Evolution and Consequences of Modern Carnivory

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.