Veganism has to be reconsidered - for ethical, environmental and health considerations
Over the last years, veganism has seen a steady increase in popularity. From Netflix documentaries to celebrities to everyday people that are concerned about their environmental footprint or want to overcome personal health issues, going plant-based has become a ubiquitous phenomenon. And there is a multitude of reasons why ever more people are following the plant-based movement. The three main reasons for going vegan are a. ethical considerations, b. environmental considerations and c. health considerations. According to proponents of the vegan movement, the vegan way of living is promoting health in humans, helping to mitigate climate change and destruction and ending unnecessary animal suffering. While I think the vegan idea is well intentioned and benevolent, I see some problems in the logic of its arguments on whom I want to elaborate on in this post.
First of all, I would like to touch upon the health argument, which is fundamental in the logical construct around veganism. When watching media outlets of all sorts that promote veganism, like Netflix documentaries, health and medical influencers on YouTube, where most people get their information from, one gets the impression that a plant-based diet is the way to go in order to live a long and disease-free life. Many medical doctors with an online presence that advocate for a plant-based diet claim that there exists a scientific consensus regarding a vegan diet being optimal for human health and that no animal products need to be consumed. However, they admit that in order to stay healthy long-term on a fully plant-based eating regimen, one has to supplement with some vitamins and minerals and eat a well-balanced diet consisting of whole foods.
Here is where I see a few problems. A fully plant-based diet either leads to malnutrition or requires the import (in the case for most western countries, where veganism has gained the most popularity) of plant products from all over the world. Not only is the production of these foods problematic in some cases (e.g., avocados which require vast amounts of water and are grown in places where water is scarce in the first place) but so is the demand for transportation they create. Furthermore, people are dependent on pharmaceutical corporations that produce supplements that are essential to consume when living 100% plant based.
Secondly, I would like to touch upon the argument related to environmental sustainability. There is no denying that the industrial way we consume and produce animal products in the west is harming animals, humans and the planet. Factory farming ought to be forbidden and the agricultural sector decentralized. I argue that this could only have happened because people, due to separation of labor and specialization beginning with the Industrial Revolution got out of touch with nature. Profit-maximizing thinking rendered animals to be a commodity where the maximum value should be extracted from. The result therefrom is sick and suffering animals that put pressure on the environment and make the people who eat them sick and miserable. While I agree that we are eating too much of poor-quality animal products, it is a scientific reality that humans need to consume at least some animal protein and fats to maintain their health long-term. Yes, plants have many of the essential nutrients in them, but in too small amounts or with low bioavailability. There exists no indigenous/tribal people that live fully plant based anywhere in the world.
Finally, I would like to address the ethical argument. In my opinion it is a noble aim to reduce suffering, be it in animals or humans. However, it is not straightforward that adopting a vegan lifestyle is reducing aggregate suffering. Yes, animals will not suffer in slaughterhouses and factory farms, yet humans may suffer all sorts of health problems and the increasing demand for cropland and water puts additional pressure on the environment, not to mention all the animals that are killed in the process of conventional plant-based agriculture in harvesting and field maintenance. (Yes, a large proportion of these plant crops are fed to factory farmed animals, which I see as absolutely problematic.)
To conclude, I would like to mention that I agree with the plant-based movement on that the status quo is not good. Conventional animal agriculture is putting a heavy toll on human, animal and planetary health. However, the answer to ending this problem does not lie in going vegan. Much rather I would suggest that people are more critical about what they actually need and about consumerism in general. Yes, I think people do require some animal products to live healthfully, yet nowhere near the quantity we consume today. The paradigm of quantity ought to be replaced with quality and the globalized food chains ought to be replaced with local consumption. I believe that part of the solution to the issue of nutrition, health and the environment lies in moderation and mindful consumption. Should you consume animal products daily and consume factory farmed products. No. Are you improving your environmental footprint by going plant-based? Most likely (when compared to a standard western diet). But is veganism sustainable long-term and does it lead to humans and the planet thriving? Most certainly not (if you don’t assume that the planet is better off without humans on it).
Thank you for reading. I am very much looking forward to hearing your thoughts and replies.
