MC(m): Dr. Michael Greger is a medical doctor and the Director of Public Health and Animal Agriculture for the Humane Society of the United States. He is a foremost authority on swine flu and many other types of disease. Dr. Greger is the author of the book， “Bird Flu: A Virus of Our Own Hatching." He is also a vegan. Please join us in welcoming Dr. Michael Greger.

Dr Greger(m): Thank you. Good afternoon. According to the Director-General of the World Health Organization， the three greatest threats facing humanity: Number one is the global food crisis; climate change is number two; and pandemic influenza is number three- all of which have to do with our food choices.

The current pandemic has killed thousands of people，but in a world in which millions continue to die of diseases like AIDS， tuberculosis，malaria， why is there so much concern about the so-called swine flu? Because apparently， the last time a nearly entirely new flu virus jumped species and caused a pandemic， it went on to become the deadliest plague in human history - the influenza pandemic of 1918. Most flu-strains tend to spare young healthy adults，the 1918 virus killed people in the prime of life. In 1918，more than a quarter of all Americans fell ill. This is a chart of percent of population dying here in the States. In 1918，as many as 50 to 100 million people lost their lives.

A similar virus today could kill many，many more. What started for millions around the globe as muscle aches and a fever， ended days or even hours later. Homeless orphans， their parents gone， wandered the empty streets. One agonized official in the stricken East sent an urgent warning West: “Hunt up your woodworkers and set them to making coffins，then take your street laborers and set them to digging graves.” This is a clipping from the New York Times， at the time，“Victims of Plague Everywhere. Great pyres of bodies consumed by the flames.” That 1918 flu virus killed more people in 25 weeks than AIDS has killed in 25 years.

No war，no plague， no famine，has ever killed so many people in so short a time as the 1918 pandemic. Where did it come from? The conventional wisdom is that the 1918 pandemic was triggered when an Ｈ１Ｎ１ bird virus in its entirety- all 8 gene segments - jumped into human beings， who then apparently passed it along to pigs， sickening millions of them as well.

Now，after the pandemic when our immune systems got used to the new virus， it turned into the regular seasonal flu， and in pigs，it turned into what we call classic or classical swine flu. Before 1918，we have no reports ever of any pigs coming down with the flu at all. So，throughout the roaring '20s， people got the regular flu every year，and pigs got the swine flu. Same thing with the '30s. And the same with the '40s. The important thing to notice though is that swine flu remained stable throughout，unchanging through the 1950's， the 1960's，the 1970's in North America， and stable throughout the 1980's.

But then by 1999， everything changed. A never before described triple-species flu virus arose. The classic swine flu virus，after being stable for 80 years straight， picked up 3 gene segments from the circulating human flu virus and then 2 gene segments from a bird flu virus，to create the first triple animal re-assortment virus ever described. Our first hybrid， a human-pig viral mutant was discovered on an industrial pig operation in Newton Grove， North Carolina in August 1998， owned by a massive pork conglomerate by the name of Hog Slat.

The virus mutated further，and then spread within months throughout the United States. Soon it spread into Canada，and by 2003 the majority of animals tested in industrial pig operations in Mexico also showed evidence of exposure to our triple-hybrid strain. We then exported it to Asia，and apparently the favor has been returned. After re-shuffling with the classic swine flu， our “made in the USA” triple re-assortment virus picked up two gene segments from a Eurasian swine flu lineage to create the flu pandemic of 2009.

The primary progenitor， the main ancestor，of our current pandemic flu virus， as shown in orange here， is the triple-hybrid mutant that emerged and spread throughout factory farms in the United States more than a decade ago. Six out of the eight gene segments，three quarters of our current pandemic virus，straight from our triple-hybrid. And this diagram， these data，are from the most comprehensive genetic analysis of this virus to date. Now，influenza experts had been warning about this triple-hybrid mutant for years，what they call “an extremely promiscuous mammalian- adapted virus.”

Flu scientists used to only worry about Southeast Asia，but given the appearance of that triple-hybrid mutant， now we need to look in our own backyard for where the next pandemic may appear. And six years later， it indeed did. After eight decades of stability，what happened in the 1990's that led to these unprecedented changes in swine flu?

And the same question with bird flu: no human deaths from avian influenza for eight decades until 1997，when H5N1 started killing people in Hong Kong. And then H7N7 bird flu emerged in the Netherlands which went on to infect a thousand people and ended up being transmitted efficiently from person to person - just two examples of new bird flu viruses infecting people. Now，in poultry， the number of outbreaks of highly pathogenic，highly disease-causing strains - the first few years of this century has already exceeded the total number of outbreaks recorded for the entire 20th century.

As one leading flu scientist told Science:
“We've gone from a few snowflakes to an avalanche.” What has been happening in recent years to trigger these kinds of unprecedented changes in both swine and chicken flu viruses?

