Technical Experts

The UK is slowly coming to the realisation that a shift away from animal agriculture is indeed necessary, it is not happening quickly enough. It’s therefore down to us as healthcare professionals to lead the way. This is why we are proud to be endorsing the Plant Based Treaty.

Zahra Kassam MBBS MSc FRCPC DipABLM is a radiation oncologist in Ontario and Assistant Professor in the Department of Radiation Oncology at the University of Toronto. Zahra completed specialist training in Clinical Oncology followed by 3 years of clinical and research fellowship in gastrointestinal malignancies at the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, and a Masters in Clinical Epidemiology. Given the powerful beneficial impact of Lifestyle Medicine in cancer outcomes and other chronic diseases, Zahra incorporates lifestyle medicine education into her clinical practice, and is certified in Lifestyle Medicine through the American Board of Lifestyle Medicine. In 2019, she co-founded Plant-Based Canada to provide education on plant-based whole food nutrition that is sustainable, healthy, and promotes the well-being of the planet and all its inhabitants. Her first book, Eating Plant-Based, Scientific Answers to Your Nutrition Questions is co-authored with her sister Shireen. Zahra has co-edited an academic textbook Plant-Based Nutrition in Clinical Practice.

I am honored to be a health ambassador for the Plant Based Treaty, which is rooted in the values of sustainability, health, compassion, and justice. Our food system negatively impacts individual health by contributing to our chronic disease epidemic, malnutrition, antibiotic resistance, and pandemic risk, as well as the health of our planet. As health professionals, we should be fiercely advocating for the health of our people and the planet on which we depend. There are no healthy individuals on an unhealthy planet. Plant Based Treaty represents a bold and inspiring vision to urgently transform the global narrative and influence policy at all levels toward a sustainable, just and healthful plant-based food system that is essential for our individual health, our planetary health, and our survival.

Melina holds a Bachelor’s degree in Law and a Master’s and PhD in International Relations and Political Science. For the past 12 years, she has served as a professor of international law and a researcher, while also working as a legal and policy consultant in the fields of international law, human rights, and international environmental law. In recent years, her research has focused on the climate impact of the livestock industry, examined through the lenses of international law and international politics. She has been engaging with this issue both academically and in practice, including through collaborations with the Plant Based Treaty on some of the organization’s initiatives.

Steven George is an Earth Observation Technology and Systems Engineer at the European Space Agency (ESA) based in Noordwijk, Netherlands. He supports the design and engineering of Earth Observation Satellites which have become are invaluable tool for monitoring and understanding our planet’s dynamic processes and environment. He holds an MSc Physics and an MSc Astronautics & Space Engineering, accompanied by a rich history volunteer work, including organising & leading national student space initiatives, contributing to UN Volunteers mapping initiatives, leading public workshops on the climate crisis, and sets up new clubs wherever he goes. Since April 2022, Steve has become a fervent advocate for animal rights and climate justice, recognizing the interconnectedness between oppressive systems that profit from the marginalisation of others. He believes that restoring our relationship with nature and animals is foundational for establishing a more equitable world.

The urgency of a food system transformation is now irrefutable. The scientific evidence demands it, and the Plant Based Treaty represents our foremost initiative to put food systems on the agenda at global summits. It represents the opportunity to bridge the gap between science, policy, and the public for an existence where humans, non-human animals, and the planet co-exist sustainability and in peace.

Richard initially trained as a Physicist/Astrophysicist before transitioning into IT and Financial Services Industry. Then, founding his own company, Richard studied complex adaptive systems found in natural ecosystems and exploring how these concepts could be translated and applied to self-adaptive software systems.

Richard has been an environmentalist for as long as he can remember and actively participated in protests with Greenpeace Frontline in the early 1990s. In 2019, he ran as a Green Party candidate for Haywards Heath Town Council and successfully won the election. During his term, he spearheaded the development of an environmental strategy based on localism, with activities prioritized according to the principles outlined in the Drawdown project. One of the key components of this strategy was promoting a dietary shift towards plant-based foods and reducing food waste.

Under Richard’s leadership, Haywards Heath Town Council in July 2022, became the first town in Europe to sign the Plant-Based Treaty, so further cementing its commitment to a sustainable plant based future.