Vegetarianism

[introductions] With that, we on side gov. propose that all eligible Americans should choose to be vegetarians in the present year. The vegetarian diet on side gov. comprises plant-based foods, including fruits, vegetables, nuts, and grainsin addition to dairy products, eggs, and honey. All meats and products of animal slaughter are excluded from the vegetarian diet. In addition, we distinguish b/w eligible and ineligible Americans i.e. we exempt individuals for whom vegetarianism would be impossible e.g. those so poor they lack legitimate access to food and those allergic to soy. [questions] We on side gov. first want to argue that, for the most part, meat consumption goes unquestioned in the U.S. Most individuals eat meat w/o pondering the implications of doing so. And if your everyday meat-eater is challenged, they dismiss all oppositional arguments out of hand, saying meat tastes good, whichto be sureside gov. is not disputing. We on side gov. do, however, want to challenge mainstream carnivorousness. And we want to do so, Mr./Mme. Speaker, via three imperatives: the moral, the environmental, and the practical. 1. Moral imperative: We as humans are omnivores. We have the ability to choose whether we will consume plants, animals, or both. On side gov., we tell you that, b/c we have this choice, we must opt to not eat meat. 1.1. Ethics of eating animals: Each member of the animal kingdom, which includes us humans, all evolved from the same common ancestor and is therefore part of the same evolutionary tree. Moreover, animals, like humans, are sentient beings w/ the capacity to experience pain and pleasure. While we on side gov. do not contend that animals sentience necessarily makes them moral agents i.e. capable of determining right from wrong, we do contend that such sentience demands respect from us humans. Therefore, we on side gov. view it as unethical to raise and slaughter other members of the animal kingdom. B/c doing so is in no way necessary for our survival, it is our responsibility as moral human beings to reduce animal suffering. The fact that we have the ability to rule over animals does not mean that we should. 1.2. Speciesism: Another sticking point in the ethics of eating meat is that, in our society, we often recognize a need to protect animals and treat them w/ respect; there is a whole host of laws dedicated to this end. Animal welfare/cruelty laws prohibit mistreatment of domestic animals, protects species endangered of extinction, etc. Therefore, we on side gov. say that our current approach to animals is speciesist i.e. arbitrarily valuing one species over another e.g. we cant mistreat our cats and dogs b/c we like keeping them as pets but dont bat an eye when veal is served for dinner. On side gov., we offer a morally consistent approach to our treatment of animals. 1.3. Modern factory farming: The need to switch to vegetarianism this year is heightened by the fact that factory farming has embraced animal cruelty in an unimaginable way. The factory farming system of modern agriculture strives to maximize output while minimizing costs. Cows, calves, pigs, chickens, turkeys, ducks, geese, and other animals are kept in small cages, in jam-packed sheds, or on filthy feedlots, often with so little space that they can't even turn around or lie down comfortably. They are deprived of exercise so that all their bodies' energy goes toward producing flesh, eggs, or milk for human consumption. They are fed drugs to fatten them faster and to keep them alive in conditions that would otherwise kill them, and they are genetically altered to grow faster

Vegetarianism or to produce much more milk or eggs than they would naturally. Many animals become crippled under their own weight and die within inches of water and food. 1.3.1. Chickens killed for their flesh in the United States are bred and drugged to grow so quickly that their hearts, lungs, and limbs often can't keep up. 1.3.2. Cattle are castrated, their horns are ripped out of their heads, and third-degree burns (branding) are inflicted on them, all without any pain relief. 1.3.3. Cows used for their milk are drugged and bred to produce unnatural amounts of milk; they have their babies stolen from them shortly after birth and sent to notoriously cruel veal farms so that humans can drink the calves' milk. 1.3.4. Mother pigs on factory farms are confined to crates so small that they are unable to turn around or even lie down comfortably. 1.3.5. Fish on aquafarms spend their entire lives in cramped, filthy enclosures, and many suffer from parasitic infections, diseases, and debilitating injuries. Conditions on some farms are so horrendous that 40 percent of the fish may die before farmers can kill and package them for food. 2. Environmental imperative: The consumption of meat is also environmentally unsustainable, jeopardizing the future of our planet. On side gov., we therefore argue that we have a responsibility to be vegetarians. 2.1. Greenhouse gas emissions: The 2007 IPCC found that meat production puts more greenhouse gases (~18% of total emissions) into the atmosphere than does all of human transport (~13%). The FAO figure of 18% includes greenhouse gases released in every part of the meat production cycle: clearing forested land, making and transporting fertilizer, burning fossil fuels in farm vehicles, and the front- and rear-end emissions i.e. methane of cattle and sheep. Therefore, Rajendra Pachauri, the leader of the IPCC, urged individuals to reevaluate their dietary choices and ultimately become vegetarians and give up this carbon-intensive commodity. 2.2. Harms aside from increased greenhouse gas emissions plague the meat industry. 2.2.1. Inefficient: Inefficient use of agriculture: the grains and soybeans fed to animals to produce the amount of meat consumed by the average American in one year could feed seven people for the same period. (Therefore, b/c the caloric transfer is so inefficient and we are therefore wasting so much food, the meat industry is contributing to food scarcities all over the world.) Inefficient use of water: the water used to raise animals for food is more than half the water used in the United States. Inefficient use of land: leads to unchecked deforestation, as it takes far more land to raise livestock than it does to cultivate crops. 2.2.2. Pollution: modern farming esp. factory farming pollutes water sources, topsoil, the ground, and groundwater like no other human invention. 2.2.3. Biodiversity: decline in biodiversity w/ the destruction of natural habitats and depletion of fish from the ocean. 3. Practical imperative: In addition to all of thisthat meat consumption is wrong b/c of the ethical implication of eating animals esp. those raised on factory farms and b/c of the 2

Vegetarianism menacing environmental harms that result from the meat industryside gov. offers two practical reasons that all Americans should be vegetarians: its good for their health and will lead to real change. 3.1. Health benefits: Experts agree that being a vegetarian is the healthiest thing we can do for ourselves. Healthy vegetarian diets support a lifetime of good health and provide protection against numerous diseases, including our countrys three biggest killers: heart disease, cancer, and strokes. Research has shown that vegetarians are 50 percent less likely to develop heart disease, and they have 40 percent of the cancer rate of meateaters. Plus, meat-eaters are nine times more likely to be obese than vegans are. The consumption of meat has also been strongly linked to osteoporosis, Alzheimer's, asthma, and male impotence. Scientists have also found that vegetarians have stronger immune systems than their meat-eating friends; this means that they are less susceptible to everyday illnesses like the flu. Vegetarians and vegans live, on average, six to 10 years longer than meat-eaters. 3.2. Collective action: Widespread adoption of vegetarianism will incentivize change. Americans will be more in touch w/ nature and the animal kingdom, leading to greater environmentalism. Greenhouse gas emissions will dramatically come down, and biodiversity will continue to thrive. W/ such positive change coming from the U.S. w/r/t climate change and other paramount issues, countries all around the world will follow our lead and eliminate the abusive meat industry. Our vegetarian nation will be the paradigm for the rest of the world.