Environmental Ethics Final

Farm Bill

gov policy to subsidize certain crops

what are the largest crop subsidies

corn, cotton, wheat, rice, soybeans

what was the motivation for the Farm Bill?

Earl Butz wanted to increase the wealth of Americans and fight hunger by lowering food costs

how has cheap food affected wages for the working poor?

subsidized food has given employers an excuse to pay workers less bc the cost of living is less

how is the farm bill connected to processed foods?

when you subsidize corn, you subsidize the processed foods made from corn

how has the farm bill been linked to obesity and type 2 diabetes?

subsidizing corn, subsidizes fast and processed foods which can lead to obesity and type 2 diabetes if consumed in excess

how does the farm bill subsidize junk food?

corn is subsidized by the farm bill and HFCS (made from corn) is in almost every junk food

HFCS

high fructose corn syrup (technically a natural sweetener but is highly processed)

Why is the farm bill supported by both parties in Congress?

republicans support due to agricultural interests and democrats support bc it supports urban food assistance programs (SNAP)

How is the farm bill related to SNAP?

the farm bill is the basis for SNAP and WIC

where does US rank in obesity by nation?

#1

where does France and Italy rank in obesity by nation?

france: #23, italy: #25

how is tech used related to obesity?

obesity is caused by tech bc kids aren’t going outside to play/moving

natural sweetener

a sweetener made from a plant (ex. HFCS)

why is Pollan against eating nutrients?

he believes that this reductionist approach takes nutrients out of the context of food and looks at them in isolation rather than how nutrients interact with each other in food

where does Pollan recommend we get our nutrition, if not from nutrients?

from whole foods

why does Pollan think nutritionist is as much an ideology as a science?

it causes ppl to think about food as only nutrients, which are invisible and need expert interpretation

who benefits from this nutritionism?

food industry, nutritionists/scientists, journalists

How is the US food industry penetrating markets in developing nations?

through exporting the Western diet and causing the nutrition transition (when ppl from outside the US move here/eat our food they have higher rates of disesase)

What is his point about being in a relationship with food?

we co-evolved with whole foods not ingredients of foods (peaches and pigs, not omega-3 and HFCS)

where does Pollan think we should get our food?

sources of real whole foods (outer aisles of grocery store, farmers market, garden, local produce ex. lane farms and mesa produce)

what is the charge of elitism (the two-tiered society and meat)?

those that are poor can prolly only afford fast/processed foods (bc workers are paid low wages) → leads to a cycle of lower wages and lower quality of food 

Farm Bill subsidizes CAFOs how?

Through corn/soy subsidies that make cheap feed, crop insurance, disaster aid, and weak enforcement of environmental laws

How do CAFOs pollute rivers and lakes?

excess nitrogen in soil and manure gets into waterways and cause algae overgrowth and detoxification, arsenic and heavy metals in soil/water, phosphorus (chicken bones), E. coli

Clean Water Act loophole for CAFOs?

lagoons are exempt from the clean water act bc they aren’t connected to water supplies

What is the “sewer system” for CAFOs?

lagoons

Why do CAFOs drive antibiotic resistance?

animals are fed tons of anitbiotics for faster growth (arsenic and growth hormones) bc it’s impossible to grow in CAFOs without them

Why were chickens fed arsenic?

To promote growth, improve color, and control parasites (now mostly banned but legacy pollution remains)

Why are CAFOs major air polluters/LULUs?

emit toxins and contaminate ground water, nobody wants are live near them/devalues your home for 1/6 the value

Why do CAFOs have a high carbon footprint?

air pollution from greenhouse gasses (CO2, methane, nitrous oxide

How are CAFO worker conditions described?

dangerous for their health (respiratory illness, MRSA/other antibiotic resistant diseases, 13 hrs and no days off, repetitive and dehumanizing work —> against telos of human beings)

How do CAFOs illustrate external costs?

Environmental damage, health impacts, climate harm not paid by producers or consumers

What happens to dung on traditional farms?

used as fertilizer for crops

what do cows eat in CAFOs?

corn and soy

where does CAFO dung go?

stored in lagoons

why isn’t CAFO manure used as proper fertilizer?

toxic manure is sprayed over barren land, carbon intensive synthetic fertilizers replace dung

what is “pink slime”?

lean finely textured beef (LFTB)

Singer’s argument against eating meat?

causes unnecessary suffering (mistreatment of animals), violates equal consideration of interests as we raise kill and eat them for our own interests

Pollan’s response to Singer’s “trivial interest” claim?

not all meat comes from cruelty, some systems respect animal welfare

pollan’s general response to Singer on meat?

the morality depends on how the animals is raised and its quality of life

what is Aristotle’s “telos” of an animal?

its natural purpose/way of flourisihing

main objection to small-farm meat (besides price)?

it cannot scale to meet current meat demand

what are GMOs?

organisms with genes altered using genetic engineering

advantages of GMOS

uniformity of crops (easy to harvest/sell), bigger yields, longer shelf-life, grow in diff environments, resistant to pests/rot, less pesticides and maintenance

have GMOs increased or decreased chemical use?

