Vegetarianism for ethical reasons

Thank you for posting this debate. Let us begin. You bring up several interesting points in your opening argument that I would like to address. "it helps the environment. Modern farming is one of the main sources of pollution in rivers, meat production related to deforestation." There are a few things I would like you to clarify. 1) How would switching to a plant based agriculture system prevent deforestation? As a matter of fact the soybean farming operations in Brazil are doing just that. They are slower due to the use of already deforested land that the cattle farmers provide but without the cattle farming would be just as devastating. 2) How do you mitigate the pollution caused by the raising of crops? It is well known that the use of pesticides is of particular concern in the farming industry. In order to keep up with the demand of feeding an ever growing population we have modified plants so as to increase yield. One of the modification allows for the spraying of mass quantities of Round Up (tm) on the crop without damaging the yield. The insect population is also becoming more resilient requiring different and stronger chemicals for use in control. Due to the nature of runoff the same issues you address with animal farming exist in crop farming. In addition the leaching of these chemicals into the water table is also of concern. "Many species of fish are facing extinction because of our desire to eat fish." Please name me some of these fish that face extinction. For clarity I am in the U.S. and the top 5 consumed fish as of 2011 are: 1) Shrimp 2) Tuna 3) Salmon 4) Pollock 5) Tilapia None of which are at risk for extinction. I would also like to address your concerns about greenhouse gas emissions. I too share the concerns for what we are doing to this planet and how we conduct ourselves as stewards of this planet. Would it be fair to assume though that a lot of the issues concerning the production of animals and the relationship of greenhouse gases through a change in best practices? From "The Role of Agriculture in Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions" released by the USDA: "Livestock managers can reduce methane emissions by changing livestock feeds. Dairy and hog producers can install digesters to capture methane produced during manure storage; the captured methane can then be used to generate electricity. Digesters reduce emissions by converting methane emissions that would have arisen under other methods of manure disposal into less-powerful CO2 and by generating energy that replaces CO2 emissions that would have come from fossil fuel based electricity." So in essence not only would be able to reduce the damage from greenhouse gas emissions through a change in diet in the livestock but also harness the released gases for use in alternative energy. The next issue is one that is subjective. You say that it is "immoral" to kill animals. I ask you; what is your basis for that claim? Morals/ethics these are subjective based on your personal culture or experience and are weak arguments to consider. You base it on the fact that when animals are killed they are done in painful ways. If an animal is properly slaughtered then the death is quick and immediate. I also ask this; do animals not kill other animals? I'll admit that it is hard to argue a matter of opinion but you state it as if it is fact. You may hold the view that you do not like the thought of taking a life but that is merely your viewpoint. Humans hunted for 100's of thousands of years and from my understanding they mostly held a sacred bond to the animals they killed. They respected them, ate and used every part of the animal, and worshipped them. The animals they killed is why they were able to survive to the next season. The last point you bring up has nothing to do with ethics or morals but based on the "health" benefits of being a vegetarian. Please clarify this as you merely state "many specialists" without naming any or giving details. As for the high amounts of vitamins and minerals you get in the consumption of veggies I will say that is just flat wrong. Chances are for most, you are probably consuming production farmed crops. These crops leach the soil of those minerals, are grown at rapid rates and through over production of the land are lacking in the vitamins and minerals you would get from growing at home. You also mention heart disease and fat as being related. It is no secret America has an obesity problem but the consumption of fat is not the reason and no reasonable person could make that claim. Only speaking anecdotally I consume 60% of calories from fat, 30% from protein and 10% from carbs and am a very fit person. The consumption of high amount of sugar (especially HFCS) is the more likely culprit. But all of this is unrelated to the matter of ethics and we could have another debate on the merits of these specialist in another debate.