Should I be eating that? eating, drinking and environmental ethics.
Date
2011-11-08
Authors
Van Lierop, Mathew Carl
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Abstract
What each individual eats and drinks can, and does, have a varying degree of impact on the
environment in which they live. This impact can be on a local, regional or global scale and can
range from affecting the viability of species’ populations, to contributing to global warming.
This thesis sets out to explore what moral implications might exist with regard to the choices
that individuals make within the context of environmental ethics. This paper discusses
environmental considerations (as opposed to animal welfare or social implications for
instance) and utilises various examples to illustrate different types of impacts and what this
might mean. Conclusions indicating that moral obligations do exist are presented and argued
for, but it is clear that there is certainly a complex matrix of factors that would (and should)
affect the choices that each individual makes with regards to the food that they consume.