A study carried out by Professor Patrick Brown of Stanford University and Professor Michael Eisen of the University of California, Berkeley modelled the impact of a global end to livestock farming. The study demonstrates that ending animal agriculture and planting trees on the empty fields is our best and most immediate chance to turn back the clock on climate change.
The 20th century saw unprecedented growth in all areas of the economy, mainly in the developed world. Capitalism is based on the idea of constant economic growth, and GDP (gross domestic product) is used as a measure of economic health. GDP is the total market value of all goods and services produced by a country in a specific time period. The problem with GDP is that it doesn’t measure important things like environmental health or human happiness.
There are an estimated three trillion trees in the world (although it is thought that there were twice as many at the dawn of civilisation). To help you picture this mind-boggling number, imagine a very large square of woodland measuring 1000 trees long by 1000 trees wide, containing one million trees. If all of the world’s trees were arranged in this way there would be three million such woodlands spread across the globe.
Late last year the Animal Health and Welfare and Forestry (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2021 (‘the 2021 Bill’) was introduced, effectively banning farming animals for their fur and skin. The 2021 Bill sets out the guidelines for decommissioning and demolishing mink farms, lists the penalties for farming mink, and describes how the mink farmers will be compensated. Although it has not yet come into force, the 2021 Bill has made its way through the Dáil Third Stage and is likely to continue progressing through eight more stages in both the Dáil and the Seanad.
In July 2021, U.S. Senator Cory Booker (New Jersey Democrat) reintroduced the Farm System Reform Bill/Act (FSRA). According to Senator Cory Booker this legislation would crack down on monopolistic practices at multi-national meatpacking companies, invest billions in the transition to a more resilient food system and place a moratorium on large factory farms.
As computer software and hardware become more sophisticated more and more companies are using robots and machines for routine tasks. As a result, many commentators have been wondering what the future of work will look like. Researchers at Oxford university have predicted that 40% of jobs will be automated by 2030, and global consulting company McKinsey reported that as many as 45% of the activities that individuals are paid to perform can be automated by technologies that have already been developed.
Since the 1980’s the need for ecological measures to counteract the effects of nitrogen deposition has been recognized in The Netherlands. Since 1989 the government subsidises both the scientific research needed (restoration ecology) and the implementation of measures in nature reserves. The strict protection of habitats in Natura 2000 sites made this program even more important.
Following the EU’s launch in February of a 4 billion euro Beating Cancer Plan, the Parliament has adopted a resolution in support of a healthier, plant-based diet and reduced consumption of meat. Cancer is Europe’s second biggest killer with 1.3 million deaths every year – a quarter of the world’s cancer cases, despite constituting only an eighth of the world’s population.
