Not force, just a friendly nudge

In last week’s Universitas, the introduction of Meat Free Monday was pulled out of proportions by 2nd deputy chairman of FpU (Progress Party’s Youth Organisation).

He asks the question: Is it right that politicians should decide what you eat? The answer of course is no, and the vice-chairman even answers the question in the same letter. It is nevertheless easy, cheap and often healthier to make your own lunch box, and of course we have no plans to ban meat and fish in the groceries. What we want is to make it a little more difficult to obtain meat in canteens at SiO. One day a week. Politicians should not decide what to eat, but neither is there a guarantee that they will make it easy for you to make choices that harm others.

We know that environmental and climate changes are real and we know that if we do not stop the major devastations and emissions, the future is uncertain. Especially for the many who live in more exposed areas than ourselves. FpU urges us to use freedom of speech to speak warmly about vegetarian rather than impose measures. But it is not because freedom of expression is not used that we will introduce Meat Free Monday: In spite of a large piece of information work, we Norwegians eat twice as much meat now as in the 70s. In spite of the advisories from the Norwegian Directorate of Health, despite UN climate forecasts and despite this year’s telethon was all about preserving the rainforest.

There is no longer any doubt that environmental degradation and climate change is real. We have a growing problem and it is high time to find the solution. Reduced meat consumption is part of that solution.