Let's ask the world's leading expert，Dr. Robert Webster，as did the senior correspondent of News Hour with Jim Lehrer: “Was there something qualitatively different about this last decade that made it possible for this disease to do something it's never done before， some kind of changing conditions that suddenly lit a match to the tinder?” Webster replied，he says:
“Farming practices have changed.” He talks about growing up on a farm. He says，“Now we put millions of chickens into a chicken factory， next door to a pig factory. And this virus has the opportunity get into one of these chicken factories and make billions and billions of mutations continuously. And so，what we've changed is the way we raise animals.”

Five years ago， the world's three leading authorities got together for a joint consultation - the World Health Organization, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations，and the World Organization for Animal Health， the world's leading veterinary authority - and their job was to uncover the key underlying causes of all these new animal-to-human diseases. Number one on their list， in themes of risk factors， was this increasing demand for animal protein the world over. Animals were domesticated 10,000 years ago， but never before like this， especially pigs and poultry.

Chickens used to peck around the barnyard， but now chickens raised for meat are typically warehoused in sheds containing tens of thousands of birds. Half of the egg-laying hens on our planet are now confined in what are called battery cages， these small barren wire enclosures extending down long rows in windowless sheds- can be up to a million birds on a single farm. About half of the world's pig population is currently confined in these industrial confinement operations. These intensive systems represent the most profound alteration of the human-animal relationship in 10,000 years.

Now，the industry is slowly waking up to the growing realization that viruses previously innocuous to natural host species have in all probability become more virulent，by passes through these large commercial populations. This is from an international trade journal. This is not，arguably， how animals were meant to live. So，how does the poultry industry feel about the possibility of its own so-called factory farms leading to a pandemic that could kill millions of people?

Well，the executive editor of Poultry Magazine wrote an editorial on just that topic. “The prospect of a virulent flu to which we have absolutely no resistance is frightening. However，to me， the threat is much greater to the poultry industry. I'm not as worried about the US human population dying from bird flu as I am that there will be no chicken to eat,” said the executive editor of Poultry Magazine. There are at least ten reasons why industrial pork production can present such a breeding ground for disease.

The operation in Newton Grove，North Carolina， where the ancestor of the current pandemic virus was first detected， was a breeding facility in which thousands of sows where confined in what are called “gestation crates,” also known as sow stalls. These are kind of veal-crate-like barren metal cages about 2 feet wide. These highly intelligent， social creatures， basically being kept in a box week after week， month after month，for nearly their entire lives.

They can develop crippling joint formities， lameness. I mean, if we did this to a dog， you'd get thrown in jail. Not only can these pregnant pigs not turn around，they can really barely move at all. Now，the rise in stress hormone levels in these so-called “crated sows” is thought to be because of the interference with natural maternal behaviors like nest building，which they can't do in a cage. And this frustration of maternal behavior has been shown experimentally to result in impaired immunity.

Now，the national livestock and meat board defends intensive confinement in a pamphlet called “Facts from the Meat Board”: “Confinement rearing has its precedence. Schools are an example of confinement rearing of children,” they say. Not that different from how they described veal crates as being similar to a baby's crib. The fact that the industry feels the need to mislead consumers by conjuring images of classrooms and baby cribs speaks to how far out of step animal agriculture has gone from just mainstream basic decency towards animals and，interestingly， they know it.

As Professor Emeritus of Animal Science wrote in one of his college textbooks， “One of the best things modern animal agriculture has going for it is that most people haven't a clue how animals are raised. For modern animal agriculture，the less the consumer knows the better.” What can we do to prevent this kind of thing in the future? Which is why we're all here today.

The United Nations has urged all governments， local authorities， international agencies “need to take a greatly increased role in combating the role of factory farming，which combined with these live bird markets that can provide,” in their words， “ideal conditions for the flu virus to spread and mutate into a more dangerous form. These factory farms can be thought of as the original incubators for dangerous strains of the flu.” More than five years ago the American Public Health Association， the largest and oldest association of public health professionals in the world， called for a moratorium on factory farming.

No more factory farms. In 2007，the journal of the APHA published an editorial that went beyond just calling for de-intensification of the industry，of the pork and poultry industries. The editorial questioned the prudence of raising so many animals for slaughter in the first place. They said: “It is curious that changing the way humans treat animals， most basically ceasing to eat them，or at the very least radically limiting the quantity of them that is eaten， is largely off the radar as a significant preventive measure.

But such a change， if sufficiently adopted or enforced，could still reduce the chances of the much feared influenza pandemic. It would even more likely prevent unknown future diseases that， in the absence of the change，may result from farming animals intensively and killing animals for food. Yet humanity,” it goes on to say， “doesn't even apparently consider this option. We don't tend to shore up the levies until after the disaster strikes.” The editorial concludes， “Those who consume animals not only harm those animals and endanger themselves， but they also threaten the wellbeing of future generations. It is time for humans to remove their heads from the sand,” they say， “and recognize the risk to themselves that can arise from the maltreatment of other species.”

