ENVIRONMENT

PETER SINGER: The year of the first Earth Day, 1970, was the year I stopped eating meat. I didn’t do it to save the Earth, but because I realized that there is no ethical justification for treating animals like machines for converting feed into meat, milk and eggs. It is wrong to ignore or discount the interests of sentient beings because they are not members of our species. In the United States and beyond, giant agribusiness corporations continue raising animals in ways that disregard their welfare, never allowing pigs or chickens to walk outside, crowding hens who lay eggs into cages that…

LEE HALL: For-profit companies and charities alike are jumping onto the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals (#SDGs). We all want to self-identify as sustainable people. But most want to hang onto that good-ole biblical prerogative: human dominion. As long as we cling to our conceited attitudes about the living world, I’d posit, the SDGs will be a farrago of platitudes, not true human progress. Let me offer 17 reasons why. On Sustainable Development Goal 1: No Poverty. The UN calls out Covid as the latest global poverty driver. What lies at the roots of pandemics? ...…

JORDI CASAMITJANA: Veganism and animal rights are indeed philosophies, in the sense they are particular systems of thought relating to the understanding of the fundamental nature of knowledge, reality, and existence. Also, they are both non-religious philosophical beliefs in the sense they do not go into metaphysics or cosmology of a religious nature. They are both key philosophies followed by people who care about non-human animals and try to respect them, and animal protection organisations involved in advocating for them and helping them. However, I believe they focus on different…

TAYLOR ORTH: A new YouGov poll delves into the factors that influence Americans' views on the ethics of eating animals — exploring reasons for vegetarianism, acceptable animal species for consumption, and the impact of animal treatment on the morality of eating them. The poll also includes thought experiments related to meat consumption and experiences with meat alternatives. The primary reason American vegetarians cite for adopting their diet is the health benefits of doing so. In terms of which animal species are acceptable for consumption, there is a clear distinction drawn between…

OLIVIA PELUSO: Globally, agriculture is the largest cause of deforestation, the number one cause of extinction and the largest user of arable land. It emits more greenhouse gasses than all of the world’s transportation combined, and contributes to a third of all freshwater pollution. “I think there would be so much attention to this issue if it wasn't what was on our plates,” says Forbes 30 Under 30 2020 lister Arturo Elizondo, the founder of lab-grown protein developer The Every Company. While working for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, he became impatient with the elephant in the room…

SAM WOOLFE: The Vegan Society defines veganism as “a philosophy and way of living which seeks to exclude—as far as is possible and practicable—all forms of exploitation of, and cruelty to, animals.” Ethical vegans may be divided along welfarist and animal rights lines. The former want to improve conditions for non-human animals and minimise suffering, but allow for other species to be owned and used, so long as ‘humane’ guidelines are followed. The latter, on the other hand, argue that the abolition of animal exploitation is the only way forward and the only message worth promoting, given…

VEGCONOMIST: Last October, the European Commission registered a European Citizens’ Initiative (ECI) titled European Citizens’ Initiative for VEGAN MEAL, which is now open with the aim of collecting one million signatures. The initiative calls for legislation to explicitly make vegan alternatives always available in private and public spaces selling food and drinks in Europe. The European Citizens’ Initiative (ECI) is a mechanism that enables EU citizens to participate in the development of the EU. The Commission will have to react if a European Citizens’ Initiative receives one million…

JILL ETTINGER: Gen Z is driving the rapidly growing plant-based food market. According to a recent survey, 70 percent of Gen Zers say they plan to pursue a vegan diet in the next five years but the reasons don’t necessarily track with their climate concerns. Gen Z — those born between 1997 and 2012 — have become the driving force behind the vegan food market. According to a recent survey conducted by Medical Inspiration Daily For Stronger Society (MIDSS), more than half of Gen Z chose to go vegan due to health benefits. MIDSS surveyed more than 3,000 vegans and non-vegans earlier this year…

MACKEN MURPHY: In a definitional sense, the generalized accusation (that veganism is a religion) is wrong — there is no reasonable definition of the word “religion” into which a vegan lifestyle can be gerrymandered... You do not need to believe in a higher power, let alone worship one, to be a vegan. In fact, you need not entertain any fantastical or superstitious ideas in order to follow a vegan lifestyle. You can simply believe that unnecessary suffering is bad — a truth derivable from any direct experience of agony... religion /rɪˈlɪdʒ(ə)n/ The belief in and worship of a superhuman…

ANGELO AMANTE: Italy's government on Tuesday approved a bill banning the use of laboratory-produced food and animal feed as it aims to safeguard the country's agri-food heritage, its agriculture minister told a news conference after a Cabinet meeting. If the proposal is passed by parliament, Italian industry will not be allowed to produce food or feed "from cell cultures or tissues derived from vertebrate animals", the bill seen by Reuters said. A breach of the rules could result in fines of up to 60,000 euros ($65,022)... The bill stipulates that factories where violations occur can be…