Over the last years, veganism has seen a steady increase in popularity. From Netflix documentaries to celebrities to everyday people that are concerned about their environmental footprint or want to overcome personal health issues, going plant-based has become a ubiquitous phenomenon. And there is a multitude of reasons why ever more people are following the plant-based movement. The three main reasons for going vegan are a. ethical considerations, b. environmental considerations and c. health considerations. According to proponents of the vegan movement, the vegan way of living is promoting health in humans, helping to mitigate climate change and destruction and ending unnecessary animal suffering. While I think the vegan idea is well intentioned and benevolent, I see some problems in the logic of its arguments on whom I want to elaborate on in this post.
First of all, I would like to touch upon the health argument, which is fundamental in the logical construct around veganism. When watching media outlets of all sorts that promote veganism, like Netflix documentaries, health and medical influencers on YouTube, where most people get their information from, one gets the impression that a plant-based diet is the way to go in order to live a long and disease-free life. Many medical doctors with an online presence that advocate for a plant-based diet claim that there exists a scientific consensus regarding a vegan diet being optimal for human health and that no animal products need to be consumed. However, they admit that in order to stay healthy long-term on a fully plant-based eating regimen, one has to supplement with some vitamins and minerals and eat a well-balanced diet consisting of whole foods.
Here is where I see a few problems. A fully plant-based diet either leads to malnutrition or requires the import (in the case for most western countries, where veganism has gained the most popularity) of plant products from all over the world. Not only is the production of these foods problematic in some cases (e.g., avocados which require vast amounts of water and are grown in places where water is scarce in the first place) but so is the demand for transportation they create. Furthermore, people are dependent on pharmaceutical corporations that produce supplements that are essential to consume when living 100% plant based.
Secondly, I would like to touch upon the argument related to environmental sustainability. There is no denying that the industrial way we consume and produce animal products in the west is harming animals, humans and the planet. Factory farming ought to be forbidden and the agricultural sector decentralized. I argue that this could only have happened because people, due to separation of labor and specialization beginning with the Industrial Revolution got out of touch with nature. Profit-maximizing thinking rendered animals to be a commodity where the maximum value should be extracted from. The result therefrom is sick and suffering animals that put pressure on the environment and make the people who eat them sick and miserable. While I agree that we are eating too much of poor-quality animal products, it is a scientific reality that humans need to consume at least some animal protein and fats to maintain their health long-term. Yes, plants have many of the essential nutrients in them, but in too small amounts or with low bioavailability. There exists no indigenous/tribal people that live fully plant based anywhere in the world.
Finally, I would like to address the ethical argument. In my opinion it is a noble aim to reduce suffering, be it in animals or humans. However, it is not straightforward that adopting a vegan lifestyle is reducing aggregate suffering. Yes, animals will not suffer in slaughterhouses and factory farms, yet humans may suffer all sorts of health problems and the increasing demand for cropland and water puts additional pressure on the environment, not to mention all the animals that are killed in the process of conventional plant-based agriculture in harvesting and field maintenance. (Yes, a large proportion of these plant crops are fed to factory farmed animals, which I see as absolutely problematic.)
To conclude, I would like to mention that I agree with the plant-based movement on that the status quo is not good. Conventional animal agriculture is putting a heavy toll on human, animal and planetary health. However, the answer to ending this problem does not lie in going vegan. Much rather I would suggest that people are more critical about what they actually need and about consumerism in general. Yes, I think people do require some animal products to live healthfully, yet nowhere near the quantity we consume today. The paradigm of quantity ought to be replaced with quality and the globalized food chains ought to be replaced with local consumption. I believe that part of the solution to the issue of nutrition, health and the environment lies in moderation and mindful consumption. Should you consume animal products daily and consume factory farmed products. No. Are you improving your environmental footprint by going plant-based? Most likely (when compared to a standard western diet). But is veganism sustainable long-term and does it lead to humans and the planet thriving? Most certainly not (if you don’t assume that the planet is better off without humans on it).
Thank you for reading. I am very much looking forward to hearing your thoughts and replies.