Animal Ethics in the Anthropocene: Navigating the Inevitability of Human Interference in Nonhuman Lives

Abstract This article is a review of Jeff Sebo's Saving Animals, Saving Ourselves: Why Animals Matter for Pandemics, Climate Change, and Other Catastrophes. Sebo's book is a groundbreaking contribution to the field of animal ethics, commendable not only for the bold and inspiring vision it offers of our potential for fostering radically improved relationships with nonhumans but also for its inclusion of serious, practical policy suggestions for achieving a new world order in which animals are treated with respect and compassion. This review critically engages with what might reasonably be considered five of Sebo's most interesting and valuable contributions to the literature and urges everyone to read this book and reflect deeply on its moral implications. Sebo is unafraid to tackle controversial questions (such as whether climate change may actually be a good thing for some animals) but also displays—and emphasizes the importance of—humility in the face of epistemic uncertainties. Through this book, Sebo stands out as a leading thinker in contemporary animal ethics whose work is sure to influence future generations grappling with the task of eliminating animal abuse in all its many forms.