How we treat animals can have global public health implications. Let me end with a quote from the World Health Organization， “The bottom line is that people have to think about how they treat their animals… Basically，the whole relationship between the animal kingdom and the human kingdom is coming under stress. In this age of emerging diseases， we now have billions of curly-tailed and feathered test tubes for viruses to incubate and mutate within billions more spins at pandemic roulette. But，along with human culpability，comes hope. If changes in human behavior can cause new plagues，well， then changes in human behavior may prevent them in the future.” Thank you.

MC(f): Thank you， Dr. Michael Greger. The information you have given us is truly thought provoking.

MC(m): I think it's time for some inspiration. The piano is one of the musical instruments originally designed to reproduce higher universal frequencies. Let's listen to some piano music now that will lift our spirits.

MC(f): Our next performer was born in Saigon， Âu Lạc (Vietnam). Ms. Uyên Phương showed musical talent very early. When she was only seven，she won a scholarship to study to at the prestigious Saigon Conservatory. She has won seven gold medals at piano and organ contests，and recently became the first Aulacese (Vietnamese) student to receive a scholarship to attend Berklee College of Music in Boston. She will be playing “My Favorite Things.” Please give a warm welcome to Ms. Uyên Phương.

MC(m): Thank you， Ms. Uyên Phương， for sharing your uplifting music with us.

MC(f): Yes，it was truly uplifting. Next，we will hear from Dr. T. Colin Campbell， a professor of Nutritional Biochemistry at Cornell University， and author of the bestselling book, “The China Study.” Let's hear from him now.

Campbell(m): My name is T. Colin Campbell. I'm a long time professor at Cornell University， presently a Professor Emeritus of Nutritional Biochemistry. I have been working in the field as a researcher， as a lecturer，as a teacher for many，many years- more than 50 years- in the field of food and health. We learned， when we gathered all the information from the laboratory on one hand， from the human studies in the other，that this information rather substantially pointed to the idea that consuming anything other than whole plant-based foods could create health problems.

We learned that nutrition is a major factor in keeping us healthy， and by nutrition I mean consuming whole plant-based foods and eliminating， as much as possible， animal based foods: dairy，eggs and meat. And one of the outcomes of this idea is not only that do we restore health， but now we're learning that this can have a major effect on the environment. I know there's a conference coming up in Washington，D.C. on the question concerning global warming and livestock production and animal food consumption， and I would extend my best wishes for that conference. I think it's an important conference，a very important conference， and I'm delighted to pass along a message that what is being done here is about as important a topic as anything that I can consider. I extend my best wishes to the conference.

MC(m): Thank you， Dr. T. Colin Campbell， for your insight into the relationship of diet and health.

MC(f): So，if we unite for a kinder，animal-free lifestyle，it will be better for our health and for our planet. I wonder how aware today's children are of the benefits from switching to a plant-based diet?

MC(m): Well，let's hear what Wyntergrace Williams， the daughter of famous American talk show host， Montel Williams， has to say.

Miss Williams (f): Some of us don't eat right - fast food，junk food. Sometimes even our school lunches have too much fat and cholesterol. I'm Wyntergrace Williams， you know my dad， Montel. And I'd like your help in bringing healthy foods into schools. A lot of us hate to see this. Others hate to see this. And nobody wants to see this. The answer's this: veggie chili， veggie burgers， healthy foods. Sign our petition today at healthyschoollunches.org

MC(f): Now that was to the point. To elaborate on this topic，we bring to you our next speaker， Dr. Ruby Lathon. Dr. Lathon currently serves as the Nutrition Policy Manager for the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine. Also，she has been inducted into the Inc. Hall of Fame as one of the outstanding Women in Science，Technology， and Engineering. A vegan herself， Dr. Lathon is the driving force behind proposed legislation for the Healthy School Lunch Program. Please welcome Dr. Ruby Lathon.

Dr Lathon (f): Well，good afternoon， it's really a pleasure to be here this afternoon. And I just want to first thank the organizers of this conference, as well as the renowned leaders and speakers who are participating here. And we're going to take a little bit of a shift and talk about the role of diet and climate change and focus a little bit on children and child health. And they've asked me to talk a little bit about the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine and give you a little insight on what we do.

We are a non-profit organization，based here in Washington，D.C.， made up of tens of thousands of physicians，dieticians，and healthcare professionals， as well as lay people who promote health through preventative medicine， through good nutrition and ethical standards of research. So，this is definitely an area that fits within our scope. So，the role of diet and climate change is very critical. And we know，based on the many reports that we've heard here today， including one entitled “Climate Change， Sustainable Diet，Health， the Connection and the Solution,” that we know that our food choices， which are a contributory factor to many major chronic diseases， are also dramatically impacting our climate.

