Eating Earth: Environmental Ethics and Dietary Choice by Lisa Kemmerer

Description

Lisa Kemmerer’s Eating Earth explores the environmental effects of animal agriculture, fishing, and hunting and exposes critical common ground between earth and animal advocacy. Eating Earth offers a concise examination of the environmental effects of dietary choice. Animal Agriculture is examined in the first chapter, discussing topics like greenhouse gas emissions and climate change, manure and dead zones, freshwater depletion and deforestation, predator control, land use, and the ranching industries public lands subsidies.

Examining whether or not the consumption of fish is healthy, chapter two outlines morally relevant aspects of fish physiology, scrutinizing the fishing industry. She documents the “silent collapse” of ocean ecosystems and calls attention to the indiscriminate nature of hooks, nets, and the problem of bycatch, the incidental capture of non-target species, and what this practice means for endangered species and fragile seascapes. Chapter three outlines the historic link between the U.S. Government, wildlife management, and hunters. Lisa systematically unravels common beliefs about sport hunting, such as the belief that hunters are essential to wildlife conservation, that contemporary hunting qualifies as a tradition, and that hunting is merciful, economical, or rooted in “fair chase.” At the end of each chapter, Lisa Kemmerer examines possible solutions to problems presented, such as sustainable meats, organic and local, grass fed, aquaculture, new fishing technologies, and enhanced regulations. With wry humor, she presents the many reasons why dietary choice ought to be front and center for environmentalists. Her writing is clear and straightforward, and includes nearly 80 graphs and summary slides.

ISBN 978-0199391844. Lisa Kemmerer is Associate Professor of Philosophy and Religions at Montana State University, Billings. She is an author and philosopher-activist dedicated to working against oppression on behalf of the environment, nonhuman animals, and disempowered human beings. She is an animal advocate in cattle country. Lisa has hiked, biked, kayaked, backpacked, and traveled widely, and says, We have extended ethics outward from self to family to community to all of humanity. We are now called to extend moral consideration to other species.

Please follow and like us: