Why care about animals when there is so much human suffering?

First, it’s so important to remember that these causes are intertwined.

If you care about workers rights, immigration reform, food justice, environmental racism, or anything like that, you should care about factory farming and animal agriculture, too.

Slaughterhouses and industrial animal operations are often sites of labor abuses, or contribute to environmental racism by polluting land and resources in ways that disproportionately affect certain communities.

These animal agribusinesses are just that—businesses. They are subject to some regulation, but their biggest concern will always be profit.

That’s where we come in.

We can choose not to create demand for the products that contribute to these social issues. Not eating animal products will benefit so many causes, because it will reduce the demand for the cheap meat these companies are exploiting people and animals to produce.

Ultimately, caring about animals will improve the lives of people, too.

Second, this is a source of injustice we—as individuals—can all do something about.

Whenever I get frustrated by the amount of suffering and violence and harm in the world, I find it so easy to get sad and feel hopeless. But with animal issues, we have the choice to do something concrete about it at least three times a day, if not more.

Every time I choose to skip an animal product, or pay for a vegan alternative, I get to do something specific that will help make the world a better, kinder place. We can’t solve everything, but as individuals we have market power and we can take power back with our choices.

Lastly, I feel so powerfully that justice is not zero sum.

Caring about animal rights doesn’t mean I don’t care about human issues. I don’t think any animal—human or nonhuman—should suffer needlessly.

And as the old saying goes, “a rising tide lifts all boats.”

The logic of oppression is the same everywhere. Assuming we can use another’s body for our own interests and pleasures, even against protest, is something we don’t accept in our human world.

Why should we accept it when applied to animals?