So，we know that children's health reflects the society in which they live and we're going to focus on that for a moment. Research shows that the risk of chronic disease increases with the increase in meat and dairy consumption. And this graph shows the increase in meat consumption per capita between 1909 and 2005. And we can see that this increase was about 50 pounds. It was 148 pounds per person in meat consumption， and in 2005 it rose to 202 pounds per person for meat consumption.

And for cheese consumption， the difference is even more striking. We went from about 3.8 pounds of cheese consumption in 1909 to about 31 pounds in 2005. So it makes you wonder where's all that extra cheese going? And somebody else is having mine because I'm not having any. So when we look at this， we're wondering: What impact does this have on our health in general when we see these kinds of increases?

Consequently，the increase in child health and the prevalence of overweight has also increased. If we look at this graph， what it shows is in 1963 the prevalence of overweight among children and adolescents was about 4-5%， and it has steadily increased until 2002， where the prevalence of overweight among children was at 16%. And if we continue to plot this data， it rises in 2006 to 17% and on and on. And when we get the current data，I'm sure it's even more than that.

So，we can see that as we're increasing these things，such as meat and cheese consumption， our weight is going along with that，and as we know that when we have a higher weight，that many chronic diseases are related to that. So we wonder: If we have this increase in weight of children，what impacts them the most?

And one of those things is the school lunch program. We have about 100,000 schools participate in the National School Lunch Program， and that's feeding over 30 million children each school day. Initially，this program was designed so that the most disadvantaged children would have adequate nourishment for learning and other things that they needed to do. All too often we have high fat-，high cholesterol- laden foods that show up as staples in the lunch line. We often see pepperoni pizza， macaroni and cheese and chicken nuggets as the traditional staple that you can go in almost any public school in America and it's on the menu.

And so，we know that some of the risks associated with this are: diabetes，hypertension， cancer，and heart disease as well. And so，I want to take a moment to focus on diabetes because that's one of the major diseases that shows up when you have chronic overweight and obesity in our society. And if we look at obesity，diabetes， over the last decade，the last ten to twelve years， the data is astonishing.

So，in 1994 this shows the prevalence of diabetes. So，we had the darker blue color show the prevalence of diabetes in that state if it's above about 4 or 5%. So，if we're looking at the dark blue color， in '94 and '95 it increases. In '96 we're getting a little bit more; '97，again showing the increase in diabetes in each state; '98， '99，2000， 2001，2002 - 3，4. And in 2005，we had to change the scale to add another color because the amount of diabetes outgrew the current scale of about 5%. So，we went from about 4% per state to at least 8% of the population or more having diabetes. And so，we're seeing as the shift in our dietary patterns have changed， so is our weight and so is our health. And consequently， so is our environment.

And so，when we make these links，then we can talk about what we can do about that. So，as it's wreaking havoc on our diet，on our health, on our planet， you know it's also just having a devastating effect as cited，in that we've often heard about - as cited here today in the United Nations report “Livestock's Long Shadow” - that an estimated 18% of greenhouse gas emissions were related to livestock and its production.

However，the 2009 report “Livestock and Climate Change” by researchers at the Worldwatch Institute estimated that that number was a bit higher，producing about 32.6 billion tons of carbon dioxide per year. So，that's about 51% of greenhouse gas emissions, which is astonishing. This is from the report by Food Watch，a study that was commissioned in 2008.

And what this shows is， in comparison to a meat diet versus a non-meat diet，the amount of greenhouse gases for a car driven. For example， a meat-based diet would be equivalent to driving a car over 4700 kilometers， or 3000 miles, over a one year period. But，if you switch to a vegetarian diet，which is the second one there， it reduces that by half. And if you then switch to a vegan diet，it only takes about one-seventh… produces less than one-seventh of the greenhouse gas emissions of a meat based diet. So，that's quite astonishing. So，we wonder: What can we do about that?

Dr. Kujur (m): I have attended many national and international conventions，workshops， on topics ranging from conflict and peace to environment，ecology， indigenous peoples， human rights and so on， but I thought this was a unique experience for me，and I myself learnt a lot from this.

Gregory Himbey (m): I was getting stuff that was educating me and really hit me hard， provoking my mind. I'm 57 years old， and a few health issues， and what I've been hearing is: This could save my life! I'm calling it a spiritual awakening for the world， because I do want the universe to go on as it has been going on. It can't go on like it is right now because everything is suffering. The climate affects everything! Today is a reawakening because the tofu I enjoyed today， I thought it was steak! It was so delicious. I have to learn the menu; it's a whole new language now. This is a whole new culture here. It's not about race，it's a whole new spirituality and I'm just so privileged that God has put me in an environment that He has opened up my eyes to a wider horizon， and I'm just grateful.

Sam (m): I definitely learned a lot about just the mass amount of awareness that this issue has. As soon as I got here and I realized that all these people were here pretty much because they are vegan， it was a different… it was almost like I'd walked into something that was bigger than myself.

