Earthling Ed

A recent study has laid bare how MSC certification fails to even safeguard against the exploitation of humans on fishing vessels. The report, Slipping Through the Net: Labour Abuses in MSC-Certified Fisheries, details how widespread human rights violations are occurring in MSC-certified fisheries, including unpaid or delayed wages, violence, harassment or threats, denial of medical care, debt bondage, forced labour and human trafficking.

This led to the study condemning the MSC for creating the ‘illusion’ of ethical sourcing. Of course, the illusion of ethical sourcing also applies to the hundreds of billions of fish that are needlessly caught and killed in MSC-certified fisheries. The most sustainable and ethical way to manage fish stocks is to not eat fish, but the MSC wants people to eat fish, meaning they work to actively encourage consumption, even when doing so contributes to human trafficking.

How many consumers would presume that a certification that is meant to represent ‘responsible management’ wouldn’t cover human trafficking or would allow for previous forced child labour prosecutions?

Sadly, the issues with the MSC are as deep as the Mariana Trench, which is a potential fishery the MSC will no doubt certify when we develop AI-powered fishing robots that can go that far down.

🖊️ Full article on the topic is over on my Substack: earthlinged.substack.com/p/theres-something-fishy-…

1 day ago (edited) | [YT] | 879

Earthling Ed

In case you missed it, the latest guest episode of The Disclosure Podcast features Dr Jonathan Birch, a prize winning Professor of Philosophy at the London School of Economics (LSE). Dr Birch’s research focuses on animal sentience, welfare, and ethics. He is also Director of The Jeremy Coller Centre for Animal Sentience, a new research centre based in LSE.

Dr Birch is an internationally respected philosopher and author of dozens of articles and two books, including 2025’s award winning book The Edge of Sentience. In 2021, he was the Principal Investigator of a review that led to the UK government formally recognising cephalopods and decapod crustaceans as sentient beings. Jonathan’s work has been cited in several policies banning octopus farming. He is also a founding member of the Insect Welfare Research Society, a group of researchers working together to close gaps regarding evidence on insect welfare and sentience.

In the episode, we discuss whether AI is or will ever be sentient, as well as whether plants, fish or insects are sentient.

I hope you enjoy this episode - and more guest episodes are coming soon!

Watch the episode here: https://youtu.be/DLPFE91pXak

5 days ago | [YT] | 976

Earthling Ed

Brazil set to become the first country in Latin America to ban foie gras 🇧🇷🪿

Brazil is one step away from becoming the first country in Latin America to ban both the production and sale of foie gras - a product made by force-feeding ducks and geese through tubes inserted down their throats.

Brazil’s Chamber of Deputies has approved a landmark bill banning the practice, with the legislation now awaiting President Lula’s signature. If signed into law, Brazil would become the first country in the Western Hemisphere to outlaw both the production and sale of foie gras at a national level.

The decision is especially significant given Brazil’s enormous influence in global agriculture. Hopefully a federal ban on foie gras in Brazil will encourage other countries in the region to do the same.

🖊️ This news is part of my latest edition of the Good News Roundup, to read more positive news for animals, head over to my Substack here: earthlinged.substack.com/p/brazil-set-to-become-th…

6 days ago | [YT] | 3,606

Earthling Ed

Billie Eilish, Veganism, and the Left’s Moral Blind Spot

The claims made against veganism by the progressive left are some of the most insincere and disingenuous of all arguments used against veganism. They often involve misrepresentation, tokenisation and appropriation. They often focus on people in disadvantaged situations, not because they’re truly standing up for them, but because those people are a useful shield for why they themselves aren’t vegan.

‘You can’t tell people to go vegan, what about the people in Africa who don’t have access to plants?’

‘You can’t tell people to go vegan, what about indigenous people who rely on subsistence hunting to live?’

‘You can’t tell people to go vegan, what about the person living in poverty who works three jobs, has no spare time and lives in a food desert?’

Funnily enough, it’s never these people who vegans are debating veganism with. It’s also not these people who are on Instagram and TikTok getting outraged by comments made by a celebrity. Instead, vegans are speaking to people who can go vegan but don’t want to, so instead these people appropriate the situations of others in order to justify why they go to In-N-Out Burger. They choose to express faux-outrage on behalf of other people, when actually they’re just outraged that someone has dared to place an element of responsibility on their shoulders for a moral issue that they’re complicit in everyday.

