Welcome to the Green Week Conference 2010
Biodiversity – our lifeline
This year, the largest annual conference on European environment policy turns the spotlight on biodiversity. Over some 30 sessions, the conference will address the state ofbiodiversity and nature in Europe and the world, the benefits they bring, present-day pressures on them, and possible solutions to the current rates of loss. The path to be taken by EU policies on biodiversity and nature policies post-2010, the economic dimension of biodiversity, ecosystem services and Natura 2000 will also be investigated.
These are some of the many questions Green Week 2010 will examine in three days of discussion and debate between high-level speakers from Europe and beyond.
Green Week is a unique opportunity for exchanges of experience and good practice.
Some 3 800 participants are expected from EU institutions, business and industry, non-governmental organisations, public authorities, the scientific community and academia.
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This year’s green week conference will be held 1-4 June in Brussels. Biodiversity as noted above, is the topic. Finally someone who makes sense:
“Many people do not realize that eating meat and other animal products (including fish and dairy) has such a tremendous effect on biodiversity, not only in their own country but also in other continents. Through urbanization and specialization, we have lost sight on the effects of livestock production.”
Session 2.9. Biodiversity and meat consumption
Thursday 3 June 2010 – 16:30 – 18:00
Livestock rearing has an impact on valuable habitats and puts biodiversity and sustainable land use under pressure. The ongoing rise in meat consumption around the world is increasing these harmful effects. It is predicted that our current global meat consumption of around 280 million tons per year would double by 2050 due to growing population and higher incomes. This increase has been nourished by the proliferation of concentrated factory farms, with some 80 percent of growth in the livestock sector coming from industrial production systems that consume vast amounts of feed and energy and may lead to direct competition for scarce land, water and other natural resources.
At a time when grazing land and feed crop production occupies 30 percent of the land surface of the planet, this session will look at the myriad side-effects, from loss of biodiversity, deforestation and algae blooms to the acidification of terrestrial ecosystems and emissions of greenhouse gases. The session will examine what the future holds, asking how the demand for meat and thus animal food products can be balanced with the demand for environmental services.
Speakers:
- Carolyn Opio, Animal Production and Health Division, Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)
- Henk Westhoek, Progamme Manager Agriculture and Food, Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency (PBL)
- Danielle Nierenberg, Worldwatch Institute, USA
Details of all sessions and speakers can be found on the Green Week 2010 website.
