Flexitarianism: a more moral dietary option

Abstract

It is morally impossible to justify the power wielded by the livestock industry. This paper describes the human, ecological and animal welfare concerns caused by excessive meat production and consumption including climate change, water depletion and degradation, land misappropriation and degradation, rainforest destruction, biodiversity & rapid species loss and the significant threats and challenges presented to human health and wellbeing. It offers flexitarianism (flexible or part-time vegetarianism) as a personal opportunity and moral responsibility to combat the destructive duplicity of the global livestock megamachine. Through a personal nutritional paradigm shift and resulting food choices individuals can reclaim the possibility of a more sustainable world and global society.

Less Meat Initiatives at Ghent University: Assessing the Support among Students and How to Increase It

“…The global rise of meat consumption in the human diet is increasingly regarded as unsustainable [1][2][3][4], compromising the welfare of humans, animals and the environment [5][6][7][8][9]. Many authors therefore highlight the necessity and urgency of a worldwide dietary transition towards meat-reduced diets [2,3,5,7,8].…”

“…Many authors therefore highlight the necessity and urgency of a worldwide dietary transition towards meat-reduced diets [2,3,5,7,8]. At the same time, socially innovative projects have been initiated in many Western countries to mobilize consumers to eat less meat.…”

“…At the same time, socially innovative projects have been initiated in many Western countries to mobilize consumers to eat less meat. Prominent examples of such less meat initiatives (LMIs; [8]) include the Belgium town of Ghent's pioneering Meatless Thursday and the Meatless Mondays that originated in the US [8,10]. Although there is evidence that these LMIs are replicating and scaling-up, Morris et al [8] argue that LMIs are not able to translate the idea of eating less meat into mainstream thinking in any significant way, mainly because LMIs are regarded as being too radical.…”

“…Prominent examples of such less meat initiatives (LMIs; [8]) include the Belgium town of Ghent's pioneering Meatless Thursday and the Meatless Mondays that originated in the US [8,10]. Although there is evidence that these LMIs are replicating and scaling-up, Morris et al [8] argue that LMIs are not able to translate the idea of eating less meat into mainstream thinking in any significant way, mainly because LMIs are regarded as being too radical. The idea of eating less meat contrasts strongly with the central position of meat in today's Western food culture, which rests on an evolutionary and cultural legacy [11].…”

Genius, Creativity and (Not) Eating Meat

“…This enormous raise in meat production and consumption is adversely influencing all aspects of human life and humanity's long-term survival prospects. It is contributing to global greenhouse gas emissions, land and water pollution and depletion, biodiversity loss, antimicrobial resistance, and is also negatively impacting on human health Marinova, 2014 and. Irrespective as to what role meat played millions of years ago in human evolution, humanity is now faced with unprecedented challenges to reduce and even eliminate meat consumption in order to deal with climate change and safeguard the planet's ecosystems.…”