115-Year-Old Publication Names 2019 “Year of the Vegan”

Maclean’s—one of Canada’s oldest magazines—has declared 2019 “The Year of the Vegan” in its annual year-ahead issue, which highlights important trends Canadians can expect within the next 12 months. The publication pointed out that while 6.4 million Canadians are already reducing or eliminating meat from their diets, more people are becoming aware of the ethical and environmental implications of eating animals. The wide availability of plant-based meat alternatives also makes the transition easier. Maclean’s reported that animal agriculture is the leading contributor to freshwater pollution, deforestation, ocean destruction, and loss of wildlife and biodiversity, and that forgoing the consumption of meat can cut water usage and carbon emissions in half. “While veganism may not be a catch-all solution to the planet’s many problems, the ethical arguments in favor of a vegan diet are increasingly too strong to ignore,” Jessica Scott-Reid wrote in Maclean’s. “Animal agriculture is killing the planet—and that’s why 2019 is the year that veganism becomes a moral imperative.”