Current Affairs

A Magazine of Politics and Culture

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The suffering of animals is one of the worst moral horrors of our time. From the destruction of habitats to the caging and torture of billions of factory farmed animals, human beings’ treatment of the species we share the earth with is an abomination. Current Affairs believes the lives of other sentient creatures are not a secondary concern, and so we are proud to offer in-depth coverage on animal issues in our magazine. The scale of the violence can be numbing, but the news is not all bleak. In our pages, we profile the activists who find creative ways to help those members of the living world who cannot speak for themselves, from litigation to direct action. We hope these stories both stir your moral outrage and encourage you to act.

 

Our coverage of animals is made possible by a generous grant from the craigslist Charitable Fund.

Recent Animals & Nature Articles

How much life do they lose?

Statistics provided by VeganFTA 

Age of Slaughter Infographic

How many land animals are slaughtered for meat?

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Number of animals (livestock) slaughtered for meat each year*

Statistics provided by Statista

*Up to 2014 – most recent year data is available (excluding poultry)

Source: UN Food and Agriculture Organization via Our World in Data

 

“Veganism is an embodied act of resistance to objectification and exploitation across difference–a corporeal way of enacting one’s political and ethical beliefs daily.”

— SUNAURA TAYLOR

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Support independent media that puts animals, people, and the planet first.

“Most of the world’s farmland today is used for the production of meat and dairy, either as grazing land or cropland to grow animal feed. 77% of all agricultural land is used to raise livestock for meat and dairy. In total, this is an area of 38 million km. For comparison, that’s the size of the total land area of the Americas — from Alaska in the North all the way to Tierra del Fuego in the South … [Yet] the food produced on this land only contributes about 40% of the world’s protein and just 18% of the world’s calories… If everyone shifted to a plant-based diet, we would reduce global land use for agriculture by 75%."

— OUR WORLD IN DATA

More Articles

Q&As

With some of the world's leading animal and environmental activists

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Marina Bolotnikova

Award-winning journalist animal activism

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Paul Watson

Paul Watson

Environmental activist and founded the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society

Read More >>

 

 

Christopher Eubanks

Christopher Eubanks

Founder of Apex Advocacy, social justice advocate, and nonprofit director

Read More >>

 

Monica Chen

Monica Chen

Executive director of the New Roots Institute

Read More >>

 

 

 

Seb Alex

Seb Alex

Animal rights activist, lecturer, photojournalist and author who runs the Middle East Vegan Society

Read More >>

 

 

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Read the Animals Issue.

Our special “Animals” edition is devoted to discussions of animal welfare from many different angles. We recruited leading scholars and activists to lend their voices in this issue, presented with the signature Current Affairs satirical and artistic flair. We believe the result is a major contribution to the conversation about animal rights, one that not only includes serious discussions of sentience, roadside zoos, slaughterhouses, urban pigeons, and neglect of animals, but will also dazzle you with cool facts and make you laugh with “The Society for the Appreciation of Unpopular and Disliked Animals,” the new Entitled Dog Owner game, and our “Ask A Manatee” advice column. It also includes Q&As with leading figures in the world of animal welfare, from The Sexual Politics of Meat author Carol Adams to anti-whaling activist Captain Paul Watson. It’s a rich (vegan) feast, and it’s completely FREE to read. Share it with others in your life to start conversations around humanity’s treatment of other animals. (In a book club? Consider doing a session about this issue!)

“After writing about animals, I even feel reluctant to think about flies around my house as pests... It’s hard to really immerse yourself in the lives of these creatures and end up not wanting to pay them more care, respect, and fondness...”

— ED YONG ON ANIMAL SENSES

Essential Reading

Against-Animal-Farming

Against Animal Farming

 

Why Shrimp Matter

Why Shrimp Matter

 

My Turkey Pardon

My Turkey Pardon

 

The Case for Direct Action

The Case for Direct Action

 

Why Socialists Should Be Vegans

Why Socialists Should Be Vegans

 

The Lie of Sustainable Fishing

The Lie of “Sustainable” Fishing

 

Why Animals Are Sentient

Why Animals Are Sentient

 

The Left Has Failed Animals

The Left Has Failed Animals

 

The Industry’s Orwellian Language

The Industry’s Orwellian Language

 

A Movement Is Coming

A Movement Is Coming

 

