Questions for Rabbis on the Climate Crisis and Related Issues

Shalom Rabbi,

I would greatly appreciate your perspective on the critical questions below, concerning our responsibility to ensure a habitable, sustainable world for future generations.

1. Can a Jew justify eating meat and other animal products when doing so seriously violates fundamental Jewish teachings on preserving our health, treating animals compassionately, protecting the environment, conserving natural resources, reducing hunger, and pursuing peace?

2.Given that animal agriculture is the leading driver of climate change—through methane emissions and deforestation—how can a Jew justify eating meat when it exacerbates the greatest existential threat facing humanity? If the 43% of the world’s ice-free land now used for grazing and growing feed crops for animals were reforested, the additional trees would absorb much of the atmospheric CO2, reducing it from its current hazardous level to a much safer one.

3. When abundant plant-based alternatives exist, and cultivated meat will soon also replicate animal products in appearance, taste, and texture, can a Jew still justify consuming meat?

4. An additional consideration is that it is much more likely to be completely kosher on a meat and dairy-free diet. There have been scandals in the kosher supervision sector, and mistakes can occur when meat and dairy products are eaten daily in a kitchen.

I would greatly appreciate your reflections on these urgent moral and halachic questions.

It is urgent that there soon be a major shift toward vegan diets. Please help make that happen.

There is no Planet B or effective Plan B!

For more information about these issues, please  read my article, “Applying Jewish Values To Help Avert a Climate Catastrophe” at https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/applying-jewish-values-to-help-avert-a-climate-catastrophe/ and my article, “Can Eating Meat and Other Animal Products Be Halaachically Justified Today” at  https://jewish-vegan.org/is-eating-meat-and-other-animal-products-halalachically-justifiable-today.html .

With gratitude and much respect.

KOL tuv,

Richard (Schwartz), author of “Vegan Revolution: Saving Our

World, Revitalizing Judaism”