In November 2024, deep in the corridors of the climate change COP 29 in Baku, the True Animal Protein Price (TAPP) Coalition worked tirelessly to collect signatures on a document that many observers may have considered quixotic. The document called on states to commit to ‘transitioning away from animal protein overconsumption’ through implementing greenhouse gas emission pricing in agri-food systems.
States had little interest in committing to such a transition. When they spoke of ‘transitioning away’, they meant fossil fuels, not meat. The closing document of the 2023 COP had called on states to contribute to ‘Transitioning away from fossil fuels in energy systems’ to achieve net zero by 2050. In Baku, states were bogged down in discussions about whether or not to reaffirm this ambition. For most states, the proposal to transition away from fossil fuels and animal protein was over the top.
