Brooks Law Digest: Relevant Scholarship

An article by Taciano L. Milfont, Nicole Satherley, Danny Osborne, Marc S. Wilson, and Chris G. Sibley, “To Meat, or Not to Meat: A Longitudinal Investigation of Transitioning to and from Plant-Based Diets,” examines trends in transitions to plant-based diets. The study concludes that “higher levels of conservative ideologies (i.e., political conservatism, Right-Wing Authoritarianism, and Social Dominance Orientation), lower subjective health, lower environmental efficacy, and lower disgust sensitivity predicted having an omnivore (vs. vegetarian or vegan) diet” and that “gender (men) and political conservatism predicted lower probabilities of transitioning from meat to no-meat diets over time.”

An article by Catherine Awasthi and Ralph A. DeMeo, “Marine Canary in the Coal Mine: The Latest Threats to Manatee Survival and Efforts to Save Them,” highlights human threats to the Florida manatee and legal efforts to protect the species.

A new research article by Carmen Piernas, Brian Cook, Richard Stevens, Cristina Stewart, Jennifer Hollowell, Peter Scarborough, and Susan A. Jebb published in PLOS Medicine, “Estimating the Effect of Moving Meat-Free Products to the Meat Aisle on Sales of Meat and Meat-Free Products: A Non-Randomised Controlled Intervention Study in a Large UK Supermarket Chain,” evaluates whether changing the positioning of meat-free products in stores may be an effective method to reduce meat consumption. The study found that prominent positioning of meat-free products in the meat aisle of supermarkets “did not result in decreased sales of equivalent meat products,” but did lead “to a significant increase in sales of meat-free products, which was sustained over time” (by an average of 25%).

A new study in the journal Appetite by Maya Mathur, Jacob Peacock, David Reichling, Janice Nadler, Paul Bain, Christopher Gardner, and Thomas Robinson, “Interventions to Reduce Meat Consumption by Appealing to Animal Welfare: Meta-Analysis and Evidence-Based Recommendations,” provides a meta-analysis of the effectiveness of strategies to reduce meat consumption.

A new review by Matthew Hayek and Scot Miller published in Environmental Research Letters suggests that the United States may be understating methane emissions from meat and dairy operations, undermining goals of sustainable development.

A new article by Monica Biondo and Ricardo Calado published in Animals presents the challenge of adequate tracking of marine animals shipped for use in ornamental aquariums in the European Union.

An article forthcoming in Appetite by Maya B. Mathur, Jacob Peacock, David B. Reichling, Janice Nadler, Paul A. Bain, Christopher D. Gardner, and Thomas N. Robinson, “Interventions to Reduce Meat Consumption by Appealing to Animal Welfare: Meta-Analysis and Evidence-Based Recommendations,” provides a meta-analysis of 100 studies assessing interventions designed to reduce meat consumption through depictions of farmed animals.

An article by Ashley Joan Englund and Kelsey Beirne in the Florida Bar Journal, “Courtroom Canines Are Leading Courtroom Accommodations for Children,” explores the role that therapy animals play in trials where children testify.

A new book by Elan Abrell, Saving Animals: Multispecies Ecologies of Rescue and Care, bridges anthropology, animal studies, and political philosophy in the first major ethnography to focus on ethical issues related to sanctuaries and other animal rescue facilities.

A new book edited by John Callahan and Lucy Allais, Kant & Animals, is a first of its kind compilation that explores the philosophy of Immanuel Kant and the role of animals within it.