Karen Singleton

Karma: 23

Karen Singleton Mar 4, 2025, 11:20 PM
3 points
0 ∶ 0
on: Retrospective: Letter-writing campaign to MPs on the Victorian Pig Welfare Inquiry
Thanks both for sharing this retrospective—it’s a great summary of the campaigns’ efforts, challenges and learnings. I appreciate the work that went into this, particularly the manual coordination and outreach—it’s no small task to organise a campaign like this!
I think the decision to focus on two key recommendations was a smart and pragmatic decision, people are easily overwhelmed and we need people to care and act.
Your insights about communication preferences (email over messenger) are useful.
We run campaigns which involve letter/email templates in the style of your possible alternative #2 but that then faces the issues of MP offices receiving similar messages which may then be discounted /not counted as individual correspondence. Use of some automation /AI tool may help avoid this but we’ve not explored that space a lot.
Thanks again for describing your actions so clearly and sharing the insights.
FYI the UK Voters for Animals link doesn’t seem to go where you want it to!

Karen Singleton Mar 4, 2025, 4:47 AM
3 points
0 ∶ 0
on: Is it too hard to do good through EA?
Thanks for sharing your post on what I think is an important topic.
I like how you have clearly stated the problem and you make a great point about the complexity of engaging with EA, especially for mid-career professionals. I agree the HIP programme seems to be an effective way to navigate this space more smoothly, and I can sympathise with the challenges you’ve highlighted.
Building on your ideas regarding career stage-based filtering and personalised recommendations, making it easier for newcomers to find relevant pathways without cognitive overload, could there be an interactive “guided exploration” tool—perhaps an AI-driven assistant or decision-tree quiz—that helps users quickly assess their best starting point based on their background, interests and constraints? I wonder if anyone has experimented with similar tools before or are there existing resources that could be adapted for this?

Karen Singleton Feb 28, 2025, 11:18 PM
4 points
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on: New Study: How Gen Z Views Animals & the Environment
Many thanks for sharing this study on Generation Z’s attitudes toward animals and the environment across different countries.
For me, the universal neglect of farmed animals was unexpected and stands out. Despite general concern for animal welfare, respondents across all countries primarily focused on companion animals and wildlife, with farmed animals rarely mentioned—especially in Asian countries. This blind spot seems significant given the scale of factory farming globally.

Karen Singleton Feb 14, 2025, 9:58 PM
3 points
0 ∶ 0
on: Climate Change Is Worse Than Factory Farming
Thanks for sharing! I appreciate the thought-provoking argument about climate change exacerbating wild animal suffering through shifts toward r-selected species. The case that climate change could ultimately cause more suffering than factory farming by reshaping ecosystems in ways that increase the prevalence of short, painful lives is an important one to consider.
However, I was struck by the lack of discussion on factory farming as a significant driver of climate change itself. Given that industrial animal agriculture is a major source of methane emissions, deforestation, ecosystem degradation and biodiversity loss addressing factory farming is not just a separate moral issue but a crucial part of mitigating climate change. By tackling factory farming we address climate change too!
By not addressing this connection I feel the article is presenting a misleading dichotomy between the harms of climate change and factory farming, when in reality they are deeply interconnected.

Karen Singleton Feb 6, 2025, 12:58 AM
12 points
2 ∶ 0
on: Against Addressing Root Causes
Thank you for writing this, it is useful to see how some EA-ers might view me! I don’t go around criticising EA for not addressing root causes, but I feel it is important we address them and I have queried the apparent lack recognition of them in EA. Alongside that I’d don’t deny the need for immediate interventions right now. It’s not either/or.

I feel like the framing of an either/or choice in the post is reductive. The EA movement should be broad enough to have a more nuanced approach to look at root causes—it is possible these could have huge ripple effects—while acknowledging the need for continued direct interventions. We can, to continue your narrative, help the person who has been shot while also working on policy reform around gun control. Noting, you can follow a chain of root causes all the way to arguing the root cause is violent behaviour in a society which accepts such casual violence. Surely the key to doing the most good is finding the sweet spot of a tractable root cause?
If we ignore root causes and only focus on the immediate inventions there are a number of risks:

1. The underlying issues worsen and expand faster that we can address their symptoms. For example, if we only provide malaria nets without addressing climate change, rising temperatures and shifting rainfall patterns could expand malaria zones into new regions, overwhelming our capacity to help.

