Does Al Gore have anything to do with the menu planning at his events? Morrissey thinks he should. Moz, no stranger to calling out politicians or to writing open letters, is publicly pushing the former next president of the United States to adapt an all-vegan menu at his forthcoming Live Earth events. Gore recently teamed up with Pharrell to announce a series of concerts calling attention to the need for climate change reform six concerts on six continents on 6/18. And in conjunction with PETA, Morrissey is asking Gore and Live Earth co-founder Kevin Wall to consider the role that animal agriculture plays in climate change. It’s a pretty reasonable argument, but Morrissey makes it with the sort of dramatic flair that only he can deliver: “Serving meat and dairy products at an event to combat climate change is like selling pistols at a gun-control rally.” Read the full letter below.

Dear Mr. Gore and Mr. Wall,

I am writing to ask you to do the one thing that will do the most good for the planet and the majority of its inhabitants: not serve meat or dairy products at Live Earth 2015. I don’t mean offering a vegan option-I mean not serving animal products at all. Otherwise, the event will make no sense-it’ll be “greenwashing.” Serving meat and dairy products at an event to combat climate change is like selling pistols at a gun-control rally. Your responsibility is to alert people to a crisis, not sell out to the vendors responsible for it.

Not only is it possible for venues to provide a 100 percent meat-free menu-as is done now at every concert venue in which I perform, including Madison Square Garden, where I have a show at the end of June-it’s also a moral duty.

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. Animal agriculture severely affects the world’s freshwater supply and is a major contributor to global greenhouse-gas emissions, deforestation, loss of biodiversity, and air and water pollution, among many other harmful effects.

Since you can’t miss the fact that meat consumption is killing the planet-your own sponsor organization, the United Nations, states this-and since venues can and will cater vegan food for events, 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!”

Don’t be a denier of the causes of climate change. You know the facts. Make the right choice.

Sincerely, Morrissey

(via Rolling Stone)

I wonder of Morrissey’s vague physical resemblance to John Kerry will help his cause here.