Francesca (f): I found her (Supreme Master Ching Hai) message overall pretty appealing to the audience. I mean，she really got down to a level that I can relate to as a college student. Unlike grand philosophers who seem to be on this great pedestal，like knowledge and whatnot， she was more at our level. Really she could joke and she had this kind of view on the world that we can all share, younger generations.

Be veg! Go green! Save the planet!

Supreme Master Ching Hai: One small step from everyone in the right direction can result in a big leap in our evolution as a human race. And that small step is very simple. It's just: no killing. Abiding by the principle of “live and let live,” adhering to the universal law where we grant life to beget life.

Join us on Supreme Master Television this Friday，February 12， for part 5 of the rebroadcast of the live videoconference with Guest of Honor， Supreme Master Ching Hai，entitled “Humanity's Leap to the Golden Era: Washington，D.C.， Climate Change Conference” on Words of Wisdom.

Tune in to Supreme Master Television today for the rebroadcast of the live videoconference “Humanity's Leap to the Golden Era: Washington，D.C.， Climate Change Conference” with Guest of Honor， Supreme Master Ching Hai， on Words of Wisdom.

One of the things is that the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine has done is implemented a kind of an innovative approach to tackling this, starting with our children, and that's our Healthy School Lunch Program. And in that program what we do is help schools introduce vegan options into their lunch line. We show them how to do that in a sustainable way, and a way that is friendly to the children; and they accept it and usually prefer it over some of the other options that they're given.

As a matter of fact, we did a study in Broward County, Florida, where we introduced these options over several weeks in the school lunch program. And so, what we had was a vegan option right next to your regular meat-based option. The vegan option in this graph is represented in red and the meat-based option is in blue. And the children had open opportunity to choose whichever they want.

Now, we will say we promoted the vegan option so they knew they would be there and that they would be available. But even after this promotion period, these items stayed on the menu. So, we can see that the vegan options - the veggie burgers, veggie chili, black beans and rice - sold almost three times as much as the meat options. So, the vegan options were very well accepted by children, which is contrary to a lot of what we hear sometimes by school officials or parents saying, “Kids won't choose healthy food if you give it to them.” And we've seen the opposite, that when it's presented to them and they're included in the process, this is what they want. Not only are our school children accepting it but parents are as well.

We did a survey of over 1000 adults and asked them about: Do they think that vegetarian or vegan options should be made available in the school lunch program? And over 80% agreed that this should be an option. So, we have a lot of support and momentum for this. A second approach that we're taking is on a federal level with the Child Nutrition Reauthorization Act. And what we're doing there is we're lobbying Congress to make it more affordable, accessible, and easy for schools to include these healthy, high fiber, low-fat foods in the School Lunch Program. So right now we are meeting with representatives from all over the country and getting a lot of support, and things are looking very positive in pushing our bill forward, that this will be very accessible for schools.

Secondly, we're looking at the commodity structure. And what that means is almost all schools who participate in the School Lunch Program get their foods, lower cost foods, through commodities from the USDA. So, what we want to see in that, instead of spending a large amount of money which they currently do on meat and cheese products, we would rather that the commodity structure favor low-fat, high fiber, healthy, nutritious, plant-based foods so that schools can then in turn order those foods. And so, that's another initiative that we're pushing forward in Congress as we're lobbying for that change. So, we believe that change is possible. We have over 100,000 children, students, parents, and supporters who have signed on at healthyschoollunches.org and other places to sign our petition to Congress saying, “This is what we want. This is what we want to see in our school lunches.”

We want to see healthy kids. We know healthy food relates in better behavior, better academic performance, better physical health, and so, we're building a momentum. And when we presented this petition to Congress, it has made an impact. So, we're continuing to gather those signatures at a grassroots level, trying to work this from more than one angle, getting people involved, schools involved, and also lobbying our government. So, schools have also picked this up and gone on their own with a lot of what they've done. For example, we have school districts that are implementing Meatless Mondays to cut cost and in turn increase child health. We have California, New York, Hawaii, and Florida have all implemented resolutions encouraging vegetarian meals and non-dairy beverages in place of cow's milk to be served in schools.

The American Medical Association, as well as the American Public Health Association, have issued resolutions recommending that vegetarian meals and non-dairy beverages be served in the School Lunch Program. So, people are listening. We also had a recent report from the Institute of Medicine, which influences the School Nutrition Association and the USDA in terms of what they serve, that came out about three weeks ago that said there needed to be significant increases in fruits and vegetables, legumes, whole grains, in the School Lunch Program.

So, we're finally seeing people catch on. So, as we're collating this information there's really no way to deny that these changes need to be made and they need to start with our children. Because when children adopt healthy practices then they become healthy adults and continue those same practices into adulthood. And we think this is particularly important for our country as we're talking about healthcare, because if we can stop the problem before it starts, we'll make quite a few strides.

