Overview
Meat eating is often a contentious subject, whether considering the technical, ethical, environmental, political, or health-related aspects of production and consumption. This book is a wide-ranging and interdisciplinary examination and critique of meat consumption by humans, throughout their evolution and around the world. Setting the scene with a chapter on meat’s role in human evolution and its growing influence during the development of agricultural practices, the book goes on to examine modern production systems, their efficiencies, outputs, and impacts. The major global trends of meat consumption are described in order to find out what part its consumption plays in changing modern diets in countries around the world. The heart of the book addresses the consequences of the ""massive carnivory"" of western diets, looking at the inefficiencies of production and at the huge impacts on land, water, and the atmosphere. Health impacts are also covered, both positive and negative. In conclusion, the author looks forward at his vision of “rational meat eating”, where environmental and health impacts are reduced, animals are treated more humanely, and alternative sources of protein make a higher contribution. Should We Eat Meat? is not an ideological tract for or against carnivorousness but rather a careful evaluation of meat's roles in human diets and the environmental and health consequences of its production and consumption. It will be of interest to a wide readership including professionals and academics in food and agricultural production, human health and nutrition, environmental science, and regulatory and policy making bodies around the world.
Full Product Details
Author: Vaclav Smil (University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada)
Publisher: John Wiley and Sons Ltd
Imprint: Wiley-Blackwell
Dimensions:
Width: 15.00cm
, Height: 2.00cm
, Length: 22.90cm
Weight: 0.408kg
ISBN: 9781118278727
ISBN 10: 1118278720
Pages: 288
Publication Date: 03 May 2013
Audience:
Professional and scholarly
,
Professional & Vocational
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active
Availability: Available To Order
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Reviews
Vaclav Smil receives 2015 OPEC Award for Research Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates and above. (Choice, 1 January 2014)
<p> Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates and above. (Choice, 1 January 2014)
Vaclav Smil receives 2015 OPEC Award for Research ""Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates and above."" (Choice, 1 January 2014)
Vaclav Smil receives 2015 OPEC Award for Research Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates and above. (Choice, 1 January 2014)
Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates and above. ( Choice , 1 January 2014)
Author Information
Dr Vaclav Smil is Distinguished Professor Emeritus in the Faculty of Environment at the University of Manitoba. His interdisciplinary research interests encompass a broad area of energy, environmental, food, population, economic, historical, and public policy studies. Dr. Smil has published in more than 30 books, over 400 papers, and contributed to more than 30 edited volumes.
