Thanks Niel! If you download our Animal Welfare analysis chart here: http://www.effectiveanimalactivism.org/veg-ads You could calculate that by reducing consumption of eggs for one year, you prevent about one year of suffering on a factory farm; and by reducing consumption of dairy for one year, you prevent about a week of suffering on a factory farm.
Hi Ion, Thanks for your comment! If you look at a previous blog post: http://80000hours.org/blog/19-practical-ethics-given-moral-uncertainty We have some important considerations to take into account if, as you say, it may be that we have further ethical obligations to animals beyond reducing their suffering. Although in theory taking this into account may lead to divergent practical conclusions, as you point out it seems that at the moment, our recommendations of charities and careers are likely to hold equally for both approaches (given most plausible accounts of rights), since work to reduce suffering on factory farms is also work to reduce the infringement of the rights of the individual animals on those farms. EAA certainly aims to accommodate these considerations, and while reducing suffering seems to be an important metric under every plausible ethical viewpoint, we do intend to make clear and take into account when considerations along the lines that you suggest have important implications for substantive practical conclusions.
Beyond Meat has spread very quickly over the past few months from a small number of stores in the US to entire regions, especially in the West coast. If this trend continues, I suspect it is likely to have spread throughout the US within a year if not sooner, and perhaps internationally shortly after that.
Posted a comment in Project Launch: Effective Animal Activism:
Thanks Niel! If you download our Animal Welfare analysis chart here: http://www.effectiveanimalactivism.org/veg-ads You could calculate that by reducing consumption of eggs for one year, you prevent about one year of suffering on a factory farm; and by reducing consumption of dairy for one year, you prevent about a week of suffering on a factory farm.
Posted a comment in Project Launch: Effective Animal Activism:
Hi Ion, Thanks for your comment! If you look at a previous blog post: http://80000hours.org/blog/19-practical-ethics-given-moral-uncertainty We have some important considerations to take into account if, as you say, it may be that we have further ethical obligations to animals beyond reducing their suffering. Although in theory taking this into account may lead to divergent practical conclusions, as you point out it seems that at the moment, our recommendations of charities and careers are likely to hold equally for both approaches (given most plausible accounts of rights), since work to reduce suffering on factory farms is also work to reduce the infringement of the rights of the individual animals on those farms. EAA certainly aims to accommodate these considerations, and while reducing suffering seems to be an important metric under every plausible ethical viewpoint, we do intend to make clear and take into account when considerations along the lines that you suggest have important implications for substantive practical conclusions.
Posted a comment in Beyond Meat™ vs. New Harvest: Does Beyond Meat™ make New Harvest obsolete?:
Beyond Meat has spread very quickly over the past few months from a small number of stores in the US to entire regions, especially in the West coast. If this trend continues, I suspect it is likely to have spread throughout the US within a year if not sooner, and perhaps internationally shortly after that.