James Cameron: Eating meat-free to save the planet

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James CameronCanadian filmmaker James Cameron discusses his legendary movie-making career and his bigger global-saving mission.

When U.S. President Barack Obama visited Beijing last November, he and Chinese President Xi Jinping announced a landmark joint agreement to fight the effects of climate change. It committed the two nations to reducing planet-warming carbon emissions and cemented a first-ever pledge by China to stop its emissions from growing by 2030.

The accord was widely hailed as a crucial first step toward prompting other nations to make their own greenhouse gas cuts. This as a new global agreement on curbing climate change is expected to be signed this fall, by every nation around the globe, at a United Nations summit in Paris.

James Cameron: Eating meat-free to save the planet

Filmmaker and environmental activist James Cameron discusses the global importance of a climate change deal between the U.S. and China.

As a stepping stone to meeting these carbon-cutting goals, U.S. and Chinese climate change negotiators met in Los Angeles earlier this month. They announced joint actions by cities, states and provinces, in both countries, to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Attending the summit was Oscar-winning director and environmental activist James Cameron – a Hollywood powerhouse whose iconic blockbuster films “Titanic” and “Avatar” set global box office records. He sees climate change as the biggest crisis society and the globe faces. Cameron praises the leaders of both countries for coming together on the climate change agreement.

“China can move fast,” says Cameron. “Can they get off coal overnight? No, of course not, but, you’ve got to start somewhere.”

At the U.S.-China Climate Leaders Summit, Cameron led a roundtable discussion on sustainability in the food chain and discussed how our diets impact climate change. One solution he sees for climate change is adjusting our diets and eating meat-free.

“We can just change what we eat,” explains Cameron. “Just eat less meat and dairy and your carbon footprint drops way down.”

Mike Walter sat down with James Cameron at the 2015 U.S.-China Climate Leaders Summit to get his take on the global importance of a deal between the world’s two largest carbon polluters in curbing global climate change once and for all.

Follow James on Twitter: @JamesCameron