what I didn’t know before.” Publicly Obama grudgingly obliged, in an effort to appear as a fence sitter. However the democrats continued to work on reducing the influence and impact of the livestock industry, with some internal dissidence and even a high-profile abdication.

. . . to be continued . . .

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