Al Gore’s An Inconvenient Truth (book and film) will deepen the public’s understanding of global warming and move the issue further into the political mainstream.
How should the animal protection movement react to these developments? First, we’ve yet to make the argument that frames animal protection centrally within the debate on global warming. Yes, we read about polar bears drowning in significant numbers as melting Artic ice forces them to swim longer and longer distances. Yes, we know that populations of Emperor penguins are significantly declining. But where are our statements positioning animal protection as a global warming issue?
What if there are going to be warmer winters, rising ocean levels and general disruption to ecological balances. How will they affect animals, particularly those animals bred, imprisoned and slaughtered for human use?
The animal protection movement reflects public opinion on global warming. We’re slow to catch on but waking up to the problem. Tragically, global warming presents us with an opportunity to position animal protection centrally as an environmental issue. International Fund for Animal Welfare, Greenpeace, The HSUS and others should be leading the charge.
