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If you're uncertain about the environmental impact you could decide based on the many well-documented harms in all stages of the animal industry.

creesch 3y ago
This is exactly what I mean. Why would I ignore the potential environmental impact so easily? What you just wrote reads to me as "Don't bother actually trying to figure out what impact your choice has, just choose on other factors and therefore still feel good about yourself". Now, in this case, I know the amount of water used in the production of cotton is huge. Just look at the Aral sea (or rather what is left of it). In the article it says this > Farmed sheep don’t live as long as they naturally would and experience varying degrees of exploitation in their lifetime. Okay, fair enough. Now suppose I source my wool from sheep that are kept well, but have shorter lifespans. If I'd then switch to cotton, I'd contribute to entire ecosystems being impacted due to water usage. So what is the morally correct choice? Is there one? Can we as consumers even actually make an educated call here? I really do hope the answer to the latter is yes, but certainly isn't straightforward to me.
- sprucevoid 3y ago
  > reads to me as That was not the intention with that claim. I meant to convey something more minimal: if you after investigation have no strong reason to think either is environmentally worse then let animal harm considerations break the tie. > suppose I source my wool from sheep that are kept well, but have shorter lifespans. If I'd then switch to cotton, I'd contribute to entire ecosystems being impacted due to water usage. What does "kept well" mean? If a sheep was really treated well in the sense of it not being subjected to the many harms that 99% of all sheep currently are subjected to and was individually cared for, including appropriate food and veterinary attention, then it would likely live much longer, unless someone kills it while still healthy and with years left to live, which does not sound like "kept well". Also, the water usage comparison depends on what type of cotton production you're comparing to, since there exists recycled cotton and various smaller scale production methods geared to reduce water usage. As for the climate impact of wool see https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/24008053/wool-marketing-environment-sustainable-claims-sheep-animal-cruelty-fast-fashion https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/24008053/wool-marketing-e...

creesch 3y ago

This is exactly what I mean. Why would I ignore the potential environmental impact so easily? What you just wrote reads to me as "Don't bother actually trying to figure out what impact your choice has, just choose on other factors and therefore still feel good about yourself". Now, in this case, I know the amount of water used in the production of cotton is huge. Just look at the Aral sea (or rather what is left of it). In the article it says this > Farmed sheep don’t live as long as they naturally would and experience varying degrees of exploitation in their lifetime. Okay, fair enough. Now suppose I source my wool from sheep that are kept well, but have shorter lifespans. If I'd then switch to cotton, I'd contribute to entire ecosystems being impacted due to water usage. So what is the morally correct choice? Is there one? Can we as consumers even actually make an educated call here? I really do hope the answer to the latter is yes, but certainly isn't straightforward to me.

sprucevoid 3y ago
> reads to me as That was not the intention with that claim. I meant to convey something more minimal: if you after investigation have no strong reason to think either is environmentally worse then let animal harm considerations break the tie. > suppose I source my wool from sheep that are kept well, but have shorter lifespans. If I'd then switch to cotton, I'd contribute to entire ecosystems being impacted due to water usage. What does "kept well" mean? If a sheep was really treated well in the sense of it not being subjected to the many harms that 99% of all sheep currently are subjected to and was individually cared for, including appropriate food and veterinary attention, then it would likely live much longer, unless someone kills it while still healthy and with years left to live, which does not sound like "kept well". Also, the water usage comparison depends on what type of cotton production you're comparing to, since there exists recycled cotton and various smaller scale production methods geared to reduce water usage. As for the climate impact of wool see https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/24008053/wool-marketing-environment-sustainable-claims-sheep-animal-cruelty-fast-fashion https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/24008053/wool-marketing-e...