Greetings，honorable magistrates，esteemed judges，respected assistants，noble ladies and gentlemen.
I am deeply honored and humbled by the invitation to participate in this special occasion，inaugurating your new program，the 『Diploma Participation in Environmental Rights.』 As a fellow concerned citizen of this world，I offer my congratulations and gratitude for this sincere endeavor that demonstrates your high degree of care and dedication to the environment and our world.

May it strengthen your ability to carry out what is most just for all beings on this planet. Today，I am very honored to offer my humble contribution toward your wise rulings by sharing some of the newest scientific evidence about climate change and its most urgent cause.

A. CLIMATE EFFECTS & THREATS

We have signs of imminent crisis that are evident in all corners of the world. First，storms have nearly doubled in intensity over the past ５ years，as we can see in Mexico’s own recent hurricanes and floods，which left damage，trauma and grieving families.

Meanwhile，sea levels are rising and at a faster pace，with at least １８ island nations that have completely disappeared and many more coastal areas continually threatened.

Once towering glaciers are receding so fast that over ２ billion people are already short of water and food.
Many more suffer shortage as tens of thousands of rivers and waters are gone or drying. Mexico herself is currently undergoing the worst drought in nearly ７０ years.

With ３００，０００ fellow human beings now dying each year due to climate change，more than ２０ million have been displaced as 『climate refugees.』 Scientists also worry about the billions of tons of methane sitting beneath the now-melting Arctic permafrost and the ever-warming oceans. Just a fraction released from either one could trigger mass extinctions.

B. THE CAUSE
What causes these damaging changes？
It’s not cars，ships or planes. It is not coal plants，and it’s not even all the smoke-spewing industries in our world. The number one cause of global warming is: livestock.

Recent research tells us that livestock raising is responsible for more than ５０％ of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions. Livestock is the single largest source of human-generated methane，a greenhouse gas that traps at least ７２ times more heat than ＣＯ２，as measured over a ２０-year period.

The good news about this heat-trapping methane is that this gas is also more short-lived than ＣＯ２ and disappears very quickly by comparison. ＣＯ２，(carbon dioxide) stays in the atmosphere for thousands of years，while the lifetime of methane in the atmosphere is only about １２ years. In other words，methane does much more damage in the short run but if we stop it，we will be able to reverse the trend of global warming very fast.

Therefore，to rapidly halt global warming，to halt the emission of methane，we must stop its #１ source: that is，livestock breeding.

C. LIVESTOCK
Now，we talk about livestock. Livestock raising is responsible for countless adverse environmental effects，each of which further aggravates global warming. According to the United Nations and other studies，livestock raising is known to cause the following devastating effects:

１. Deforestation:
Livestock raising is the single largest human use of land，and the main reason for deforestation. Since １９７０，livestock production has been responsible for ９０％ of the Amazon deforestation，to clear land for pasture and grow animal feed crops.

A rainforest area the size of a football field is destroyed every second to produce just ２５０ hamburgers. Scientists warn that if we continue on this damaging path，the Earth’s forests will soon stop absorbing greenhouse gases，and instead will start to release huge quantities of carbon dioxide (ＣＯ２). Moreover，deforestation for livestock activities also produces black carbon.

Black carbon is a greenhouse particle that is ６８０ times as heat-trapping as ＣＯ２，and causes the ice sheets and glaciers around the world to melt even faster. Up to ４０％ of black carbon emissions come from burning forests for livestock.

２. Soil erosion and desertification:
Over ５０％ of the world’s oil erosion is caused by livestock，which along with deforestation leads to desertification.

３. Biodiversity loss:
Livestock is the leading cause of animal and plant extinction due to land degradation and other habitat-destroying effects. The livestock industry is killing off our beautiful wildlife，including Mexico's own.

４. Deadly pollution:
Of all sectors，the meat industry is the biggest source of water pollution. Excessive and unregulated animal waste，chemical fertilizers，pesticides，antibiotics，and other livestock-related contaminants choke our waterways and create oceanic dead zones，such as the massive one in the Gulf of Mexico.

５. Disease:
Over ６５％ of human infectious diseases are known to be transmitted by animals.  The filthy and inhumane conditions of factory farming harbor lethal bacteria and viruses such as avian and swine flu，
which we all know is a pandemic continuing its global deadly toll.

６. Food waste:
Livestock uses up to １２ times the amount of grain as the same amount of vegetable protein. About ７３０ million tons of the world’s grain harvests are used to produce animal protein.
This could feed all the hungry people，numbering １ billion in the world，and many times over.

７. Water waste:
It takes over １，２００ gallons of water to grow １ serving of beef，but only ９８ gallons of water for one complete，nutritionally balanced vegan meal. While １.１ billion people lack access to safe drinking water，we waste ３.８ trillion tons of precious clean water each year for livestock production.

８. Energy and Resource waste:  
Animal products require ８ times as much fossil fuel energy to be produced，compared to vegetable products. A study found that meat and dairy production in Mexico use the most agricultural supplies and resources in the country，and this is reflected elsewhere around the world as well. All the evidence speaks so loud and clear. If these resources – land，water，and grain – were turned instead towards the direct support of human life instead of livestock，what a different world we would have.

Respected climate scientists including Dr. James Hansen of NASA，Dr. Carlos Nobre of Brazil’s National Institute for Space Research，and Dr. Rajendra Pachauri，head of the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) – all have stated that reducing meat consumption or becoming vegetarian would be an effective solution to global warming.

That is，we have to live an animal-free lifestyle，a compassionate lifestyle. Now，I will present just some of the many benefits of a vegan organic diet.

D. We have VEG BENEFITS.  

First，the land for grazing and feed-growing could become forests that help reduce global warming. In addition，if all tillable land were turned into organic vegetable farmland，not only would people be fully fed，
but up to ４０％ of all the greenhouse gases in the atmosphere could be absorbed. This is in addition to the elimination of over ５０％ of emissions caused by livestock raising.

 Therefore，in sum，we eliminate most of the human-made greenhouse gases by simply adopting the animal-free vegan organic lifestyle. This also leads to considerable financial savings for world governments.
It has been calculated that by shifting to a vegan diet，the world’s governments would save US$３２ trillion by ２０５０，or a full ８０％ of total climate mitigation costs.

Finally，of course，there are the excellent health benefits of the vegan diet，which has been shown to prevent cancer significantly. It prevents and reverses heart disease and diabetes.

It boosts the immune system，extends longevity，and preserves the health，intelligence，and calmness of the adults and children alike.

In closing，honorable sirs and madams，the great country of Mexico has always looked toward advancement in her environmental actions，and are planning to be at the forefront to combat climate change and protect the world.

The Mexican Constitution even states that 『all persons have the right to an environment appropriate for their development and well-being.』 Bravo. At this most urgent time for the planet，I beseech your honorable graces to please help your country and our world spare lives from the impending global warming calamity.

If you don’t，there will be too massive a catastrophe，too immense a suffering upon people，families，the children，that our conscience might never be able to bear it.

I can only honor you with the truth when I say that we must become vegan to save our planet.
We cannot wait for the sustainable energy and green technology to be available and used by everyone. It would be too late.

I call upon the courage of all counsel present，with the authority and power vested in you， may you lead your co-citizens toward the noble，virtuous，life-saving，and planet-sustaining path. Thank you

for your attention. God bless you all. God bless us all. God bless Mexico. Thank you. [Muchas gracias.]