Perspective

Perspective

Profit Over People: The Meat Industry’s Exploitation of Vulnerable Workers

Slaughterhouses have always been viewed negatively because of what happens to animals behind their walls. But how workers are treated is also despicable.

Policy•7 min read

Perspective

Why Is Palm Oil Such a Problem Now?

Palm oil has revolutionized the way we produce a variety of foods and cosmetics. But most people are unaware of how destructive this "magical ingredient" is to the natural environment.

Climate•10 min read

Perspective

Tiger King Emphasizes Link Between Human Violence and Animal Cruelty

The dark undertones of the Netflix docuseries highlight the need for laws that protect animals from humans with violent tendencies.

Entertainment•6 min read

Perspective

The Psychology of Blaming Others During the Time of COVID-19

Humans are emotionally invested in ensuring that, whatever happens, the spotlight of blame never shines directly on us. So we blame wet markets in Asia for the spread of COVID-19…

Health•5 min read

Perspective

How to Prevent Future Pandemics: Fix the Broken Food System

There is a common link between many past pandemics and the one we are facing today: the human consumption of animals. Can we change the current food system without changing…

Food•6 min read

Perspective

Why the Climate Movement Is Failing Us: From A Black Woman Who Doesn’t Trust Science

Jasmine Leyva, director of The Invisible Vegan, unpacks the complicated relationship between people of color and the climate movement.

Climate•6 min read

Perspective

How the Environment Has Changed Since the First Earth Day 50 Years Ago

These charts show that while progress has been made in some areas, humanity still has a major impact on the planet.

Climate•5 min read

Perspective

Sanctuary Farms Offer a Model for Future Food System

A handful of farms across North America are blurring ethical lines by incorporating rescued farm animals into plant production. Is this the solution to our broken food system, or part…

Policy•5 min read

Perspective

Vegan Dystopia—“Vystopia”—on the Rise with Spread of COVID-19

Even during these challenging times, animal advocates must channel their energies in as many ways as possible to create positive change for animals.

Policy•7 min read

Perspective

Q&A: Plant-Based Pioneer David Yeung on the Future Frontier of Sustainable Foods

Reducing meat and dairy consumption is the most impactful action consumers can take to reduce their carbon footprint. No one has championed this message more than David Yeung.

Climate•11 min read

Perspective

Book Review: Voices For Animal Liberation by Brittany Michelson

Voices For Animal Liberation explores how personal trauma, depression, dysfunction, and addiction foster insight into the trauma of animals trapped in human systems of abuse.

Policy•9 min read

Perspective

Coronavirus Pandemic Revitalizing Dispute Over Spanish Bullfighting

Public support for the bullfighting industry has been dwindling for years. The coronavirus pandemic is creating a novel opportunity for Spain to abolish the "sport" once and for all.

Policy•9 min read

Perspective

Daughter of Cambodian Genocide Survivor Reflects on Animal Rights

A second-generation Cambodian genocide survivor draws parallels between her mother’s experiences under the Khmer Rouge regime and the modern-day treatment of farmed animals.

Policy•6 min read

Perspective

To Reduce the Risk of Pandemics, We Must Ban Factory Farms Now

Regulating the factory farming industry is not enough to minimize its risks. A total ban is necessary because it expresses that factory farming is deeply harmful to humans, animals, and…

Health•5 min read

Perspective

A Feminist Perspective on a Livestock Auction

Livestock auctions reflect the gendered oppression that both humans and nonhumans face. Female bodies are put on display, meant for the objectification and viewing pleasure of men.

Policy•6 min read

Perspective

The Best Defense Against the Next Pandemic: Your Fork

As long as humans insist on abusing and exploiting animals on factory farms, stronger and deadlier pathogens than the novel coronavirus will emerge from the global food system.

Health•4 min read

Perspective

Should Homeless Shelters Serve Only Vegan Food?

Evidence is growing for the many health benefits of plant-based diets, and organizations like schools and hospitals are already making the switch. Should homeless shelters be next?

