An Urgent Message to Everyone Who Isn’t Vegan but Supports the Vegan Cause
Five alarming trends you need to be aware of
Whether you discovered this article yourself or a friend asked you to read it, the next few minutes will be worth your time. Understanding this information — and the stakes at play — is essential for anyone who cares about creating a more ethical, sustainable world.
“I’m not vegan myself, but I do support the goals and values of the vegan movement.” If that sounds familiar, you’re not alone. I felt the same way for years.
Deep down, I knew something was fundamentally wrong with the way society treats animals. I also knew that animal agriculture is a major driver of rainforest destruction, environmental pollution, dying oceans, world hunger, antibiotic resistance, and climate change.
And yet, despite knowing all this, I still felt it wasn’t necessary for me to change. After all, veganism was already growing so quickly — surely the movement didn’t need my participation.
But I was wrong. And that assumption — one shared by so many — carries consequences far greater than most of us realize.
This article is dedicated to those who resonate with the vegan cause yet feel they can remain on the sidelines. There are some crucial insights I wish I had understood earlier — truths that reveal the full scope and urgency of the situation.
5 reasons why your support matters more than ever
Beyond the inherent urgency of avoiding animal cruelty and environmental destruction, a series of alarming trends underscores just how crucial more active support is. From soaring meat consumption and disinformation to political influence and unfair subsidies, the following developments reveal why the movement needs you now more than ever.
1) Rapid rise in meat consumption
Despite overwhelming evidence of the immense destruction and cruelty caused by animal agriculture, the consumption of animal products continues to skyrocket. Global production of animal flesh for human consumption was a staggering 56% higher in 2022 than in 2000. Over the same period, poultry meat production almost doubled.
While veganism has grown significantly in recent years and meat consumption is already declining in several countries, the movement urgently needs more active support to counter the global upward trend in animal exploitation.
There are strong economic, technological, and demographic reasons to believe the global trend could soon reverse, but now is not the time to lean back. Every small choice to support more compassionate alternatives matters.
2) Pro-meat disinformation
The animal agriculture industry is waging a disinformation war to protect its profits. Investigations reveal that the industry advertises “like Big Oil”, uses “tobacco tactics” to market products, and spends millions on smearing plant-based diets.
Influential figures — including Jordan Peterson, Donald Trump Jr, and Neil DeGrasse Tyson — have amplified baseless anti-vegan talking points, further muddying public understanding. In this critical moment, we need individuals who are willing to confront these falsehoods through informed consumer choices and outspoken advocacy for an evidence-based vegan lifestyle — standing firmly for truth over manipulation.
The spread of false information has been identified as the greatest short-term risk facing humanity, even surpassing extreme weather events and armed conflicts. Every dollar spent on Big Meat and Dairy fuels their lobbying machine.
3) Disturbing anti-vegan fad diets
Against the backdrop of industry-sponsored disinformation, several anti-vegan diet trends have emerged in recent years. Most notorious among them is the entirely pseudo-scientific “carnivore diet,” which consists only of animal-based foods. In a recent post, I outlined the misconceptions and fallacies underlying this diet. Despite its baseless claims, severe health risks, and devastating ethical and environmental impacts, the carnivore diet has attracted a following of tens of thousands.
Meat-based fad diets bolster the profits of the animal agriculture industry while diverting attention from the proven benefits of plant-based living. To counter these harmful trends, we must curb the meat industry’s influence and market power by choosing plant-based alternatives.
4) Political influence of Big Meat and Big Dairy
The animal agriculture industry wields “gigantic power” and protects its market dominance through aggressive lobbying — including efforts to limit the appeal and accessibility of vegan options. The industry also spends vast sums to block animal welfare reforms and obstruct progress on climate policy.
For instance, farming lobbies fought “hard and dirty” against a proposed ban on the cruel use of cages in animal farming, employing tactics to discredit scientific findings, influence journalists, and pressure policymakers to abandon the reforms. At the most recent UN Climate Change Conference, meat and dairy lobbyists appeared in record numbers — three times as many as the year before — vastly outnumbering environmental advocates.
Without broader public support for veganism, these lobbying efforts will continue to distort markets, restrict access to plant-based foods, and stall progress on both ethical and environmental fronts.
5) Unfair taxes and subsidies
The animal agriculture industry is propped up by massive government support it doesn’t deserve. In the U.S., livestock farmers receive roughly 1,000 times more public funding than plant-based producers, and the EU spends a huge share of its budget on meat and dairy subsidies. Without this taxpayer backing, a pound of hamburger meat would cost around $30.
Even though animal products are already more expensive than plant-based foods overall — meaning going vegan saves you money — these government interventions give animal agriculture an unfair advantage. In a truly free market, the industry wouldn’t stand a chance against a plant-based food system. Shifting consumer demand toward plant-based options is the single most powerful way to stop this misuse of public funds and create a fairer, healthier, and more ethical food system.
Conclusion
The vegan movement is growing, but lasting change requires more than passive support. Every dollar we spend, every meal we choose, and every voice that speaks up matters. Powerful forces back animal agriculture, determined to maintain their dominance despite the devastating harm their industry causes to animals, the planet, and public health. They rely on our inaction to keep business as usual.
“All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good people do nothing.”
Change doesn’t happen on its own; it is driven by individuals who recognize injustice and refuse to sit on the sidelines. Every conscious choice for a plant-based lifestyle chips away at an industry built on cruelty, environmental destruction, and disinformation. I’m not asking for perfection — just for each of us to contribute in our own way. Imagine the ripple effect if every person who believes in these values actively lived by them.
There will always be people we cannot reach with our message, and that’s okay. Every social movement in history has faced this challenge. The real obstacle lies with those who already resonate with the cause but do not act. Like swing voters in an election, their choices have outsized influence on the movement’s success.
So here’s one question to leave you with: If compassionate, thoughtful people like you don’t lead the way, then who will?
Please share this article with anyone who resonates with the values of veganism but hasn’t yet made the switch. Ask them for just a few minutes of their time to help them understand why their support truly matters.
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Another compelling case you have presented to the world to Go Vegan! This exhortation,to the benefit of the entire planet. Your words suggest you are a picture of patience and virtuousness.
I recall a rather frail woman I met once at a Green Party meeting some years ago making a similar statement, that she was compelled to eat flesh as a part of her diet, but this I do doubt. A complete Vegan diet contains all the necessary nutrients, and one can always supplement to obtain peak nutrition. Thus, if an MD ever made such a statement to me I would seek out a more knowledgeable doctor.
How I wish I could be 100% vegan or even 95%! Had I become vegan instead of vegetarian in 1986, I might not have the health issues today that prevent me from being vegan now. Luckily I can remain in good health on a vegetarian diet including eggs and cheese. My husband cannot be vegan, either. He has a hummingbird’s metabolism. If he doesn’t consume the concentrated energy in meat once or twice a week, he feels awful. It’s not just in our heads: our blood tests show the difference. We understand the inherent cruelty as well as the economic and environmental costs of our diets. It’s a sad dilemma we live with every day.