To solve the massive problems of zoonotic disease (COVID-19 likely originated in a wet market or farm), climate change (animal agriculture accounts for ~14.5% of global emissions), and antibiotic resistance (70% of antibiotics are used on livestock), the world needs change.
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Many countries, including New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and members of the European Union, have formally recognized animal sentience in their laws. In the United States, individual states have passed landmark legislation, such as California's Proposition 12, which mandates minimum space requirements for farm animals. To solve the massive problems of zoonotic disease
These cases reject the “thing” status of animals.
The fence between welfare and rights is being torn down by neuroscience. Recent research has changed the landscape of this debate. These cases reject the “thing” status of animals
Animal rights is a philosophical stance asserting that animals have independent of their utility to humans. This perspective argues that animals possess the fundamental right to live free from human exploitation, confinement, and harm.
The most famous proponent of this view is the Australian philosopher Peter Singer, author of Animal Liberation (1975), though Singer is technically a utilitarian. The stricter deontological view (rights based on personhood) comes from Tom Regan, who argued in The Case for Animal Rights that certain animals are "subjects-of-a-life" with inherent value. Animal rights is a philosophical stance asserting that
To navigate the discourse surrounding animal protection, one must first understand the distinct definitions and philosophies that separate welfare from rights. Animal Welfare: Responsible Use and Care
Modern science provides the empirical foundation for both welfare and rights arguments. Decades of research in ethology and neuroscience have proven that animals are not biological machines.