Image description: A block print style circular illustration depicting a small garden bird perched on a branch bearing leaves and berries. This image is to illustrate the concept of Animal Rights.

It's getting wild.

It might be an emotive issue, but it is increasingly plain to see that humanity’s relationship with our fellow animals is not a healthy one. It is a relationship built on harm, for the many animals our actions affect but also for ourselves.

We cannot take meaningful action to regenerate our planetary systems without addressing our relationship to the non-human beings that we share our planet with. Here are some facts:

👤 Humans account for around 0.01% of all inhabitants on Earth, yet we are responsible for mass destabilisation of the harmonious balance of life on our planet.

🐄 Today, approximately 36% of mammals are human, 60% are mammals reared for human ‘use’, and only 4% of mammals on our planet are wild.

🦅 It is also reported that approximately 70% of birds on Earth are farmed poultry, whilst only 30% are wild.

🗑 This imbalance is even more destructive when we consider around 30-40% of food produced is wasted.

🌳 Vast areas of essential rainforest and healthy ecosystems are destroyed in order to make way for farmed animals.

🫘 Even the most ‘sustainably sourced’ beef has a carbon footprint twice as heavy as the least sustainably sourced plant-based protein.

🪴 Some plant crops have been linked to deforestation, but actually they are heavily linked to animal agriculture too. For example, approximately 77% of global soy production is grown for the use of feeding farmed animals. Only around 7% is for direct human consumption.

🦧 It is not only the rights of the animals being labelled as ‘livestock’ that are important, but also the whole ecosystems that can be lost due to the destruction of entire habitats cleared for animal farms.

🐾 A regenerative viewpoint advocates for a shift in our awareness, towards seeing all life as incredibly important for a healthy ecosystem. All life has the right to thrive.

🪺 The more diversity we have, the more diversity will be created. Life creates conditions conducive to life.

🪨 How we choose to consume food has far-reaching effects on the political and social systems we have around the world; the more money the large food-producing corporations have, the more political power they wield.

🌾 It is important to acknowledge that discussions around diet and food consumption in this section refer to a Global North, Westernised and industrialised animal treatment. We also recognise there is a certain amount of privilege in being able to access some plant-based foods. We also recognise that some cultures' traditional food systems are more in balance with ecology and life.

This week's challenge.

This week, Ruth is encouraging you to get active for Animal Rights in two ways:

Firstly, consider how you can make space for wild creatures in your area. What opportunities are there for supporting wildlife in your garden or local open spaces? For example, offering a simple bird or insect house to encourage wild critters into your garden or local park is a great way to start.

Click here to find out how one small community initiative in Belfast has countered anti-social behaviour in their alleyways by creating a home for wildlife.

Secondly, how can you take action to decrease demand for highly destructive products? This starts with our diets, moving towards plant-based foods as much as possible, and ensuring we are reducing food waste.

We can dive deeper by seeking out products that have the opportunity to regenerate systems. This could be oats and pulses grown in polyculture, or other foods grown on plant-based regenerative farms. We can also aim to find locally produced plant-based products to reduce carbon footprint and support local initiatives.