Sugar Beef Complex Essay

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Today in the news we constantly hear about increasing global temperatures, horrific levels of pollution, and rapid destruction of natural habitats; we undoubtable live in a time of server ecological crisis. The social philosophy of environmental justice addresses and acts upon this unanswered injustice. There are three main concepts to do so. First, according to White, we need to reject Christianity’s and science’s justification for human’s hieratical domination over nature. Secondly, Robbins discusses how Capitalism’s model of consumption causes negative environmental consequences, as seen within the sugar-beef complex. Lastly, Loy provides a solution to this injustice by rejecting dualism and calling for unity and respect for mother Earth. …show more content…

The sugar-beef complex’s system of agriculture and processing are extremely harmful to the environment. In order to grow an process sugar, land must be cleared and wood or fossil fuels must be burned. This caused the destruction of Florida’s Everglades, a smog problem in Antwerp, and so progressive deforestation in the Canary Island that the government could not even regulate it (Robbin 188). Similarly, the beef’s system has negative consequences on the environment. Robbins stated that, “livestock production is one of the most environmentally damaging and wasteful forms of food production the world has known” (187). Livestock consumes 80% of grains produced in the U.S. and consumes half of U.S. water. It also requires huge amount of land to grow feed and for rangeland that causes deforestation, threatens local wildlife, and historically caused the extinction of buffalo (192-193, 197). Therefore, the sugar-beef complex is detrimental to the environment due to its high environmental cost of production to our limited fragile natural resources. Unfortunately, due to the increasing globalization of fast food and Capitalism’s demand for higher and higher consumption these industries are growing and causing exponentially more

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