(Updated January 18, 2020) | Jack Black says that everyone should consider going vegan for the environment.
Along with Nora Lum — widely known as Awkwafina — Black took WIRED’s Autocomplete Interview to answer the Internet’s most searched questions about themselves. The actors were promoting the new movie “Jumanji: The Next Level.”
One of the most frequently asked questions about Black is whether or not he is vegan. During the WIRED interview, he talked about the positive environmental benefits of the diet.
Black—best known for 2003’s “School of Rock” (2003) and the “Kung Fu Panda” series—is not currently vegan but “would like to be.”
He added, “I am in spirit, and really it’s time for everyone to consider that lifestyle.” Black continued: “I found out that vegans are better for the environment. Why? Cow farts.”
Beef and dairy cattle are a huge contributor to greenhouse gases, in part because of methane gas emissions. Later in the WIRED interview, Black revealed that cheeseburgers are his favorite food, despite the impact of beef and dairy on the environment.
But the actor also admits that vegan Impossible Burgers are “straight-up delish.” He made the comments to the Associated Press while walking the red carpet at the “Jumanji: The Next Level” premiere. Again, he discussed the environmental impact of animal products, but went on to add that vegan food “just tastes good.”
He said, “lately, they’ve been getting the technology right. The Impossible Burger bro. Delish. I don’t even know if it’s good for you, it’s just straight-up delish.” He also referred to Tom Brady’s mainly plant-based diet in the interview and labeled him “the greatest athlete in the history of the NFL.”
Animal Agriculture and Climate Change
In September 2018, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) labeled meat consumption as “the world’s most urgent problem.” The organization continued, “our use of animals as a food-production technology has brought us to the verge of catastrophe.”
Beef, in particular, contributes to a multitude of environmental issues, including deforestation. The Amazon rainforest fires are linked to cattle ranchers clearing land for beef production.
A plant-based diet, however, is kinder to the planet. Last year, the biggest-ever food production analysis revealed that a vegan diet is the “single biggest thing” a person can do to minimize their environmental impact.
Along with Black, many other celebrities have highlighted the benefits of following a plant-based diet. Writer and actor Mike White, a longtime collaborator of Black’s, is a vocal vegan and animal-rights supporter.
The “School of Rock” writer decided to go vegan in 2005 when he read “The Pig Who Sang to the Moon;” a book about the emotional lives of farm animals. White also directed the pro-animal rights comedy-drama “Year of the Dog” (2007).