increased pesticide use since some are designed to be used pesticides

why are GMO patents owned by chemical companies?

seeds are engineered to work with proprietary chemicals

science vs politics of GMOS

science: can GM crops be beneficial?

politics: do we want agricultural policy dictated by a few multinational chemical corps?

why is there little independent GMO testing?

patent restrictions, studies funded by corporations usually only allowed to post good results

roundup-ready crop

GMOs designed to survive Roundup (pesticide)

Why are atrazine and dicamba used?

weeds become resistant to newer pesticides so we are forced to resort to stronger more toxic chemicals

monoculture

growing a single crop over vast areas repeatedly (depletes soil, envrouage pests, vulnerable to inconsistent weather)

how do GMOs reinforce monoculture?

forces farmers to buy seeds every season

criticisms of monoculture

soil depletion, pest vulnerability, biodiversity loss, chemical dependence

problems with patenting DNA

corps own life forms, limit farmer autonomy, restrict research

what do GMO contract require of farmers?

not allowed to

• talk abt details of contracts

• keep/replant/breed seeds

• plant seeds of competition

• sell land without permission

why do farmers buy GMO?

• less labor/insurance costs

• uniformity (easy to harvest/sell)

• waiting for super-herbicide

• alr committed to corp farming tech

• misled by contacts and forced to keep buying

largest seller of seed to organic farmers?

Monsanto/Bayer

why does Syngenta want African nations to accept golden rice?

market expansion (but they claim its to fight vit a deficiency)

Who owns Syngenta now?

ChemChina

How are many African nations responding to GMOs?

fear of “frankenfood”, caution due to sovereignty and ecological risks, business w Europe

Legal requirements for organic (roughly)?

No synthetic pesticides/fertilizers/antibiotics, GMOs, or sewage sludge, must foster soil fertility

can organic farms use pesticides?

Yes, but only natural/approved substances.

How does sunlight act like a pesticide?

UV light kills pathogens

How is organic better for soil?

Builds organic matter, microbes, structure, and water retention.

Criticisms of Big/Industrial Organic?

Monocultures, poor labor standards, long-distance shipping.

Why prefer “small, local, responsible”?

Fresher food, fewer external costs, community resilience.

What is a CSA box?

Community Supported Agriculture subscription with weekly farm shares.

100% organic

all ingredients organic

certified organic

at least 95% organic

made with organic ingredients

at least 70% organic

a blend of organic and natural

mostly marketing, not regulated

what makes gatorade organic?

a simplified list of ingredients, including organic cane sugar, organic natural flavor, and sea salt, instead of artificial colors and preservatives

How is organic better for farmworkers?

Lower toxic pesticide exposure.

How is organic not better for farmworkers?

low wages and exploitation

Why is agriculture heavily tied to climate change?

Methane, nitrous oxide, deforestation, fossil fuel inputs.

What does Pollan mean by “voting with our forks”?

the market responds to consumer choices, which can influence food systems

two-tiered food system

only the wealthy can afford ethical food

food desert

area with little access to fresh, healthy food

Where do food-desert residents get food?

Convenience stores, fast food, dollar stores.

Why are school gardens educationally important?

hands-on learning, real-world activity, engages students and encourages them to explore/reason independently

Why do many schools have bad soil?

tend to be build on industrial waste sites/abandoned factories/landfills

How does food ethics connect to external costs?

True costs hidden in health and environmental damage.

Industrial food and optimal pollution

CAFO pollution is economically efficient but ethically unjust

Organochlorines

persistent toxic pesticides in food chains

Industrial food and animal welfare

prioritize efficiency over animal suffering

industrial food and biodiversity

monoculture and chemical destroy species diversity

industrial food and land ethic

food should respect ecosystems as moral communities

How is food waste connected to climate change?

Wasted food = wasted energy + methane from landfills.

Pollan’s view of how change will come

1. establish/grow alt markets (vote w our forks)

2. find a powerful ally (gov who pay for medicaid and health ins companies)

3. design national food policy (change our relationship to food)

What went into the National Food Program (class)?

School lunches, farm subsidies, nutrition policy, food access reforms.

CAFO

confined animal feeding operation (factory farming)

telos

a creature’s distinctive way of life

Roundup-Ready

a crop modified to be resistant to the herbicide glyphosate (Roundup), allowing farmers to spray entire fields with it to kill weeds but not crops

polyculture

growing many different varieties together (fish in rice fields)

crop rotation

ancient tech of planting diff crops in diff seasons (wheat in summer, squash in fall, beets in winter)

mitigation

reducing carbon emission (clean energy, less coal etc)

adaptation

changing infrastructure to adapt to a new climate (redesigning buildings, moving away from coasts)

carbon sink

any source that reabsorbs carbonant

the long fat tail

if we go carbon neutral tmr, temps will keep rising for abt 50 yrs

climate skepticism

questioning climate data (ex. global cooling shot down within 2 yrs)