Dogs and the Environment By Arnold Kling

John Whitehead discusses environmental taboos, including plastic bags and not cleaning up after your dog.

Actually, I think that where I live, at least 10 percent of dog-owners do not clean up after their dogs. But I want to raise an even larger question.

Which do you think takes a bigger toll on the environment, owning a dog, or owning an SUV? My bet would be on the dog. I’m thinking of all of the resources that go into dog food.

You could argue that children also consume a lot of resources, but that is different. A dog does not have the potential to discover a cure for cancer. A dog is not going to provide for you in your old age.

I personally have nothing against dogs. But it does seem to me that environmentalism inevitably points toward a policy of extermination of pet dogs. Unless environmentalism is simply hatred of industry.