Now，we're joined by Mr. Chen Tien-Wen， the Deputy Speaker of Taichung City Council， who will share with us some very good news about community vegan solutions to climate change. Let's welcome Mr. Chen.

Supreme Master Ching Hai: Welcome Mr. Chen.

CTW(m): Greetings.

Supreme Master Ching Hai: Hallo.

CTW(m): I'm the Deputy Speaker of Taichung City Council， Chen Tien-Wen. Today，I am very glad to have this chance to join the climate change conference. Every member of our council knows very well about the harmful effects of global warming on Earth. From the research of experts，we have learned that the livestock industry is the major factor causing global warming.

Supreme Master Ching Hai: Yes.

CTW(m): The livestock industry consumes a large amount of resources such as land， water，food and crops， causing severe damage to the ecological balance. For example， the Amazon rainforest (Supreme Master Ching Hai: Right.) is diminishing at an alarming rate. Everywhere there is a food crisis. And a large amount of poisonous greenhouse gases have been produced， such as methane and carbon dioxide. The United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and other researchers and experts from both Formosa (Taiwan) and overseas have pointed out one common solution，which is the plant-based diet as a method to mitigate climate change.

To answer the call of the Environmental Protection Administration for daily carbon reduction by １ kilogram，our council held an ad hoc meeting in September and proposed a bill to provide one day of only vegan meals every week to the students of all public schools in Taichung. The Education Department of our city government also sent letters to public school students， encouraging them to eat vegetarian meals one day a week.

Supreme Master Ching Hai: Bravo.

CTW(m): For the sustainability and survival of the Earth， we all should contribute our effort，and being veg is something each person can do. Eating vegetarian meals one day a week is just a beginning. I hope with everyone's effort and the blessing of the Supreme Master， there will be more and more vegetarians， and then our Earth will become a better place. This is my opinion. Thank you.

Supreme Master Ching Hai: God bless. Yes. Wonderful！ Wonderful news， Mr. Chen！ Wonderful news！ Thank you and thanks your enlightened government and your people who support it. Very good. We should do that everywhere and more. Wonderful city. A good step，good step.

S(f): Thank you，Master.

Supreme Master Ching Hai: Good government.

S(f): Thank you so much Deputy Speaker of Taichung City Council， Mr. Chen. And we have now Mr. Lin-Hsu Wen-Er， the Chief Editor of Persimmon Books and the CEO of website www.vegeplanet.com.

LSWE(m): Hallo，Supreme Master.

Supreme Master Ching Hai: Hallo.

LSWE(m): I am a little over ４０ years old now and I got to know you about ２７ or ２８ years ago when I was about １５ or １６ years old. One day，in a phone booth， I saw a few booklets of 『The Key of Immediate Enlightenment.』 So I already read your book at that time. So I am very happy to have the chance today to talk to you face to face. Next，I'd like to ask you a more practical question.

LSWE(m): We mentioned the problem of the livestock industry， but the truth is that because there is demand， there is killing. However，both vegetarians and meat eaters face the same consequence of raising livestock， such as poor air quality and polluted environment. Vegetarians still have to share all the consequences even though they don't eat meat. It seems very unfair. (Supreme Master Ching Hai: Yes.)

So some people suggested to tax meat products so that meat eaters have to pay more， and in this way we can reduce the demand of meat products. But，it is actually very difficult to implement. So I have an idea. Before， there used to be the issue of cigarette smoking. Now，smoke addicts have to go outside the buildings to smoke. I think this is a very good outcome of the Tobacco Control Act. So，is it possible that we also pass a legislation on meat products like the Tobacco Control Act， so that meat shoppers at least see some warning labels on the meat products？

Something like， 『Animal protein is harmful to your health.』 『Meat eating increases the carbon emission that contributes to global warming.』 Through legislation， we can make a meat eater (Supreme Master Ching Hai: Yes.) see the label that reminds him that the steak or shrimp in front of him is costing a big price that we all have to pay. I wonder what you think about this idea， and are there other more practical means that can more quickly improve the Earth's global warming situation？ Thank you.