And I'd like to briefly introduce eleven-year-old Nina, who is part of the reason we're here today, addressing methods of preserving the planet that we're going to leave behind for our children. So, I'm going to ask Nina to come on up and I'm going to ask her a few questions. Now, she's quite a little activist herself and a vegetarian. And she's been so kind to come up and answer a few questions about how she feels about what we're doing here, and particularly healthy school lunches.
So, Nina, what grade are you in?

Nina (f): I'm in sixth grade.

Ms. Lathon (f): Great, great. And why are healthy school lunches important to you?

Nina (f): Well, they are important to me because if we have healthy lunches then a lot of people will be healthier.

Ms. Lathon (f): Okay. Seems like common sense, right? So what foods would you like to see served at your school?

Nina (f): Well, I think a lot of fruits and vegetables would be really good. Instead of having like fruit cups which a lot of people have at their schools, they could have fresh fruit.

Ms. Lathon (f): That's wonderful. Absolutely. Absolutely. And why do you prefer to eat fruits and vegetables rather than animals?

Nina (f): Well, I've loved animals all my life, and I think it would be really hard if I had to eat one.

Ms. Lathon (f): Thank you. And my final question is: Why do you think it is important to stop eating meat?

Nina (f): I think it's important to stop eating meat because if more people stopped, then it would be really good for the environment.

Ms. Lathon (f): Absolutely. Thank you, Nina.

And I'd like to just close with a statement that President Obama made at his climate change speech to the UN in September. He says, “The good news is that after too many years of inaction and denial, there is finally widespread recognition of the urgency of the challenge before us.” And so, I would like to say: Let's continue our tireless work to create a sustainable future for our children. Thank you.

MC(f): First, we want to thank Nina for being so compassionate toward our animal friends. And Dr. Lathon, may all schools and communities worldwide follow your noble example to feed our children healthy vegan food.

MC(m): Our final speaker is Dr. Peter Carter from British Columbia, Canada. Dr. Carter has been a family physician for 30 years. He is also the founding director of the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment and a climate policy advisor for Canadians for Climate Action. He is also a vegan. Please welcome Dr. Peter Carter.

Dr. Carter (m): When I was a boy growing up in England - I've just remembered watching the speakers - that when I was getting behind in my jobs, my father used to say, “Peter, come on, you better leap to it.” So, maybe this is a message that the whole world is being given here by this wonderful conference. First of all, I would like to thank you all. The room, the huge ballroom, is packed. I want to thank you all for coming out here, from the bottom of my heart, and the reason is this: We hear increasingly that global climate change is the greatest threat to the survival of civilization and indeed humanity, but that's not quite right.

The greatest threat is the denial. The denial is huge. There are powerful forces behind it, still confusing and misleading people. So you people coming out and showing that you are breaking through the denial yourself, and you're facing the reality of what we all face, and our children, is the best news there is and the best hope there is. So you can see what I'm interested in and what I want to share with you today, which is the “Zero Carbon Emergency Response.” The Golden Era, which in fact we have no choice but to leap to it... the Golden Era is a zero-carbon era, that's what the scientists are telling us.

There are 3 essentials that we have to achieve, and we can achieve these 3 all together.
First is what most people call sustainable, but it's perpetual, you see? Perpetual nonpolluting zero-carbon energy. We live on an energy planet. All right? So, this idea that we have to carry on poisoning our planet and ourselves with fossil fuel is just absolute nonsense, and we've known it for decades.

Second, sufficient zero- carbon nonpolluting food for all. And as you've already heard, this is eminently achievable as long as we switch the way we produce our food, and we are more wise in the food that we choose to eat. Third, is that we have to create world peace. So we have a lot of converting to do: We have to convert our energy completely, we have to convert our food production and diet completely, and we have to convert the militarization of the world completely.

We can do it. How do we get there?

Because we have to leap at it, and we have to leap at it all together. So, in actual fact, we are very privileged to live at this time, because we get to realize and create, in actual fact, a sort of an eternal dream of humanity that you can find throughout all civilizations in all cultures, which is this yearning for a Golden Age. It's been a dream before, but now we can actually make this happen. We, as Ban Ki-moon said, we have all the resources to deal with and get over climate change. The only thing we lack, as he said, is time.

We are in an emergency. So, the idea of deep peace has been around for a long time, and all the religions and all the cultures also have this idea of deep peace. So, I want to stress this: we're not going to get to this Golden Era, we're not going to make this conversion of our agriculture and our fossil fuel energy, without abandoning this hostility which we've inherited generation after generation after generation. We're spending US$1 trillion on armaments, still.

I remember working against this in the peace movement in the seventies and eighties and I believe, yes, we did save the planet from destruction by nuclear holocaust; but we face another one now. And this time we have to change our world to save our Earth. There's something missing, obviously.

