Swinging the pendulum towards the politics of production

Swinging the Pendulum Towards the Politics of Production

Animal-based foods are an increasing source of global concern due to their climate impact. There are now almost daily calls from scientists for humans to reduce their consumption of meat and dairy products, and an increased interest in vegetarian and vegan diets. However, so far, many of these demands for change call for consumers to make individual choices, rather than exploring the institutional or structural drivers of growing per capita meat and dairy consumption. This article seeks to swing the pendulum of public discussion from the politics of consumption towards the politics of production.

Dr Dinesh Wadiwel from the Department of Sociology and Social Policy was our keynote speaker at the annual Iain McCalman Lecture in February, 2020 and his presentation, from which this article is transposed, explores the impact of animal agriculture on climate, planetary health and justice.