Environmental justice is a social justice movement that exposes and addresses the ways in which marginalized communities are more often negatively impacted when the environment is damaged. Such damage can be caused in any number of ways, and by any number of industries, but there are some industries renowned for routinely harming the climate, polluting the world’s waterways, and creating air pollution. And one of the worst is animal agriculture.

People who switch to a plant-based diet are often motivated by the promise of health benefits. While not always accessible to everyone, a diet consisting of a wide variety of whole foods can reduce inflammation, improve gut function, and boost the immune system. People who reduce their individual meat consumption also benefit public health by reducing the societal burden of diet-related chronic disease associated with frequent consumption of animal products. In addition to genetic factors and diet, external environmental conditions like air and water pollution can also shape overall health. Animal agriculture generates harmful pollution that disproportionately impacts communities nearby factory farms, many of which are predominantly lower-income and BIPOC. Plant-based agriculture, by comparison, tends to have fewer negative impacts on local communities and environments.