We all know how bad this is, so there's some missing ingredient in how we deal with this at our political levels and everything. Well, the first is the denial again. We've got to face the situation. We've got to open our hearts, face the fear, and say to ourselves, “Okay, we're not going to let this happen.”

It's really terrible, it's really scary.
So that's the first thing. Well, obviously we have to have a compassionate culture. We have to create a compassionate culture as the Dalai Lama and all the spiritual leaders, indeed, Supreme Master Ching Hai, say is the essential.

I often think that the greatest invention of humanity is our ethics of compassion. This was actually invented, right? By ancient cultures. It's the most essential “invention” that we ever came up with. We have to get over this hostile competitiveness, which is our perpetual war economy. We have to convert this.

Nicholas Stern in The Stern Commission explained that global climate change is the greatest market failure ever, because we think it's fine to make war all the time, and prepare for war, and not worry about all the damage which is being done to the planet. By the way, Sir Nicholas Stern… I was very glad because he's sort of one of my climate heroes. I thought the Stern Commission report was great. So, I think last month he made a statement to the media that he said, “You know, I think people are going to have to become vegetarian to save the Earth.” That was very good. Well, guess what he did last week? He made another statement, “I'm vegetarian!” Good for you, Sir Nicholas!

This conference reminds me of a conference in Columbia University in a special edition by Scientific American back in 2005, called “Crossroads for Planet Earth.” Of course it's humanity which is at the great crossroads. And the theme of the conference was that the human race is at a unique turning point, and will we choose to create the best of all possible worlds? This is still an open question. All you people here I know have made the choice. We have everything we need to create this best of all possible futures, but if we don't, if we don't get engaged, if we don't address it, if we don't look at it, by default, we're leaving the worst possible world for our children and all future generations - and nobody wants to do that.

So, a few reports here… 15th of September 2009… I was immensely proud of my medical profession when they issued a special open letter in the Lancet, in the British Medical Journal, September 2009, addressing the issue head on, saying that “failure to agree to a United Nation's climate deal would bring a global health catastrophe.” And that was signed by the presidents of 18 of the world's professional medical organizations. That really did my heart good, of course, to get that news. Thank you.

MC(m): Thank you, Dr. Carter, for your sensitivity, your broad perspective, and for encouraging all of us to take immediate action.

MC(f): It looks like, if we want to save our planet, we will have to change our lifestyle. An organic, vegan diet would definitely resolve many of the problems our world is facing today.

MC(m): Yes. It is getting easier to be a vegan. More and more restaurants are offering vegan options. There are even chains of vegan restaurants being opened up around the world.

MC(f): So, it's becoming easier to make the change! And speaking of being able to make changes, we are pleased to present two incredible contortionists from Mongolia.

MC(m): Narangua Dulamsuren and Hongorzul Tseven-Oidov are talented artists who are currently performing with the world renowned Cirque du Soleil in Las Vegas. They have won several awards, including the gold medal at the 2006 International Circus Artist Competition in Latina, Italy. For our conference this afternoon, they have prepared a magnificent performance called “Swan Dreams”. Please give a warm round of applause to Narangua and Hongorzul.

MC(f): That was just amazing. And they look just like swans! Let's give them another round of applause, these incredible young people from Mongolia!

MC(m): The beauty of that act reminds me of Supreme Master Ching Hai.

Out of her loving oneness with all animals, Supreme Master Ching Hai has penned three international bestsellers The Dogs in My Life, The Birds in My Life, and The Noble Wilds. While she was writing The Noble Wilds, Master Ching Hai became acquainted with a family of wild swans and was able to communicate with them telepathically. She discovered that swans have Noble Qualities that exceed most humans.

MC(f): One day the mother swan told Supreme Master Ching Hai, “We do not have to use verbal language. We communicate in silence. We do not need to talk about love, harmony and peace. We live in them.” In other words, swans simply exude unconditional love.

MC(m): Now, getting back to our topic of global warming, let's find out how some cities around the world are taking concrete steps to halt climate change. We will now hear from their leaders.

Mr Falkin(m): Good afternoon. My name is Larry Falkin, I'm Director of the City of Cincinnati's Office of Environmental Quality. And I'd like to send my greetings to Supreme Master Ching Hai and all of the participants in this conference. The city of Cincinnati has adopted a “Green Cincinnati Plan,” which is the city's climate protection action plan. What we did is we got together a large cross-section of the community - both leaders of the business community, labor community, and non-profit organizations - and had them help us identify things that could be done in Cincinnati that would reduce our contributions to global climate change, and at the same time improve our local environment, improve our local economy, save more money than it costs, improve public health… set out to achieve all of those objectives simultaneously.