Policy•6 min read

Perspective

Speciesism and Tragedy at Krefeld Zoo

Coverage of the Krefeld Zoo fire was so one-sided that it is possible to believe only eight apes died. But the fire killed more than 40 other animals that the…

Entertainment•7 min read

Perspective

Closed Borders and Quarantine Measures Pose Direct Threat to Transport Animal Welfare

In a push to keep slaughter lines running during the pandemic, the industry's hunt for profits is putting animal welfare and public health at risk.

Law & Justice•6 min read

Perspective

Mass Killing of Lab Animals During Pandemic Calls into Question Necessity and Cost of Animal Models

When researchers needed fast results for a possible COVID-19 vaccine, they skipped over testing the new drug on animals first. If the tests were "extraneous," why experiment on animals to…

Animal Testing•5 min read

Perspective

We Need To Evolve: The Gastro-Cultural & Ethnomedical Traditions That Got Us Here

As distinct as they are in place and time, zoonotic disease outbreaks all have one thing in common. They point to the prevailing gastro-cultural practices that welcome eating animals at…

Health•14 min read

Perspective

Beyond #MooToo: Limitations Within Feminist Vegan Slogans

Is popular vegan messaging missing the mark? Carol J. Adams, author of The Sexual Politics of Meat, explains how the new #MooToo slogan does more to hurt feminist vegan theory…

Policy•5 min read

Perspective

We Kill More Animals Than Australia’s Fires Every Day

Many more farmed animals die every day than were killed by the Amazon and Australia wildfires—farmed animals also suffer more, and are linked to more habitat loss globally.

Climate•4 min read

Perspective

Other Animals Are Not Humans’ Sacrificial Fall Guys

Using lab animals to solve human-made problems amounts to more of the same hubris that spawned the COVID-19 pandemic in the first place.

Animal Testing•3 min read

Perspective

COVID-19: The Origin Story

With much of the world on lockdown tracking the death toll and flight cancellations, no one is questioning why we are in the midst of the worst global pandemic in…

Health•3 min read

Perspective

A Palate for Pestilence: Ominous Links Between COVID-19 and Industrial Animal Farming

The Chinese government announced it would permanently ban the wildlife trade suspected to be at the center of the COVID-19 pandemic. Will factory farms be next?

Health•9 min read

Perspective

Coronavirus Should Make You Reconsider Eating Meat

The primary cause of zoonotic diseases like coronavirus is not the consumption of wildlife—it’s the consumption of animals, period.

Health•3 min read

Perspective

Farming for the Planet

Feeding the rapidly growing human population, expected to exceed 10 billion people by 2050, hinges on the ability of individual farmers to adopt more sustainable plant-based foods.

Food•12 min read

Perspective

New U.K. Legislation Makes Compassion for Animals a Crime

The legislation fails to address the nuanced issues related to grey squirrels and other invasive species. Instead, it adheres to a simple narrative: native good, invasive bad.

Law & Justice•5 min read

Perspective

2020 Vision on Animal Cruelty

When Congress passed the PACT Act in November, President Trump led Americans to believe that all animal cruelty is now illegal. But the new protections are riddled with loopholes.

Law & Justice•8 min read

Perspective

Condemning Indigenous Hunting Practices: Are We Throwing Stones from Glass Houses?

In Australia, indigenous hunters are using questionable methods to catch sea turtles and other wild animals. Cruel as some of these practices are, non-indigenous farming practices are equally inhumane.

Policy•4 min read

Perspective

Louie’s Story: Why Monkeys Should Never Be “Pets”

Many humans assume that sharing a home with a cute baby monkey will be endlessly fun. But in practice, owning an exotic animal proves detrimental for both the "pet" and…

Policy•4 min read

Perspective

In Court, “Sustainable” Brands Argue that Marketing Claims are Meaningless

For 42 years, Ben & Jerry’s claimed its ice cream came from “happy cows." But when the claim was challenged in court, the company backpedaled, exposing an industry rife with…

Food•4 min read

Perspective

Stop Treating Violence Against Animals as a Game

Gamifying violence does more than disrespect victims. It conditions perpetrators—and the public—to see victims as unworthy of respect and compassion.

