I expect that answering this question overall (for all animals) is hard, but there exist specific animals for which it’s (probably) easy. A chicken farmed in the most egregious factory farmed conditions likely has a materially negative quality of life (as you noted), but also has minimal impact on climate change. I’m not sure how to size the effects of chicken farming on cropland for feed or the oversized-ness of the food system, so it’s possible this example could be rendered more complex by that consideration. Avian flu can be nasty (avian flu has been associated with mortality of c.50% in the past), so chickens seem likely to be a risk factor for pandemics.
I agree the case for reducing consumption is stronger for factory-farmed chickens (or other animals living super bad lives which have a small impact on global warming).
I expect that answering this question overall (for all animals) is hard, but there exist specific animals for which it’s (probably) easy. A chicken farmed in the most egregious factory farmed conditions likely has a materially negative quality of life (as you noted), but also has minimal impact on climate change. I’m not sure how to size the effects of chicken farming on cropland for feed or the oversized-ness of the food system, so it’s possible this example could be rendered more complex by that consideration. Avian flu can be nasty (avian flu has been associated with mortality of c.50% in the past), so chickens seem likely to be a risk factor for pandemics.
Hi Sanjay,
I agree the case for reducing consumption is stronger for factory-farmed chickens (or other animals living super bad lives which have a small impact on global warming).