Supreme Master Ching Hai: Thank you. Very good！ Very good，Mr. Lin-Hsu. I am very impressed to see that you are both Chief Editor of a big book publishing company， as well as the head of a vegetarian website. Very young，and very，very enthusiastic， very compassionate. Thank you. For being in such a position，you must be a very busy man. I understand. But you look so healthy！ And handsome！ And as a media leader in the veg world，you still continue doing your job and still look good！ So the vegetarian diet clearly helps you look good and healthy and intelligent to do all your jobs. Bravo for your positive effects already，for being a walking example. And yes，your proposal is a very，very good idea. Yes，that's right！ Give him an applause！ Bravo！ Doesn't he look handsome and young？ And very enthusiastic and smart.

I am sure your wife would say that every day. Now，we should be warning people all about the products containing meat，and milk and eggs also，fish even. Anything to do with animal products we should，as you said， put a warning label on them. This is because these products bring many of the same health problems and involves the same animal cruelty，and they are destroying our home. The egg industry， for example，routinely disposes of male chicks at a very young age by throwing them into a grinder where they are crushed into so-called meat while they are still alive. Oh God.

How can we ever do this？How can we ever do this？ Imagine if it were our own defenseless children who were treated thus？ Imagine if it's ourselves who were thrown into a grinder and made to suffer while still alive？ My God. Is there any hell more horrible than this？Mr. Lin-Hsu，besides being horrifically inhumane， even just to think about it， even just to mention it， it wrenches our hearts. How can we imagine anybody would do this？ I did not know this before either， I did not even know this. The more we go into this information， the more we know about this terrible treatment to the helpless and innocent little chickens and animals.

I can't imagine that we do this. I can't imagine anyone would do this. These activities are carried out in completely unhygienic conditions， making them a breeding ground for deadly bacteria like E. coli and viruses such as swine flu and in turn killing humans， making people suffer， a lot of people suffer not by death， but by the separation， the loss of loved ones. Even young children who die by swine flu and leaving parents painful， suffering so much. The damaging health effects of meat and dairy are now well documented for everyone to see.

Besides being directly linked to increased risk of such fatal diseases as colon cancer， links have also been made to many other cancers， heart disease， stroke，diabetes， infertility in women and even mercury poisoning found in fish. Another type of meat poisoning can come from arsenic，which is often fed to poultry to make them grow faster and，in turn， we feed ourselves with this poultry. Of course，then we poison ourselves as well. But nobody would tell us about this. So we are feeding ourselves with poisons every day， not just from poultry， but from cows and pigs， ducks，geese，and not to talk about the cruelty beyond imagination that we are not even allowed to know and to see.

If everybody sees how the chickens are treated， how pigs are treated，and how little tiny chickens are treated， grind alive like that， I don't think they would want to ever eat chicken meat again. But we are not even allowed to see this. Most of the farms are hidden away from us， hidden away from our conscience. And we，for not knowing， contribute to all this cruelty. And we，for not knowing， feed poison to our tender，young，helpless innocent children and wonder why they're sick， they're ill and have to make them suffer for medicine， injections，operations， and cause so much pain to us，the parents. If only all people know this. We're trying to inform them，please help us to inform everybody. This is beyond hell.

One US study that looked at all sources of arsenic acid - arsenic，you know， a poison substance - said that among the highest are seafood and poultry. Seafood and poultry - poultry means chickens， ducks and all that - they contain the most arsenic. And you know arsenic is poison. Not only that， chronic arsenic exposure has been associated with all forms of cancer in Formosa (Taiwan). Please look into the research and see it for yourself.

In other research，１６４ samples of ready-to-serve prepared meat foods from a scientific center in Formosa - means Taiwan，in Taiwan - were evaluated， with up to almost ３０％ found to contain some form of bacteria contamination， including the potentially， deadly，lethal E. coli. Finally， in one of the worst animal disease outbreaks to hit the island of Formosa (Taiwan)， the virus called hoof-and-mouth disease was transmitted from one pig that came to the island in early １９９７. Within just six weeks， ６，０００ farms had been stricken， resulting in the tragic slaughter，massacring ３.８ million pigs.

Although in that case there were no reported human infections， this gives you some idea of how quickly animal-borne diseases can spread，causing devastation for themselves and humans alike. And these are just a few examples. So，you can see， Mr. Lin-Hsu， the best is to abolish meat altogether. Because unlike tobacco， drugs and alcohol， animal consumption is eating up our planet， is killing us humans，and destroying our only home that soon we might not even have a planet to live on，for our children to continue to live on. We have no time to waste now as in the case of the other ３ poisonous substances，namely drugs， alcohol and tobacco.

