By Jorge Sigler
The animal liberation movement has shed light into the many ways animal exploitation influences our lives and our planet. We now know significantly more than we did a decade ago; such knowledge has strengthened our approaches and has made our actions far more effective. Knowledge about the environmental impacts of animal exploitation has generated a strong environmentally conscious wave of activism, information about the health implications of consuming animal products has swayed many from continuous consumption of such products, and more importantly, open knowledge and shared visual imagery about the horrors of these industries have struck a loud string in our moral cords. Factual information has made the animal liberation movement strong; it has provided not only an influx of activists, but it has also increased the number of individuals refusing to take part in the animal exploitation system.
Yet, much work is still required: there are almost three animals, in conservative numbers, being farmed for every human being in the entire world (The Economist). In the U.S. alone, there are almost a billion animals legally being confined and used for experimental purposes under the protection of the Animal Welfare Act, which does not include fishes, birds, or mice; we can only imagine the number of these last three and the horrors they must undergo with no “welfare” oversight. Animal liberation efforts are gaining more and more momentum, but we must continue to educate and uncover more information.
The Humane Party of the United States has perceived this need and has established the Economic Transition Team, a group of individuals with several backgrounds and expertise, such as environmental scientists, farming and economics experts, and data mining experts. Though still young, this group of individuals has prepared a report that compares the productivity, efficiency, and profitability of animal-based agriculture Vs. plant-based agriculture. The findings of this team effort include the fact that plant-based agriculture is more profitable than animal-based agriculture by hundreds of millions of dollars. Even more, plant-based agriculture generates 512% more food utilizing 69% of the land that animal-based agriculture uses.
Other reports include an analysis of animals being experimented upon, including the number of animals, their distributions by state, and the levels of pain and distress inflicted upon them, and a report involving a comparison of the solvency, efficiency and profitability of publicly traded companies within exclusively plant-based industries vs. exclusively animal-based industries.
The Economic Transition Team looks to unveil this information not only for the Humane Party’s use, but also to fill gaps that are still present in the animal liberation movement and to provide factual and accurate information to other organizations in order to maximize their efforts. The Economic Transition Team does not shy away from topics, however controversial the results and conclusions might be. There may come a time in which the results of our analyses do not favor the animal liberation cause; for example, an analysis could show an animal-derived product to be more economically beneficial, more nutritious or higher in quality than plant-derived counterparts; such information would still be valuable as it would show the animal liberation movement a niche that direly needs to be addressed.
There is still much work to be done. Although the Economic Transition Team works hard to unveil facts and information that remain uncharted, help is needed. People with other areas of expertise can provide different outlooks to the massive amount of information, illustrators and designers can help highlight critical information in visual formats, and much more. All it takes is the will to make a difference and the determination to put your special skills to use. Within the Humane Party and the Economic Transition Team, there will always be a way in which your skill set can be used efficiently to help the animals. The Humane Party is comprised of volunteers that also volunteer for many other large organizations, including the Humane Society, Farm Sanctuary, Direct Action Everywhere, the Humane League, and more. Volunteer on your time and from your own space. Reach out and find the many ways in which you can help.
References
“Counting Chickens.” The Economist July 27, 2011 (accessed August 29, 2017).
The Humane Herald 