2. We might exhaust limited resources treating symptoms while the source of the problem continues to generate new case. Like trying to bail out a boat without fixing the leak – you’ll eventually get tired.

3. We miss a chance to prevent suffering entirely. Rather than treating waterborne illnesses let’s invest in the sanitation infrastructure to ensure no one becomes ill to start with!

4. Root causes interact and amplify each other, making problems more difficult to solve without addressing the underlying systems. For example, factory farming relies on antibiotics to keep animals healthy in crowded situations. The drive to maximise output and profits has led to concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs). Overuse of antibiotics (enabled by poor regulation of antibiotics) leads to drug-resistant bacteria which spread to humans through food, water and the environment. As antibiotic resistance grows treating infections becomes harder, threatening public health and increasing health care costs. Simply reducing antibiotic use without changing factory farm conditions would still leave animals vulnerable to disease, for example

This doesn’t mean EA should stop direct interventions – help is required now. But we need a balanced approach that includes immediate interventions and long-term systemic change.

Karen Singleton Jan 18, 2025, 4:34 AM
1 point
0 ∶ 0
on: Should we try harder to appeal to conservatives?
I believe we do need a range of political views in EA and animal advocacy. In part as not one group has all the answers, but equally if we are to create a world which is better for animals we need people from all walks of life on board. Having a diversity will enable us to reach social tipping points quicker by drawing in the innovators/fast followers from a range of groups.
From an animal advocacy perspective, I agree we have to provide our message in a range of ways that can align with conservative priorities – and that could mean highlighting the economic benefits of doing or not doing something. I think we’re able to make arguments about how costly animal agriculture is, especially when looking at the costs of pollution and health care, linked to the $ value, as opposed to the people/non-human animal impact. For example, a recent NZ study* modelled that moving to predominantly plant-based diets could substantially improve public health outcomes and reduce healthcare costs by NZ$11 to 22 billion. (Having said that I may have a stereotypical view of what is important to conservatives and how to engage them in the cause!)
My other concern, as others have mentioned, is their views in other areas may stray too far from what is deemed reasonable by ‘general society’ or yourself, if like me, your values for animals put you at odds with much of ‘general society’! I feel already as EAs our views are not held by ‘general society’ – otherwise there wouldn’t be a need. Working with people which such differing views can be difficult.
* https://healthierlives.co.nz/wp-content/uploads/Modelling-methods-and-theoretical-scenarios.pdf

Karen Singleton Jan 16, 2025, 12:56 AM
3 points
1 ∶ 0
on: How can we get the world to talk about animals’ inviolable rights?
Thanks for sharing this reflection. The quote from Ernestine Rose “If we are loyal to our highest convictions, we need not care how far it may lead. For truth, like water, will find its own level.” is extremely apt—I love it!
It can be challenging in advocacy to remain authentic as advocates are worn down by societal resistance or a temptation to compromise. But that authentic voice, the demand for transformative change, helps movements thrive and is necessary for genuine and lasting progress.
It is interesting how animal and climate advocates reference women’s suffrage as a successful campaign model. Yet no surprise as we fight against similarly established power structures we need to be persistent, intersectional, and support and build upon our grassroots to grow into a broader societal movements.
It seemed fitting that I came across this article with the suffragrette references after reading your post: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/jan/14/climate-activists-who-target-artworks-using-suffragette-tactics-says-artist-alex-margo-arden
I wish the IP28 well and sincerely hope it stimulates conversations and change.

Karen Singleton Oct 9, 2024, 9:12 PM
2 points
0 ∶ 0
in reply to: David_R 🔸’s comment on: The Extent of Animal Suffering
I agree this is a powerful representation of the numbers of individuals involved. Thanks!