Even if we put labels or warning on meat packaging， it's not sufficient. Now，we can see meat is everywhere， legally killing us and our children， legally killing our planet， killing the environment on massive scales  We must stop animal production now and at all costs if we want to keep this planet called home. The government gives subsidies to animal industry anyway. So these subsidies can also be used instead to turn meat and related businesses into wholesome vegan businesses. Good for the people， good for the business， good for the planet. Doing this we only gain hugely.

Not just immediately， but for the long，long run， and we can keep this planet forever and make it into a paradise by just throwing that meat away and stop the animal industry. So please，Mr. Lin-Hsu， use your media power， join us in informing people of this harm so that they simply stop eating meat. It's too cruel. It's too unwise. It's too insufficient. It's too unsustainable， and it's killing our people and our planet - legally killing. If somebody goes out and kills somebody， we put him in jail. Meat is murder！ Meat is killing billions of people，killing our planet，our only home！

We have to do something about this crime. It's really simple to be veg， and it is the only way to a future for ourselves and all beings in this world. Thank you，Mr. Lin-Hsu， for being veg and doing what you are doing to help to save the planet and save us from being the cruelest beings in the universe. Wishing you all the best， and God bless your efforts，sir.

S(f): Thank you，Master， for strongly advising us. We really should stop eating meat. Next，we have Mr. Lin Hung-Rui， the President of Suiis， the first website promoting vegetarianism in Formosa (Taiwan).

LHR(m): Supreme Master Ching Hai， we have been promoting vegetarianism on the internet， and I'd like to ask you what we can do or what changes we can make in the areas of promoting vegetarianism to (Supreme Master Ching Hai: Good.) help roll back global warming through the use of social network analysis， such as Facebook，Twitter， and Plurk？ Thank you.

Supreme Master Ching Hai: Oh Sure，sure. Sure，Mr. Lin，welcome. And I'm glad to see you're a vegetarian as well， hopefully a vegan. Congratulations for your noble initiative in being the first to establish a vegetarian website in Formosa. Formosa means Taiwan， you know，right？ I hope. I like the name『Formosa』 because it depicts your island - meaning beautiful. So，that is truly an accomplishment！ So，you are already leading the way in using modern technology to reach the public. Everybody could do like what you do. You're right. They should emulate you and do the same to spread this information about the beneficial vegetarian diet to all corners of the world. Every corner of the world， everybody should know this - by modern technology，by internet. You asked about what the social networking sites can also do assist in efforts to halt global warming through the vegan diet.

I say『vegan』because as explained earlier， this really is the way we need to go to stop the greenhouse gases and the animal suffering. All the websites should help to promote this， but we can't force them， we can only plead with them， can only inform them and everyone should decide. Please decide soon， otherwise we might have no time. We might not have anything to save when we do want to save. It might be too late then.

Please do it soon - now！ So，promoting the planet-cooling vegan diet through social network is surely good，yes，yes！ You can surely use them to spread the veg idea， veg benefits， veg planet-saving，and the website themselves should do it also. We should inform people what's good for them because it's also good for us. We are living on the same planet. We should also inform people about the terrible harms and cost to our environment and the health of people and children，as well as the life and death matter of our world and related data. We have to inform them all.

Almost all people can do this，passing on the true information， the true cost of the animal diet. These can be effective because they use the most modern technology to reach the public. So，yes，Mr. Lin. Please spread the『be veg』message and get the word out to as many people as possible. Help people to wake up， because time is running out on us. Thank you for your dedication to this noble cause，and I wish you all the best in heroically helping to save our world. God bless you. Buddha bless you.

B(m): Thank you，Master， for your very insightful and useful advice.

Fighting global warming with the vegan diet is the most effective way. We all know that global warming is getting worse. Especially this year， there have been so many typhoons，and each one was stronger than the previous one. We all know that they are caused by climate change resulting from global warming. So each one of us should do something to help. Apart from helping with the disaster relief work and giving financial aid， I think the most important and the fastest way to help is to go vegan. This is because keeping a vegan diet can minimize the effects of global warming， and it's something each person can do easily. Thank you.