Suggested Reading

Ethics, Philosophy, and Science

The Omnivore's Deception
“The Omnivore's Deception” by John Sanbonmatsu, 2025
The Case for Animal Rights
“The Case for Animal Rights” by Tom Regan, 1983
Happy Meat, Humane Animal Research, and Other Myths
“Happy Meat, Humane Animal Research, and Other Myths” by Peter Marsh, 2025
Animals As Persons
“Animals as Persons” by Gary Francione, 2008
Justice for Animals
“Justice for Animals” by Martha Nussbaum, 2024
The Emotional Lives of Animals
“The Emotional Lives of Animals” by Marc Bekoff, 2024
Living Planet
“Living Planet” by David Attenborough, 1984

Food Systems, Environment, and Capitalism

Little Red Barns
“Little Red Barns: Hiding the Truth, from Farm to Fable” by Will Potter, 2025
Animal Resistance in the Global Capitalist Era

“Animal Resistance in the Global Capitalist Era" by Sarat Colling, 2020

Animal Capital: Rendering Life in Biopolitical Times

“Animal Capital: Rendering Life in Biopolitical Times" by Nicole Shukin, 2009

The Once and Future Cow: Agency, Appetite, and the Anthropocene
“The Once and Future Cow: Agency, Appetite, and the Anthropocene" by Andrew Kettler and Charlton W. Yingling, 2025
Half-Earth Socialism
“Half-Earth Socialism" by by Drew Pendergrass and Troy Vettese, 2022 
Animals and Capital
“Animals and Capital” by Dinesh Wadiwel, 2025 
Concentration and Power in the Food System
“Concentration and Power in the Food System: Who Controls What We Eat?” by Philip H. Howard, 2016 
The Human Hoax
“The Humane Hoax: Essays Exposing the Myth of Happy Meat, Humane Dairy, and Ethical Eggs” edited by Hope Bohanec, 2023
Animal Oppression and Human Violence
“Animal Oppression and Human Violence: Domesecration, Capitalism, and Global Conflict” by  David A. Nibert, 2013 

Veganism

 

Why Veganism Matters
“Why Veganism Matters: The Moral Value of Animals” by Gary Francione, 2020
Essays on Veganism
“Essays on Veganism” by Benny Malone, 2024
Debunking Every Argument Against Veganism
“Debunking Every Argument Against Veganism: With Logic And Reason” by Danny Ishay, 2024
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“The Vegan Starter Kit: Everything You Need to Know About Plant-Based Eating” by Neal Barnard, M.D., 2018
Think Like A Vegan
“Think Like a Vegan: What Everyone Can Learn from Vegan Ethics” by Emilia A. Leese and Eva J. Charalambides, 2021

Culture, Race, and Gender

 

Mother Cow, Mother India
“Mother Cow, Mother India: A Multispecies Politics of Dairy in India” by Yamini Narayanan, 2023
The Sexual Politics of Meat
“The Sexual Politics of Meat: A Feminist-Vegetarian Critical Theory” by Carol J. Adams, 1990
Veganism of Color
“Veganism of Color” edited by Julia Feliz Brueck, 2019
The Red Planet
“The Red Planet: Gendered Landscapes and Violent Inequalities” by Bill Hatcher, 2024
Aphro-ism
“Aphro-ism: Essays on Pop Culture, Feminism, and Black Veganism from Two Sisters” by Aph and Syl Ko, 2017
Brotha Vegan
“Brotha Vegan: Black Men Speak on Food, Identity, Health, and Society” by Omowale Adewale, 2021
Beasts of Burden
“Beasts of Burden: Animal and Disability Liberation” by Sunaura Taylor, 2017

99% of U.S Livestock is Factory Farmed

Statistics provided by Our World in Data

Animal Factory Farming Infographic

How many animals get slaughtered for meat every second?

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Note: Average number of animals slaughtered worldwide for 2022.

Statistics provided by Our World in Data

How many land animals are slaughtered for meat?

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Note: "Other" includes geese, sheep, rabbits, turkeys, goats, cattle, and other animals.

Statistics provided by Our World in Data

“It should not be believed that all beings exist for the sake of the existence of humanity. On the contrary, all the other beings too have been intended for their own sakes and not for the sake of something else.”

— MOSES MAIMONIDES

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U.S. Sanctuaries to Support

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International Sanctuaries to Support

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Thanks to Emilia Leese, co-author of Think Like a Vegan and host of its accompanying podcast, for contributing copy and concepts to this page.