The US pays about a billion dollars annually to the United Nations. In return, the US gets, among other things, a lecture on importing third-world living standards. Guardian:

People should have one meat-free day a week if they want to make a personal and effective sacrifice that would help tackle climate change…Dr Rajendra Pachauri, chair of the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, which last year earned a joint share of the Nobel Peace Prize, said that people should then go on to reduce their meat consumption even further…

The average person in the UK eats 50g of protein from meat a day, equivalent to a chicken breast and a lamb chop — a relatively low level for rich nations but 25-50 per cent more than World Heath Organisation guidelines…

‘In terms of immediacy of action and the feasibility of bringing about reductions in a short period of time, it clearly is the most attractive opportunity,’ said Pachauri. ‘Give up meat for one day [a week] initially, and decrease it from there,’ said the Indian economist, who is a vegetarian…he also stressed other changes in lifestyle would help to combat climate change. ‘That’s what I want to emphasise: we really have to bring about reductions in every sector of the economy.’…

(This story seems to appear in one form or another every year.) The article also notes that “vegetarian diets that included lots of milk, butter and cheese would probably not noticeably reduce emissions because dairy cows are a major source of methane, a potent greenhouse gas released through flatulence.” The UN would appear to have something in common with dairy cows.

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