Morrissey to Al Gore: No Cheeseburgers at Climate Change Events

Morrissey has never been one to mince words about his disdain for meat eaters. He’s compared carnivores to pedophiles, stalked offstage because of the scent of barbecue, and refused to perform at venues that didn’t serve vegan options. Now, the former Smiths front man is targeting Al Gore’s “Live Earth” concert series, making an impassioned plea that the organizers not serve meat at an environmental event.

“Serving meat and dairy products at an event to combat climate change is like selling pistols at a gun-control rally,” Morrissey wrote in an open letter published by Rolling Stone on Wednesday.

The series of concerts will take place in locations across six continents on June 18 and will kick off a campaign for next year’s climate change conference in Paris.

While Morrissey generally focuses on the cruelty aspect of consuming animal products, his letter linked the transport of meat to climate change from polluting greenhouse gases.

Along with the singer’s derisive letter, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals created a petition asking Gore and his team to keep the event meat-free.

“We already know that raising animals for food is a leading cause of climate change and that moving toward a vegan diet is necessary to combat climate change’s worst effects,” the singer wrote.

That’s not news to those planning the event. Live Earth’s partner, the United Nations, connected the dots between livestock and its negative environmental impact back in 2006. Gore went vegan in 2013 a few years after he admitted that the meat industry contributed to climate change because of carbon dioxide emissions and the amount of water used for raising animals.

Live Earth producers have said they have no control over what kind of food the venue chooses to serve, Rolling Stone reports. But Morrissey notes in his letter that every stadium he performs in has changed the menu to meet his demand of serving vegan foods exclusively, including a Madison Square Garden concert this summer.

“If you choose to serve animal flesh at Live Earth, you’ll be making a mockery of the very concept of the event, in which case it should be renamed ‘Dead Earth: We Contributed!,’ ” Morrissey wrote. “Don’t be a denier of the causes of climate change. You know the facts. Make the right choice.”