Mainstreaming Animal Welfare

This research paper argues that animal welfare is currently a marginal issue in sustainable development governance and proposes three pathways to integrate it into policymaking to better achieve the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

• Despite the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development's goal for humanity to live in harmony with nature, none of its 169 targets specifically reference the welfare of individual animals, which the authors describe as an important oversight in policymaking.
• The authors identify three primary pathways for integrating animal welfare into sustainable development: incorporating it into international legal and policy instruments, enhancing national and local policies to reflect welfare concerns alongside social and economic goals, and increasing knowledge, capacity, representation, and international cooperation.
• Mainstreaming animal welfare will necessitate transformative changes to values, practices, and industries, potentially facing resistance from interest groups. Success requires innovative thinking to manage trade-offs and synergies, including the use of support and just transition planning.

APA

Verkuijl, Sebo, Hötzel, Visseren-Hamakers, Achakulwisut, Lima, B., & Green (2022). Mainstreaming Animal Welfare. Stockholm Environment Institute. https://www.sei.org/publications/mainstreaming-animal-welfare/

Chicago

Verkuijl, Sebo, Hötzel, Visseren-Hamakers, Achakulwisut, Bastos Lima, and Green. Mainstreaming Animal Welfare. Stockholm Environment Institute, 2022. https://www.sei.org/publications/mainstreaming-animal-welfare/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Verkuijl |last2=Sebo |last3=Hötzel |last4=Visseren-Hamakers |last5=Achakulwisut |last6=Lima |first6=Bastos |last7=Green |title=Mainstreaming Animal Welfare |publisher=Stockholm Environment Institute |date=18 May 2022 |url=https://www.sei.org/publications/mainstreaming-animal-welfare/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{verkuijl2022mainstreaming, author = {Verkuijl and Sebo and Hötzel and Visseren-Hamakers and Achakulwisut and Lima, Bastos and Green}, title = {{Mainstreaming Animal Welfare}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, year = {2022}, month = may, url = {https://www.sei.org/publications/mainstreaming-animal-welfare/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }