The ‘Dublin Declaration of Scientists’m on the Societal Role of Livestock’, launched at the Irish government agricultural agency Teagasc in October last year and signed by over 1,000 scientists, and was covered by newspapers including the Telegraph and the New York Post, is a short document that argues for the nutritional, environmental and social benefits of meat-eating. It says that livestock is “too precious to society to become the victim of simplification, reductionism or zealotry”.
But hundreds of pages of emails, meeting minutes and other documents obtained through freedom of information requests reveal that the Declaration was written, released and promoted by agribusiness consultants, and has been used by trade groups and lobbyists to oppose green policies in Europe.
I’m also of the opinion that much of what changes over time is stylistic and cultural rather than necessary. People think that their parents’ and grandparents’ clothes look dated and press on to find the new, cool look. In the end, it’s a bit like consumerism-driven cultural changes more than anything.
I am further of the opinion that we’ve already reached a good technological peak in that all human needs can be met currently if we decide to put resources into it, although we can certainly find refinements and efficiencies in existing technologies. The limit isn’t reached, but we might not really benefit from more. Rather, we should be focusing on improving the human experience instead of chase the next great thing.