Animal Harm: Perspectives on Why People Harm and Kill Animals, by Angus Nurse, published by Ashgate, 2013, 278pp., £65.00, hardback.

• Author: Sanna Elfving
• Published date: 01 April 2014
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1111/reel.12054
• Date: 01 April 2014

influence the global response to

climate change. Of course, experi-

ments are not completely indepen-

dent from the traditional inter-State

regime: they are driven by its struc-

ture and evolution. The book shows

clearly that experiments sometimes

generate frictions with traditional

governance mechanisms. But how

far could they, in turn, influence the

traditional system? Can they moti-

vate other actors to take climate

action and is there ‘a way to smooth

friction by providing the institu-

tional, political, and technological

capacity to act quickly’ (p. 154)? It is

too early to tell, but undoubtedly

‘the center of gravity in the global

response to climate change is shift-

ing’, even if the experimental

system has not yet ‘solidified into a

new orthodoxy’ (p. 154). However,

it is unclear whether this is what it is

supposed to do, as the flexibility of

the experimental system is also its

strength.

In this fascinating book, Hoffmann

delivers the results of in-depth

empirical research, clearly pre-

sented and explained, and building

on constructivism and complexity

theory. Always accessible and never

jargonistic, his book is indeed both

an ‘academic study . . . and a more

practically oriented exploration of

the global response to climate

change’ (p. x). It will be a precious

tool for governance theorists, by

providing a better understanding of

multilevel governance and feeding

its theorization. In addition, it will

be helpful to climate change schol-

ars, as well as climate change

activists and policy makers. Further-

more, all climate negotiators are

very much advised to read it! It

points out new ways of thinking

about climate change, suggesting

that the global response to climate

change can only be a complex one.

Sandrine Maljean-Dubois

CNRS Research

Director of CERIC,

Aix-en-Provence

(CNRS-Aix-Marseille University)

Animal Harm: Perspectives

on Why People Harm and

Kill Animals,byAngus

Nurse, published by

Ashgate, 2013, 278pp.,

£65.00, hardback.

Animal Harm provides a compre-

hensive overview of the reasons

why individuals engage in various

activities involving pain and suffer-

ing to animals. The book is divided

into ten chapters. Each chapter

explores a specific set of human

activities, which are considered to

cause some form of harm to

animals. Chapters 1 and 2 provide a

useful distinction between the con-

cepts of ‘anti-cruelty’ and ‘animal

welfare’, which are often used inter-

changeably in legislation protecting

animals. While animal welfare

laws seek reduction rather than

prohibition of a legitimate activity

(e.g., slaughter), anti-cruelty stat-

utes prohibit certain deliberate

actions, which are likely to cause

harm to animals (e.g., kicking). The

book uses the concept ‘animal

harm’1to capture a wide range of

activities that are not limited to

those prohibited by law. As a con-

sequence, the book considers many

current human uses of animals,

regardless whether they are legal or

illegal, as harmful to animals in one

way or another. The rationale is

that even though activities such as

fur farming and fox hunting may be

legal in many States, there has been

a shift in public attitude towards

these activities in the past few

decades, particularly in countries

like the United Kingdom, Belgium

and the Netherlands.

The driving force behind the shift in

public attitude has been the activi-

ties of green nongovernmental

organisations (NGOs) (e.g., influ-

encing public policy, campaigning

and enforcement of wildlife laws).

These are featured prominently

throughout the book (e.g., Chapters

3 and 9). NGOs are acknowledged

to have an increasingly central role

in environmental policy making in

the European Union and the United

States. While the involvement of

NGOs undoubtedly enhances the

integrity of environmental decision

making in democratic societies, the

book also reveals potential prob-

lems with some NGO policies, spe-

cifically those that portray certain

legitimate activities as inherently

cruel and offensive to public morals

in order to promote their policies to

the public and decision makers.

Instead of questioning such cam-

paigns, Nurse considers the efforts

of NGOs to bring about change as

fully justified.

The book adopts the view that all

forms of hunting are harmful. For

instance, trophy hunting is seen

both as a manifestation of Western

dominance over the developing

world as well as an invasion in the

life of wild animals (Chapter 7).

Nurse also views harm as an inte-

gral, rather than accidental, part of

almost all industries involving

animals, including the fur trade,

the meat industry and commercial

fishing (Chapters 5 and 6). He

argues that harm may arise, for

instance, if hunters fail to comply

with legislative and industry prac-

tices. Therefore, the book identifies

the practical implementation and

operational enforcement of existing

animal protection legislation as the

main problem, not its inadequacy

per se. Indeed, although the major-

ity of developed countries have

enacted legislation that prohibits,

inter alia, illegal wildlife trafficking

and infliction of unnecessary suf-

fering, harm and cruelty, the

enforcement of these laws is often

weak and in some countries, it is up

to NGOs to detect wildlife crime,

such as badger baiting. Frequently,

proving wildlife offences is also

problematic.

Many of the book’s chapters deal

with rather complex issues, recog-

1According to Nurse, ‘animal harm’ means

intentional, malicious, wilful or reckless inflic-

tion of pain and suffering.

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Review of European Community & International Environmental Law

RECIEL 23 (1) 2014 Book Reviews

© 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd

153