I have recently completed the manuscript for a book on The History of the Development of Alternatives to Animals in Research and Testing, which is scheduled to be published by Purdue University Press in July 2024. Andrew Rowan has asked me to write a short...
Increasingly, the world recognizes human population growth, excess consumption, overuse of natural resources, and degradation of the natural environment as threats to planetary sustainability.Linear vs. Circular EconomyThe current global linear economic framework, characterized by resource extraction, product manufacture, and consumption, followed by product disposal, is...
Multiple media reports have been published on five “Blue Zones” – areas with relatively high numbers of people living to be 100 years old or older. In addition, these centenarians have lower rates of dementia and enjoy good health. Are there genetic or environmental traits...
As the world processes the outcomes of COP28 in the Persian Gulf, there is no shortage of claims and counter-claims regarding the success or failure of COP28. The tremendous interest in the matter was demonstrated by the 100,000 individuals who registered to attend COP28 (compared...
Methane is the smallest hydrocarbon – a chemical compound containing only carbon and hydrogen molecules – and has the chemical formula CH4. It is the main component (70-90%) of natural gas, and when burned, one molecule of methane produces one molecule of carbon dioxide and...
“A responsible caretaker of our world must safeguard people, animals, and the environment for each element is tightly connected and dependent on the well-being of the others.” ~Andrew RowanGlobal interest in the well-being of people, animals, and a sustainable environment has grown dramatically. This increasing...
IntroductionThe twenty-eighth session of the Conference of Parties (COP28) on climate change opened in Dubai on Thursday, 30 November, and is scheduled to last until Tuesday, 12 December. Early speakers included King Charles III and President Narendra Modi, who addressed a gathering that included more...
In 1995, the Tufts Center for Animals and Public Policy released a report that claimed, inter alia, that laboratory animal use in the USA had declined by 50% since its peak in the 1970s. Several animal activists criticized this claim. However, various data sets indicate...
The climate conference in Dubai in December 2023 is the 28th such Conference of Parties (i.e. COP 28). The first such conference was held in Berlin in 1995. But, as economist Jeffrey Sachs opines, the world’s governments do not have much to show for their...
In 1964, Animal Machines by Ruth Harrison was published in the UK. The book described how farmed animals were kept closely confined in new industrial animal farming systems (commonly described as “factory farming”). The book launched an uproar in British society, prompting the government to...
