Research Agenda
The NYU Center for Environmental and Animal Protection examines important issues at the intersection of environmental protection and animal protection. How does humanity interact with animals and the environment, and how can we improve these interactions at scale? Like the NYU Department of Environmental Studies, CEAP takes special interest in multidisciplinary, problem-oriented research related to food and land use systems, ecological systems, and systems of governance, given the importance and interconnectedness of these topics.
Food systems are central to how humans and other animals affect the planet. In particular, industrial animal agriculture raises tens of billions of land animals and trillions of aquatic animals each year for food. It includes intensive operations and large-scale extensive operations, in both terrestrial and aquatic settings. This industry continues to expand, both geographically (in low- and middle-income countries) and taxonomically (in aquatic and invertebrate species). Alternatives ranging from non-industrial animal agriculture to plant-based meat are significant as well.
Industrial animal agriculture can cause immense animal suffering. In intensive operations, animals are often bred for rapid growth, leading to chronic pain and health problems; subjected to painful procedures like castration, debeaking, and tail docking without anesthesia; confined in crowded conditions that prevent them from engaging in natural behaviors; and killed at industrial slaughterhouses that prioritize speed over worker and animal well-being. While the details differ, aquatic and invertebrate farms increasingly expose animals to similar risks and harms.
Industrial animal agriculture threatens public health and the environment as well. Intensive operations contribute to antibiotic resistance, zoonotic disease risk, and air and water pollution. Meanwhile, large-scale extensive operations drive deforestation, biodiversity loss, ecosystem collapse, and greenhouse gas emissions. Both systems require vast land, water, and feed inputs as well, making them resource-intensive and unsustainable at scale. Runoff from manure and fertilizers contaminates ecosystems and drinking water, further contributing to environmental harm.
Our research in this category—which benefits from synergy with the Food Impact Program—focuses on how food and land use systems affect humans, animals, and the environment, with special focus on industrial animal agriculture. We also explore opportunities for more responsible food production and land management. What kind of future food system would be best for humans, animals, and the environment, and what kind of pathway would allow humanity to develop this food system while taking care of farmers, workers, and consumers along the way?
Pollution affects humans, animals, and the environment in a variety of interconnected ways. For example, air pollution contributes to millions of premature deaths each year and causes respiratory and cardiovascular disease. Water pollution from industrial runoff and waste contaminates drinking sources and aquatic ecosystems, threatening both human health and animal survival. These impacts compound over time, undermining ecosystem services and increasing risks for vulnerable human and nonhuman communities alike.
Biodiversity loss affects humans, animals, and the environment as well. As species vanish at rates up to 1,000 times the natural background rate, ecosystems lose stability, making them more prone to collapse. For humans, biodiversity loss threatens food security, water security, and disease prevention. For animals, it has similar effects, and it also increases risks associated with habitat loss and extinction for many species. As a result, biodiversity loss weakens nature’s ability to adapt to climate change and recover from environmental shocks.
Climate change poses similar and interconnected risks. Rising temperatures, extreme weather events, and shifting ecosystems threaten food and water security, increase disease risks, and displace millions of humans and other animals. Many species struggle to adapt to rapidly changing conditions, facing habitat loss, altered migration patterns, and rising extinction rates. Climate change also amplifies crises like pollution and biodiversity loss, creating feedback loops that further destabilize ecosystems and increase the burden on vulnerable populations.
Our research in this category—which benefits from synergy with the Wild Animal Welfare Program—focuses on how ecological systems affect humans and other animals, with special focus on the “triple planetary crisis” of pollution, biodiversity loss, and climate change. For instance, regarding natural systems, to what extent should humanity pursue particular restoration, conservation, or adaptation strategies? And regarding urban systems, to what extent can humanity build a more resilient and sustainable infrastructure for humans and other animals alike?
Governance is central to how these problems can be addressed. For instance, food policy can support the development of relatively humane, healthful, sustainable alternatives to industrial animal agriculture. Informational policies can help consumers make informed choices; financial policies can redirect subsidies toward alternative proteins; regulatory policies can set higher welfare and environmental standards for producers; and just transition policies can support workers and communities in shifting to more ethical and resilient food systems.
Similarly, infrastructure policy can promote safety, resilience, and sustainability for humans and other animals. Governments can support buildings with bird-safe glass to prevent collisions, wildlife corridors to connect fragmented habitats, and green roofs, permeable surfaces, and other nature-based solutions that assist urban and suburban biodiversity. With thoughtful planning, infrastructure can both mitigate and adapt to anthropogenic and naturogenic harm, supporting relative coexistence and improving quality of life for many species.
More fundamentally, legal and political representation for all affected stakeholders—including members of other species, nations, and generations—can advance these policy aims. However, significant obstacles stand in the way of this representation. Theoretically, we must determine what it means to represent such a large and diverse group of non-participating stakeholders. Practically, we must build institutions that can pursue this goal despite global collective action problems and limitations on our knowledge, capacity, and political will.
Our research in this category focuses on how humanity can build institutions that can protect humans, animals, and the environment at the same time. Our work in this category addresses foundational theoretical issues regarding how governments should represent non-participating stakeholders in their decision-making, as well as applied practical issues regarding how actors within different scales of government — local, national, and international — can implement thoughtful food policies, infrastructure policies, and other kinds of policies.
You can find other work related to these themes below. You can also find much of our practical work related to food policy, infrastructure policy, and other such matters at the Food Impact Program and the Wild Animal Welfare Program. And you can find much of our theoretical work related to the consciousness, sentience, agency, moral status, legal status, and political status of nonhumans at the Center for Mind, Ethics, and Policy. If you have comments or suggestions about our research, feel free to contact us here.
