Little ME, big impact ... one plate at a time.

This year’s big international climate change conference runs from Monday the 9th until Friday the 20th of November, and world leaders will join the talks on the 11th and 12th of November. It’s called COP31 and is being held in Antalya, in Türkiye. Representatives from almost every country in the world are meeting to help us all make global decisions and commitments to tackle climate change. But what about ‘little ME’ – how can I really make a difference?

Are you ready for this challenge?  … You’re going to need to be super imaginative, adventurous and brave – all key skills for a Young Climate Warrior! It’s about ‘ME’ – and MEat, and MEthane. The aim is to try to eat as many plant-based MEals as you can until the 20th of November – the end of COP31. Changing to plant-based foods is one of the most powerful ways for us, as individuals, to help combat climate change.

What MEals could you make? How many plant-based proteins can you name? … Chickpeas, lentils, peanuts, almonds, quinoa, wild rice, beans, peas, chia and hemp seeds, sweetcorn, and even spirulina — a type of algae! Surprisingly, broccoli, kale, mushrooms and even baked potatoes also contain protein! What will you choose to cook? Falafels – they’re good fun to shape with your hands. Veggie pasta bake? Autumnal butternut squash soup? Pea risotto? Cool Mexican bean wraps? Cashew nut stir-fry? Wild rice pilaf? Peanut butter on toast? Lentil bolognese? Crispy corn fritters? Three-bean chilli? Rainbow risotto topped with almonds? Quinoa salad with mint and mango? You could always venture even further into ‘plant-based’ meat alternatives, like tofu or soya mince.

So what’s the link with MEthane? Well, MEthane is a really powerful greenhouse gas with an impact on climate change around 28 times more powerful than carbon dioxide over 100 years, and over 80 times more powerful over its first 20 years. It is released from wetlands and melting permafrost, as well as via agriculture, fossil fuel production and landfill waste. You have probably heard that cows, sheep and goats produce lots of methane when they burp – a key reason for changing to a more ‘plant-based’ diet and reducing our consumption of meat. Fish farming and rice paddy fields are also a source of methane. Many scientists and entrepreneurs are working to try to reduce these various sources of methane emissions – you may have heard of a special seaweed that is being added to cattle feed to reduce their methane burps. Watch this space …  

To see how much difference you can make by choosing a plant-based MEal, check out  the BBC climate change foods calculator. Email Kate – hello@youngclimatewarriors.org - when ‘little ME’ has made a special MEal to help reduce our MEthane emissions.