Here’s Why Progressives Should Embrace Veganism

I consider myself a progressive. I’m a proud member of the LGBTQ community; I’ve attended demonstrations for women’s rights, Black Lives Matter, environmental justice, and animal rights. But it seems a lot of progressives draw the line at veganism and that’s troubling when you look at the facts. So let’s dive in.

I went vegan a few years ago because I love animals, but I quickly learned about how veganism is connected to other social justice causes that other progressives and I care deeply about, such as environmental justice, feminism, racial equality, wildlife conservation, and immigrants’ and workers’ rights. Here’s how:

A recent study found that more Americans than ever believe in climate change. If we don’t take action now to curb climate change, scientists warn that the planet faces disastrous consequences—from intensified storms and rising sea levels to the extinction of millions of species. And while not everyone can afford a fancy electric car or pricey solar panels, there is something we can all do: go vegan.

Raising animals for food produces more greenhouse gas than all the cars, planes, and other forms of transportation combined. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, carbon dioxide emissions from raising farmed animals make up about 15 percent of global human-induced emissions, with beef and milk production as the leading culprits.

There is no such thing as “sustainable meat, and plant-based alternatives to meat, dairy, and eggs take a mere fraction of the resources to produce as their animal-based counterparts. Let that sink in for a minute.

The meat, dairy, and egg industries not only exploit our environmental resources but also continually exploit female bodies for milk, eggs, and reproduction of new animals to use, mutilate, and kill for human consumption.

Consider this: Cows in the dairy industry are repeatedly and forcibly impregnated to ensure a continuous supply of milk. Their young are ripped from their sides within hours of being born. Female calves are forced into the same generative cycle, while males are slaughtered for veal. The suffering this all causes is immeasurable and indefensible.

The meat, dairy, and egg industries have a long history of racial discrimination. In fact, populations near factory farms are often low-income communities of color. These farms pollute the surrounding areas so badly that residents suffer a host of illnesses from the toxic fumes.

A 2002 study examined more than 60 factory farms in Mississippi and found that the majority were located in low-income areas with a high percentage of communities of color. Similarly, a 2005 study found that in North Carolina low-income areas had seven times more hog farms than affluent areas and that communities of color had more than five times more hog farms than predominantly white communities.

We all know that the meat industry kills billions of farmed animals each year, but did you know that it also kills millions of wild animals? Yes, you read that right; the meat industry has millions of innocent wild animals killed each and every year.

Millions of wild animals, including wolves, bears, river otters, eagles, and coyotes, are killed because they are seen as a threat to animal agriculture industries. From grazers to predators, animals are killed on a massive scale to feed the profit-hungry meat industry. Awful, right?

In addition to inflicting unspeakable cruelty on farmed animals and devastating wildlife populations through hunting, animal agriculture takes a terrible toll on wildlife through overfishing, deforestation, habitat destruction, pollution, climate change, and capturing untargeted “bycatch.

Poultry processing is one of the most dangerous jobs, with more than 27 workers a day suffering amputations or other injuries severe enough to require hospitalization. With high demands for how many animals they “process per day, workers are sometimes denied bathroom breaks. Some have even resorted to wearing diapers. Additionally, slaughterhouse workers have been found to suffer from PTSD and illnesses caused by antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

With an unknown percentage of undocumented workers, the meat, dairy, and egg industries prey on vulnerable people. According to a recent Vice article, “The Department of Labor officially puts the number of undocumented farmworkers at 46 percent, but industry experts and labor advocates estimate that the number is much, much higher—possibly closer to 70 percent.

Many undocumented workers are reluctant to go off the farm for fear of being caught and deported, a fear reinforced by demeaning or intimidating comments from their supervisors. Some remain on the farms for more than 11 days at a time.

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The progressive movement celebrates core values such as empathy, compassion, tolerance, open mindedness, and diversity. These values can all in one way or another be linked to veganism and the idea that animals deserve a life free from harm.

Sadly, cows, pigs, chickens, and fish raised and killed for food are subjected to a nightmare of abuse: extreme confinement, horrific mutilations, and violent slaughter. These animals never see the sun, feel the grass, or breathe fresh air. Instead they are imprisoned in windowless, filthy sheds until the day they are loaded onto transport trucks destined for the slaughterhouse where they will meet a gruesome death.

So I challenge you, my fellow progressives, to open your hearts and minds to veganism. By doing this, you can create a more sustainable, just, and compassionate world.

Start making a difference today by leaving all animal products off your plate.