20 Jan The Morality of Environmentalism

PHL203 Ethics

Unit 8 Discussion

The Morality of Environmentalism

Some environmentalists claim that the ways we raise and collect animals and fish for food are fundamentally unethical. They point to the suffering of animals within the factory farming industry, the pollution caused by untreated animal waste, the use of hormones and antibiotics, the decimation of fish populations, and the fact that current farming practices are ultimately unsustainable in terms of their environmental impact. Making the changes that these environmentalists claim are necessary, however, would likely be devastating to the agricultural and fishing industries, to the chemical and biochemical companies that support them, and to the way of life of millions of people. These changes might also result in increased food prices and in less food being available to the ever-increasing human population. How do you think we should balance the moral claims on this issue? Should the concerns of environmentalists and animal rights activists impinge on your desire to eat however you so choose? Does the protection of jobs and communities trump environmental concerns? Why or why not? Read and respond to two classmates’ posts.