In order to guarantee a future

     Every year, 60.000 million animals, raised with unacceptable suffering conditions, die. This fact (that omits fishing), added to the ocean being our personal trash, seems to point out that we’re no longer a welcome species to the Earth.
     Every day, the natural growth rate is increased by 216.000 new babies, who would be impossible to feed if the food and water needed to keep people alive is destined to animals’ fattening.

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According to FAO ^[1], the number of dead animals for consumption is:

• 50.648 million of chickens
• 2.715 million of ducks
• 1.388 million of pigs
• 1.169 million of rabbits
• 1639 million of other animals     

 
    In order to produce a single kilo of beef, they are needed 15 kilos of cereal and 15.000 litres of water ^[3], an amount that’s far superior to the one needed for vegetables farming. This is the reason why, according to the UN, an insignificant decreased of meat consumption would eradicate famine everywhere.

     But, actually, this is not the point of vegetarianism nor veganism, althought it is, obviously, a strong reason. We treat animals as if they were lifeless beings. The question is: Do animals have rights?

DO ANIMALS HAVE RIGHTS?

This question is not refered to any legal (given) rights. In fact, it really means: “Do animals have natural rights?” If so, no human could refuse them, since that’s not up to us. But to give a right is not the same as to recognise it; we don’t recognise animals’ natural right to live ^[4].

SHOULD THEY HAVE RIGHTS?

 Animals do suffer, as utilitarianism defends. However, saying that animals are “people” (in the broad sense of the word) isn’t a real fact: they lack of self-reflection, self-awareness and responsabilities, no matter the many similarities between us ^[5]. Either way, humans have always felt a special predilection towards some animals: domestication. So where do you draw the line?

THEN, WHY DON'T THEY HAVE THEM?

     Speciesism consist in modifying the treatment of living beings depending on their species. It is based on anthropocentrism: the belief that there’s nothing up above us, not even ethical questions.
     Afortunately, the marginal cases argument contrapose anthropocentrism: if babies, old people and mentally handicapped people do have a particular moral status, animals should have the same.

LIVESTOCK INDUSTRY AND ITS EFFECT ON GLOBAL WARMING

    Livestock industry owns most of the deforestated aereas in the world, that are destined to be meadows for cattle ^[6]. This has not only seriously damaged climate, but has also caused loss of biodiversity and land degradation (that provoques floods and some other enviromental disasters).
    Similarly, global warming, fueled by livestock industry, is responsible for hurricanes, tsunamis, avalanches, earthquakes and volcanic eruptions ^[7].

GO VEGAN!

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 Practicing a vegetarian diet (which is even healthier than an omnivorous one) avoids the killing of about 25 land animals per year.
Combined with fishes and marine animals, a vegetarian saves 575 animals. 575 animals that won’t die because of our consumption patterns.

Vegetarianism and veganism are the only ways to help yourself, animals, and the Earth, all at once.

Will you stand for those who destroy your home?

 

Bibliography

1. http://www.fao.org/3/a-y5454s/y5454s01.pdf
2. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/datablog/2009/sep/02/meat-consumption-per-capita-climate-change
3. http://waterfootprint.org/en/
4. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natural_and_legal_rights
5. http://www.veganpeace.com/animal_facts/animalfacts.html
6. http://www.fao.org/fileadmin/user_upload/fsn/docs/Wirsenius_et_al_Agric_Syst__Land_use_in_2030.pdf
7. http://www.fao.org/newsroom/en/news/2006/1000448/index.html
8. http://www.countinganimals.com/how-many-animals-does-a-vegetarian-save/