Edinburgh going vegan is virtuous nonsense

It has an air of class and confidence that sets it apart from other big Scottish cities, each with its own charm. If you go up the steps of Waverly Station and look to your left, you will see the castle and Princes Street, he one of the best cityscapes in the world.

The city also has a fast-growing gastronomic reputation, with four Michelin-starred restaurants and dozens of award-winning restaurants.

But that may be changing after Edinburgh became the first European capital to go vegan.

Not just the hipster district, but the whole city. The city council has pledged to introduce a transition to a plant-based diet to reduce the city’s “consumption-based emissions.”

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City Council has approved a plant-based convention launched at Cop26 in Glasgow. This calls for a shift to a diet that reduces meat and dairy consumption.

The treaty calls for exchanges to reduce food-related emissions and help tackle climate change.

The Council leaders also undertook to submit a letter to the Prime Minister urging the Scottish government to follow suit. It’s unclear how the government will follow suit, but I’m pretty sure the Greens are already trying to ennoble Nicola Sturgeon within the Butte House.

Of course, such a thing may have merit, but what it is is anyone’s guess, but it is purely a signal of virtue of the highest order.

There is no doubt that there are a fair share of vegans and vegetarians among the good citizens of Stockbridge, Morningside and Murrayfield. However, the city’s less affluent neighborhoods, such as Wester Hales, Muirhouse, and Craig Miller, are probably far fewer in number.

For these citizens, food consumption is purely cost-based. Especially during a cost-of-living crisis, they cannot afford to make lifestyle choices on a diet.

What would happen to them if the city went completely vegan? Will frozen burgers and chicken dippers be made illegal and people who buy them will be sent to HMP Saughton? Like many of these pointless and expensive exercises to make you feel better, the truth is that absolutely nothing changes.

The only thing that will happen is that all public buildings in cities must introduce plant-based dining options on all menus.

In the meantime, councilors will no doubt be able to enjoy meat and fish in subsidized canteens. Before any decisions were made, the council conducted an impact assessment on the plan. The report claims: “Overall, the science is clear: we need to reduce meat and dairy consumption to meet our climate goals”.

Food and diets account for 23% of Edinburgh’s consumption-based footprint and meat consumption accounts for 12% of these emissions.

I think the huge queues of stationary traffic caught in the congestion of the city streets are much worse for the environment, as they are actually every new flight from the airport that the same council welcomes almost every week.

But the Council cannot really address these issues, so it resorts to meaningless nonsensical schemes. The Cop26 treaty demands include transitioning schools, hospitals and nursing homes to plant-based diet plans, introducing a “meat tax”, prohibiting the development of new farms with livestock, and stopping the expansion of existing farms. This includes agreeing not to

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It was “inspired” by the agreements that addressed the threat of ozone depletion and nuclear weapons, and we all know how successful they were.

Of course, a vegan diet is perfectly fine, but it’s not for everyone. Everyone can and should eat more fruits and vegetables, but only for health reasons.

The science behind the environmental impacts of livestock farming is unclear and should be taken with a big pinch of Himalayan rock salt. I believe it should be done, but other people say it’s utter nonsense.

The truth is almost certainly somewhere in between, and public institutions should stop pandering to minority groups at the expense of the majority.