The belief that environmental problems can be truly solved in a growth-oriented capitalist environment is flawed, argues postdoctoral researcher Vijay Kolinjivadi. He says that any improvements in efficiency only offset growth in demand and actually cause an increase. Kolinjivadi said any surplus from the growing veganism trend will only be reinvested in further growth and that growing demand for vegan products will need arable land expansion and lead to lower biodiversity. “Vegans are not going to solve all of our problems, but they do help us reduce consumption by reducing animal suffering,” he said.
The belief that environmental problems can be truly solved in a growth-oriented capitalist environment is flawed, argues postdoctoral researcher Vijay Kolinjivadi. He says that any improvements in efficiency only offset growth in demand and actually cause an increase. Kolinjivadi said any surplus from the growing veganism trend will only be reinvested in further growth and that growing demand for vegan products will need arable land expansion and lead to lower biodiversity. The global economic system must also be rethought with an emphasis on “care and responsibility, rather than profit, growth and self-interest”.