WBI Studies Repository (WellBeing International)
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Insect sentience and the rise of a new inclusive ethics
Get PDFWelfare protections for vertebrates are grounded in the belief that vertebrates are sentient and capable of feeling whereas invertebrates are not. We agree with Mikhalevich & Powell that the exclusion of small-brained invertebrates from bioethics is not warranted by the current state of the scientific evidence. The choice to promote protection for certain invertebrates should be based on the Animal Sentience Precautionary Principle (ASPP). This principle should not prevent us from conducting experimental research with non-human animals to advance knowledge. However, we believe that it is important to outline practical guidelines to manage the wellbeing of invertebrates, while accumulating further evidence on their inner life
Ethical considerations for invertebrates
Get PDFMikhalevich & Powell (2020) have built on the discussion about which species deserve inclusion in animal ethics and welfare considerations. Here, we raise questions concerning the assessment criteria. We ask how to assess different species for their ability to fulfill the criteria, which criteria are most important, how we quantify them (absolute or on a continuum), and how non-animals such as fungi and plants fit into this paradigm
Be wary of simple solutions to complex problems
Get PDFWiebers & Feigin purport to show that the current Covid-19 outbreak provides evidence to support a variety of public policy recommendations. Closer examination of their argument reveals a number of flaws, including a failure to adequately define terms, acknowledge counterevidence, identify value-driven trade-offs and acknowledge the logical implications of their reasoning. Scientists should attempt to address these concerns when offering public policy advice
Global Dog Populations
Get PDFThis article recaps what is known about the number of dogs on the planet, in an attempt to determine how to manage the problem successfully
The State of Well-Being
Get PDFThe United Nations’ annual World Happiness Report was issued in March 2020. This year’s 2020 report looks at how global patterns of happiness are affected by a country’s social environment, whether a person lives in a city or the country, and the impact of the natural environment. Regarding the social environment, the report finds that the amount of trust in a country’s people and institutions is a very important factor in raising one’s level of well-being
WellBeing International Studies Repository – Providing Access to Useful Data and Important Studies
Get PDFWellBeing International (WBI) is proud to announce the establishment of a new digital repository – the WellBeing International Studies Repository. This new Repository will provide open access to a wealth of reports and data covering the People, Animals, Environment (PAE) Triad.
WBI views this new resource as an essential component of its long-term strategy to promote global awareness and understanding of the interconnections between people, animals and the environment, and to emphasize that addressing one component of the Triad without considering the others will most likely not lead to satisfactory long-term solutions
What could a Biden Administration mean for farm animals?
Get PDFPresident-elect Joe Biden’s win heralds major changes on many issues. But the stakes for farm animals and alternative proteins are less clear: inaction on both has long been bipartisan in Washington DC. So what can we realistically hope for from a new Congress and Biden Administration, and what can we do to make it more likely? No new laws; maybe new mone
Documentaries for Farm Animals
Get PDFThe Game Changers has celebrities talking about plant-based diets. Backed by a star-studded list, including Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jackie Chan, the film’s premiere attracted NBA stars, Dr. Oz, and Serena Williams. The captain of the Indian cricket team even promoted the documentary to his 34M Twitter followers. Google search data suggests the film drove a global uptick in searches for plant-based diets (see chart below). The Game Changers is just the latest documentary to raise the profile of factory farming and plant-based diets. Eating Animals (2018) drew glowing reviews, won awards, and attracted national media attention. The more factually-challenged What the Health (2017) inspired Formula One legend Lewis Hamilton, NBA star Kyrie Irving, and fashion designer Tom Ford to go vegan, and likely also boosted Google searches. Blackfish (2013) is credited with causing SeaWorld to cease breeding captive orcas entirely. After CNN aired the documentary on repeat, SeaWorld attendance plunged, bands canceled performances there, and a communications representative privately described the park’s reputation as “positively radioactive.” When SeaWorld finally acknowledged the “Blackfish Effect,” its share price fell by a third. Two years later it settled with the SEC over its failure to disclose to investors the documentary’s impact. So should we double down on documentaries to end factory farming
