The Potential role of a vegetarian diet in promoting ecological sustainability specifically in reducing the drivers of the greenhouse gas footprint of food in New Zealand a vedic perspective

Abstract

In a global economy where food has been assigned to the status of just another trade-able commodity we tend to overlook the overwhelmingly vital position food occupies in our very existence. Food is just not another commodity but it is the foundation for personal well-being and is inextricably linked to the culture, values and worldview of a particular society. Therefore 'food and dietary choice' is deeply embedded within the socio-cultural fabric of the human race and cannot be excluded from the particular culture's attitude towards other living beings and the ultimate purpose of human life in general. This thesis is essentially an attempt to undertake a deeper examination of the cultural drivers behind dominant consumption patterns, specifically the type of food consumed and produced. By highlighting the dynamic inter-relationships that exist between 'dietary choice', unsustainable lifestyles (as reflected by over-consumerism) and self-identity and worldviews, this thesis hopes to highlight the significant potential of dietary choice in the quest for climate change mitigation. Vedic wisdom (as represented by its most widely recognized treatise- the Bhagavad-gita) will form the conceptual basis for this research and will present the Vedic worldview as an alternative to the worldview of scientific determinism and as an authentic foundation for a truly sustainable lifestyle.