Haarlem, a city in the Netherlands, wants to ban advertisements for meat in public spaces because the food has a strong impact on the environment.
Haarlem will start banning meat ads in 2024. It might be the first city in the world with such a ban.
Backlash from the meat industry was quick. It has protested the new rule and says that it is against free-speech.
According to the UN, livestock generates around 14% of non-natural greenhouse gasses. In the meat industry, beef generates the most greenhouse gasses. Lamb is the second biggest generator of greenhouse gasses, but 50% less than beef.
Ziggy Klazes, a Dutch politician from the GroenLinks party that helped create the ban, says that meat is very bad for the environment. He also says that you “cannot tell people there is a climate crisis and then encourage them to buy products that are part of it [the climate problem].”
Opposition parties are against the new rule. The BVNL party says that it goes against the freedom of business and it will also hurt pig farmers.
A report shows that about 95% of people in the Netherlands eat meat, but most people do not eat it every day.
Also in the Netherlands, Amsterdam and The Hague have banned advertisements for aviation and oil companies.
VOCABULARY
- Ban – to not allow; to stop; to forbid; prohibit;
- Ad (advertisement) – marketing or sales material; a notice or sign to promote something
- Public – general people, all people, citizens
- Impact – influence; effect; consequence;
- Environment – the natural world, the place we live, the area around us, nature
- Backlash – a strong, negative reaction to something
- Industry – business field; area of work or business; type of business
- Protest – to say you don’t like something, to fight against, to object, disagree
- To be against something – to go against something; to disagree; to oppose
- Free-speech – the idea that someone can speak and share ideas without being punished or the government stopping you
- According to – as ‘someone’ said; as stated by ‘someone’; in the opinion of ‘someone’
- Livestock – horses, cows, sheep, etc. kept or raised on a farm; farm animals
- Generate – produce; create; cause; make
- Greenhouse gas – gasses in Earth’s atmosphere (sky) that trap heat; gasses that are bad for the environment
- Dutch – from or related to the Netherlands;
- Politician – a person who works in politics; a person who works in the government
- Crisis – a time of intense difficulty or danger; emergency; hardship
- Encourage – suggest that someone does something; persuade; urge; push
- Opposition – a group of opponents, especially in sport, business, or politics; opponent; enemy; rival
- Report – a written description of an event; story; article; the results of a study or project
- Aviation – related to flying airplanes; the flying or operating of aircraft
Original story from BBC below:
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