As the climate crisis worsens, veganism gains momentum. Our dietary habits, particularly regarding meat, are being scrutinized for their role in aggravating global heating and leading to the inhumane treatment of livestock. However, the issue isn’t as simple as many activists would like you believe.
Since years, we know that animal husbandry plays a significant role in climate change. 14% of all anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions are caused by livestock. 110 lbs of greenhouse gasses are released for every 3.5-ounces of beef protein. Factory farms are home to many of the most extreme confinement practices, including tail docking in pigs, cows, and cutting off chickens’ beaks.Vegans have spoken out against the cruelty of eating animal products, but these claims raise interesting moral issues about not only how we raise meat, but also how we view cultures.
Vegans believe that animal consumption is wrong. But when did it become wrong? The Industrial Revolution? The Industrial Revolution? Is it wrong for humanity to eat meat? Those living in developed countries? Those who eat factory farmed meat Based on general claims about veganism, the water is murkier that it appears.
For example, The Inuit Subsist largely on meatWinter months without viable agricultural land, depend on animals like seal, arctic and caribou for their survival.Is that a reason for the Inuit to be considered immoral or does it make living in the Arctic moral? Is it not less harmful for the environment to import farmed food at high carbon emissions cost than to hunt wild, stable populations? Is it moral to consume meat as part of cultural practices? These are my concerns, but I don’t believe that meat consumption is wrong.
Other animal products, such as meat, eggs, and wool, are also subject to similar criticisms from animal rights activists and climate activists. However, the ethics are just as murky. It is undoubtedly wasteful to feed livestock grain, but livestock can survive on inedible food like grass, leaves, and weeds. This allows them to turn resources that would otherwise have been wasted into milk or eggs, wool, or leather. This is both morally right and environmentally responsible, especially as resources become more scarce. Why should this be frowned upon if the animals were treated well?
The morality of animal husbandry hinges on the treatment of the animals involved, their resources used in raising them, and the dependence on animal products as a source of sustenance. Morally, there is nothing to fear from eating meat in moderation if all these criteria are in line with our climate goals.