| Animal Rights and the Environment Animal rights issues may at first sight appear not directly relevant to an essay on environmental issues, but upon a closer study, it is clear that animal rights campaigners and groups have much to offer for any serious debate on the environment. Although some animal rights activists disagree with some environmentalists (for instance it is preferable for animal rights activists to save a common animal dying a slow and painful death than to save an endangered specie animal which will die an instant death - that is if a choice has to be made at all) it usually is the case that most animal rights campaigners are environmentalists as well, for several reasons upon which I shall elaborate. Animal rights campaigners either believe that the world was created for all animals, or else that we were evolved from other species of animals, and so, the world does not belong solely to human beings. Thus it is our duty to respect nature, both for us and for all creatures' sake. It usually is the case that to harm nature is detrimental to both humans and other animals. If environmental neglect causes climate change, this will effect both humans and other animals. If forests are cleared, this will also effect both humans and other animals. If the sea is polluted by oil spills, this will effect both humans and other animals...etc. So it is our duty to preserve and care for nature, for our own and also for the non-human animals' sake. It is also important to note that non-human animals are also a part of nature, and so, to kill or harm them is to harm nature itself. Thousands of non-human animals have become extinct, many of whom due to human abuse, either by directly killing them or by destroying their habitat. If, for example, rainforests are cleared, apart from the harm done to our eco-system, this will mean sure death to thousands of non-human animals, large or small, who dwell in the forests. Another important factor, which harms both non-human animals and the environment, is the mass breeding of animals for human consumption. It is scientifically proven that methane-emitting animals killed for food are a major contributor to the 'greenhouse effect' and global warming. Also, ammonia from animal waste and agricultural fertilizers, contribute to acid rain, which in turn kills aquatic and plant life. "Animal farming" also makes inefficient use of very limited resources. Millions of people are suffering hunger and thirst in the developing world, while grain and water is squandered on breeding and rearing non-human animals who are destined to be killed for food in the developed world. Also, as if forest destruction for logging, agricultural expansion, mining, settlement, shifting agriculture, plantation establishment (including genetically modified soya and coffee beans) and infrastructural development were not environmentally damaging enough, millions of hectares of rainforest are destroyed each year to create grazing pasture for cows. This kills or puts at risk several animal species and the indigenous human populations dwelling in the forests. Intensive grazing also causes soil erosion, and turns land into desert. Overfishing has also decimated fish populations to the point of near extinction of several species. Dolphins and whales are many times indiscriminately killed by drift nets, which are intended to catch other species of fish. Oil spills, hazardous waste and litter are also major contributors to the killing of several non-human animals. Oil spills kill millions of fish and endanger several other animals like birds who live near the sea. Most of the animals that are literally covered in oil after an oil spill will die unless they are saved by human intervention. Also, waste and litter people dispose of unproperly could kill non-human animals in different ways. Plastic thrown in the sea will suffocate fish. Sharp objects (like empty tin cans) could kill stray animals or wildlife. Toxic and poisonous fluids and materials will obviously also kill if not disposed of properly. The burning of rubber or plastic will create toxic fumes harmful to both humans and other animals, and so on. Hunting, apart from being a direct animal killer, is also a contributor to human ill health, because of the poisonous lead content that is shot, and which could also end up in vegetable farms, the product of which we will finally be eating. Also, the hunting of migratory birds, apart from directly killing the birds themselves, if done indiscriminately, would have adverse effects on breeding, and thus pose a danger to the continuance of the species. To conclude, it is thus clear that any discussion on the environment would be incomplete if it is not taken even in context of animal rights issues, since non-human animals are interlinked in the web of nature, where a missing link could have devastating effects. |
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