What we found, and we're very happy to find, is that most of the things that we would do to reduce climate change are things that we had good reason to do anyway, that did save more money than they cost, that did improve local public health, that did improve the local environment. One example of a recommendation in the Green Cincinnati Plan is to encourage residents of the city to eat less meat. And not only does eating less meat significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions, it also helps people be healthier, helps people save money; it does all of those objectives. So, a lot of people are making personal decisions to alter their lifestyles to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, including by changing their dietary choices.

So, I want to thank you all for giving me the opportunity to participate in the conference this afternoon and for sharing the experience of Cincinnati and our efforts to reduce climate change and help people move towards a diet that contains less animal products.

Mr Termont (m): Hallo, everybody. Hallo, Madam Ching Hai. My name is Daniel Termont, the Mayor of City of Ghent, Belgium. Already a couple of months ago we declared Thursday as the “Veggie Day.” Because you know, perhaps all of you, that indeed the production of meat is responsible for 18% of the greenhouse gas emissions. That means that we want to do something against it - then we declared Thursday a Veggie Day. But there is more: all our schools, and we have a lot of schools in our city, are also eating vegetable meals on Thursday. And what's more, we're looking now that all our receptions in our City Hall will be veggie receptions. So, I hope you have a very good meeting there, that you can do something against the all-over-the-world emissions of greenhouse gas. Thank you very much and a lot of success.

Dr Hermans (m): We have made a very, very important decision: We go for veggie! And veggie means that we will encourage our citizens to have less meat. And why do we make this important political choice? It is important for the health to eat less meat, but also for the environment. We know that the production of meat gives significant environmental problems.

So, we have given our citizens a book, a little book. All 70,000 citizens have a book with recipes of veggie dishes. We work with the schools, we work with our hospitals, we work with organizations to have Thursday as our Veggie Day. So, for us the political choice was important. That gives us the opportunity to take some actions about health, and about meat and veggie. So, be veg, go green, and save our planet!

MC(f): Our thanks to these dedicated statesmen for sharing their success stories. We appreciate and laud their noble leadership!

MC(m): That's great news, that entire cities are working to halt climate change. I wonder if there are other positive developments happening in the world?

MC(f): Well, Mrs. Hazel Henderson is a distinguished futurist, evolutionary economist, and the author of the bestselling book “Planetary Citizenship.” Let's hear what Mrs. Henderson has to say about our future.

Mrs. Henderson (f): I'm very happy to be at this wonderful conference on “Humanity's Leap to the Golden Era.” So, greetings to all of you who are there! And we need now to really restore our vision. And so, let us now learn from our children and the vision that all children in the world share. And they know that we can build a happy and harmonious and just and peaceful and sustainable future. So, we have to thank all of our children for their wonderful vision.

And I have worked all of my life in the belief that we humans are standing at the brink now of the Solar Age. And this is the great transition, if we move to more vegan, vegetarian diets, we would go a long way to reducing the carbon on this planet. What I see happening now is that all of the new companies who are creating healthier food, healthier lifestyles, preventive medical care, and fitness, and all the companies who are working in solar energy, in wind energy, all of the other sustainable technologies, making our appliances and all of our energy systems more efficient.

Financial crisis and the climate crisis are a huge learning opportunity to help us now shift very rapidly into building this new economy. We have all the technologies we need. We have all of the resources we need. So, again, I congratulate you all for being here, and let us all move together to this new Golden Age, this Solar Age, where we can all live together on this planet in a healthier, more humane, more just, and more sustainable way of life. Thank you. Be veg! Go green! Save the planet!

MC(m): Thank you for your warm wishes, Mrs. Henderson, and for including children in your vision of the future.

MC(f): Mrs. Henderson talked about the beginning of a new economic era on Earth, but what about people? Will they be different, too? Will the children of the new era be more intelligent and more talented?

Sister Mity (f): The whole conference was really enlightening and I really liked it. Listening to the Supreme Master was a really wonderful experience. It was unimaginable! I'd love to be a 100% vegetarian now. I am deciding already to enjoy eating this and I really liked it!

Steve(m): I think that it's simple enough to go vegetarian. It takes a little work the first couple of months and then you get used to it.

Our next speaker, Dr. Noam Mohr, is a graduate from both Yale and Pennsylvania State Universities. He is currently an adjunct professor of physics at New York University. Dr. Mohr will explain the importance of short-lived greenhouse gases. Please give a warm welcome to Dr. Noam Mohr.

Supreme Master Ching Hai: According to precedent, non-violence is, in fact, vegan, a requirement for advancing to the next levels of civilization.

Join us on Supreme Master Television on Tuesday, February 16, for part 8 of the rebroadcast of the videoconference “Humanity's Leap to the Golden Era: Washington, D.C., Climate Change Conference” on Words of Wisdom.

Tune in to Supreme Master Television today for the rebroadcast of the live videoconference “Humanity's Leap to the Golden Era: Washington, D.C., Climate Change Conference” with Guest of Honor, Supreme Master Ching Hai, on Words of Wisdom.