🖊️ To continue reading, head over to my Substack here: earthlinged.substack.com/p/billie-eilish-veganism-…

2 weeks ago | [YT] | 4,138

Earthling Ed

🇮🇹📚 Thank you so much to everyone who came to one of my recent book tour events in Italy! It was so lovely to meet you all and it was such a privilege to be able to present the Italian edition of my third book.

I also want to say a huge thank you to Edizioni Sonda, who have now published all three of my books in Italian, and to LAV, who hosted and helped to organise many of the events I did during the book tour.

If you’d like to order a copy of the Italian version of How to Go (and Stay) Vegan or my previous two books, then you can do so here: earthlinged.org/howtogoveganit - thank you!

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2 weeks ago (edited) | [YT] | 2,058

Earthling Ed

The Emmy Awards has become the first major awards show to adopt a fur-free red carpet policy. The ban will begin immediately and apply to this year’s ceremonies in September. It’s reported that invitations will include information about the new fur-free policy, and any guests who arrive wearing animal fur will be asked to remove it before entry.

The decision came after dialogue with Coalition to Abolish the Fur Trade, a grassroots anti-fur coalition who run pressure campaigns against the fur industry.

At the beginning of December, the Council of Fashion Designers of America announced it would stop promoting fur both online and at live events, including New York Fashion Week. Many major brands and media companies have since followed, pledging to move away from fur in their collections and content.

🖊️ This news is part of my latest edition of the Good News Roundup, to read more positive news for animals, head over to my Substack here: earthlinged.substack.com/p/huge-news-for-animals-t…

1 month ago | [YT] | 2,910

Earthling Ed

🇮🇹📚 My third book How to Go (and Stay) Vegan is being published in Italian tomorrow! To celebrate the launch, I am doing a book tour of Italy starting next week on the 17th of April in Rome.

I have absolutely loved my previous book tours in Italy and so I’m thrilled to be doing another one. The events are always really enjoyable and it’s such a pleasure to get to meet all of you who come along. I’m doing more events this tour than I’ve done previously and I’m also going to be visiting cities I’ve not been to before, so I’m really excited and looking forward to hopefully meeting as many of you as possible very soon.

Swipe across and make full screen to find out about the events, or head to earthlinged.org/howtogoveganit for more information. You can also order a copy of the Italian translation through that link too.

The events are free to attend, although some require online registration. Keep the dates in your diary!

A huge thank you to Edizioni Sonda for publishing all three of my books in Italian and to Elisabetta for translating all three of them. Plus, a huge thanks to the organisations involved in supporting this upcoming tour.

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1 month ago | [YT] | 1,895

Earthling Ed

A new debate is up in case you missed it!

1 month ago | [YT] | 189

Earthling Ed

'Post-Milk Generation’ and Other Things Big Dairy Doesn’t Want You to Say: The Oatly Case:

In the most recent (audio-only) episode of The Disclosure Podcast I break down the UK Supreme Court ruling that prevents Oatly from using the slogan “post-milk generation” on its packaging, and explore why this case is nothing to do with consumer confusion and everything to do with protecting the dairy industry. I discuss the inconsistencies and absurdities in current labelling laws, what this reveals about industry influence and lobbying, and why situations like this should encourage us to question broader claims made about dairy, from health and sustainability to ethics.

If you want to listen to the episode, it's available across podcast listening platforms. Thank you!

Apple Podcasts: bit.ly/disclosurepodapple
Spotify: bit.ly/disclosurepodspotify

1 month ago (edited) | [YT] | 1,682

Earthling Ed

The UK government tried to stop you from being able to see this report. You need to read it.

By any chance did you read the recent UK government national security assessment called 'Global biodiversity loss, ecosystem collapse and national security'?

Well, considering that the UK government tried to stop the report from being released to the public, I would imagine not. In fact, if there had not been a Freedom of Information request, then nobody outside of those involved in its creation would have read it.

The reason the UK government gave for not releasing the report when it was supposed to last October was that it was ‘too negative’. Imagine going to the doctor and being told that they won’t give you the findings of your tests because they’re ‘too negative’.

The government was also worried that the findings of the report would lead to too many questions regarding what it was doing about these credible and important threats, because apparently governments shouldn’t actually have to communicate how they’re dealing with national security issues.

It’s all a bit keep calm and carry on.

So, what exactly is the report and what is contained within it? And how does it relate to veganism?

🖊️ To continue reading, head over to my Substack here: earthlinged.substack.com/p/the-uk-government-tried…

1 month ago (edited) | [YT] | 1,588