A1 Journal article (refereed)
Is there a convincing case for climate veganism? (2021)

Kortetmäki, T., & Oksanen, M. (2021). Is there a convincing case for climate veganism?. Agriculture and Human Values, 38(3), 729-740. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10460-020-10182-x

The research was funded by Strategic Research Council at the Research Council of Finland.

JYU authors or editors

Kortetmäki, Teea

Publication details

All authors or editors: Kortetmäki, Teea; Oksanen, Markku

Journal or series: Agriculture and Human Values

ISSN: 0889-048X

eISSN: 1572-8366

Publication year: 2021

Publication date: 06/12/2020

Volume: 38

Issue number: 3

Pages range: 729-740

Publisher: Springer

Publication country: Netherlands

Publication language: English

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10460-020-10182-x

Publication open access: Openly available

Publication channel open access: Partially open access channel

Publication is parallel published (JYX): https://jyx.jyu.fi/handle/123456789/73353

Abstract

Climate change compels us to rethink the ethics of our dietary choices and has become an interesting issue for ethicists concerned about diets, including animal ethicists. The defenders of veganism have found that climate change provides a new reason to support their cause because many animal-based foods have high greenhouse gas emissions. The new style of argumentation, the ‘climatic argument(s) for veganism’, may benefit animals by persuading even those who are not concerned about animals themselves but worry about climate change. The arguments about the high emissions of animal-based food, and a resulting moral obligation to abstain from eating such products, are an addition to the prior forms of argument for principled veganism grounded on the moral standing of, and concern for, nonhuman animals. In this paper, we examine whether the climatic argument for veganism is convincing. We propose a formulation for the amended version of the argument and discuss its implications and differences compared to the moral obligations of principled veganism. We also reflect upon the implications of our findings on agricultural and food ethics more generally.

Keywords: climate changes; food production; agricultural production; food waste; carbon footprint; climatic effects; environmental ethics; ethicality; animal rights; diets; veganism