Policy•5 min read

Perspective

In Response to Harriet Hall: The White Savior Is You, Not Joaquin Phoenix

After his rousing Oscar acceptance speech on Monday, Phoenix received sharp criticism from Harriet Hall for his expansive view of justice for all animals—revealing her own narrow lens.

Policy•6 min read

Perspective

Stop Treating Animals as “Invaders” for Simply Trying to Exist

Wild animals around the world are being removed from human communities and killed en masse. What are the animals doing to deserve this punishment?

Law & Justice•6 min read

Perspective

One Woman’s Inspiring Post on Judging Less and Supporting More

It's very easy to judge others. This is especially true when we lack context and information. But does being judgmental help the animals?

Policy•7 min read

Perspective

The Narrative That Animal Rights Activism Is Extremism Must Stop

The animal rights activist community has had a difficult past with the authorities, but this recent document sends a very damaging message.

Policy•7 min read

Perspective

Why Go Vegan in 2020

The farmed animal protection movement could define the 2020s. This is your chance to stand against animal cruelty and environmental destruction by choosing to eat only plants.

Health•8 min read

Perspective

“The Best Way to Change the World Is to Understand It”: Faunalytics Is Using Research to Drive Change for Animals

Sentient Media spoke with Faunalytics’ Research Director Jo Anderson and Content Director Karol Orzechowski about how the organization is encouraging societal change through research and education.

Policy•8 min read

Perspective

Voters For Animal Rights: Creating a More Compassionate New York

Voters For Animal Rights is an animal protection group lobbying for ending animal cruelty, and holding elected officials accountable in the State and City of New York. We spoke with…

Law & Justice•9 min read

Perspective

Good Food Institute: Interview with Bruce Friedrich

Bruce Friedrich, Executive Director and Co-Founder of The Good Food Institute, discusses the organization's mission to transform the world's food system.

Food•7 min read

Perspective

Chickens or Pigs: Would You Pick One to Suffer More?

In this guest post, United Poultry Concerns president and founder Karen Davis critiques an earlier editorial by Mikko Jarvenpaa and warns of the dangers of ranking animals by false measures…

Science•12 min read

Perspective

Encompass: Building a More Inclusive Animal Rights Movement

Encompass works with farmed animal protection organizations and individual advocates to create a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive movement.

Policy•9 min read

Perspective

The Humane League: Interview with President David Coman-Hidy

The Humane League has been fighting #ForTheAnimals for over a decade, and they won’t stop until every cage is empty and every food corporation adopts meaningful animal welfare standards.

Policy•9 min read

Perspective

Mercy For Animals: Interview with President Leah Garcés

With two decades of experience in reducing animal suffering, Mercy For Animals continues to work for a more compassionate world.

Policy•5 min read

Perspective

Hypocrisy on the Highway: Where Are Those Animal Transport Trucks Heading and Why Don’t We Talk About It?

Most people consider themselves animal lovers and take any opportunity to admire them, including as they pass by in transport trucks on the highway. Not many people, though, question where…

Food•8 min read

Perspective

Vegan Burgers Lighten Women’s Mental Load

Cooking for family and friends is traditionally viewed as a feminine duty. Longtime vegan Caroline Beret explains how she's removing some of that stress by choosing pre-made plant-based alternatives instead.

Health•6 min read

Perspective

Wild Animal Welfare Movement Takes Shape Worldwide

The animal protection movement has traditionally focused on reducing suffering on factory farms and in laboratories. Now, advocates are entering the wild to fight animal suffering in creatures' natural habitats.

Policy•6 min read

Perspective

Ag-Gag Laws Keep Animal Farming in the Dark and Diminish Public Trust

Who or what are ag-gag laws truly serving? Not the animals being exploited and killed behind closed doors, and not the public being kept in the dark, only growing more…

Law & Justice•4 min read