Environmental Sustainability: Cowspiracy, By Kip Anderson

Environmental Sustainability

The film Cowspiracy is a 2014 documentary about the effects of animal agriculture on the environment and how it causes more pollution then all forms of transportation combined. Another point that the film covers, is how major environmental organizations address the issue which is only mentioned briefly in a handful of organizations websites. Throughout the film, co-director Kip Anderson interviews many experts and environmental organizations in an effort to understand why there isn’t more being done to address the animal agriculture issue. The main points of the film are that animal agriculture is harming the environment, as well as what is being done to fix the issue by organizations, and what solutions there are

Almost immediately I realize the importance of the study, and how the producers will constantly refer back to it as their main source of statistical information. During many of their interviews with representatives of environmental organizations such as Surfrider Foundation, and Rainforest Action Network it seems that Kip begins the interviews with a preface of being there for another reason. In the interviews, it sounds as if the representatives for the environmental organizations are caught off guard when Kip asks them about the effect of animal agriculture. My reasoning for assuming this is because when the organizations representatives speak about environmental pollution they give very rehearsed speeches about vehicles being the leading source of greenhouse gas emissions. As they are talking to Kip it is almost as if he disregards everything they say to him, almost like he already knows what they are going to say. The reason for this is he wants to catch them off guard and twist their words and expressions to make it look as if they don’t know anything about the issue and to damage their credibility. In doing this he strengthens his argument and sets a very convincing tone in the film itself, this also make it seem like very little is being done

In the film, it states that animal agriculture causes deforestation, large amounts of water consumption, pollution, and in some cases species extinction. While Kip is describing these effects, the film shows several clips showing areas of rainforests that had be torn down for cattle grazing. Also in hand with the rainforest deforestation is the statistic that “everyday close to 100 plant, animal, and insect species is lost due to rainforest destruction.” This statistic uses two types of rhetorical techniques, Ethos, and Pathos. It is considered Ethos because the rainforests are already in danger, another reason is the loss of any type of species is incredible negative to the delicate ecosystem of the rainforest which is already in peril. The Pathos aspect of this is the manner in how Kip states these statistics, he sounds almost in awe as if he is discovering this for the first time. Both rhetorical techniques are generally being used very well throughout the film, depending on the execution of animations and the way statistics are introduced they can be very persuasive and