Article by Brussels-based researcher and reporter Rachel Sherrington and DeSmog’s UK editor Hazel Healy.Originally published on DeSmog.
This week, as business and government leaders, investors and activists gather for New York Climate Week, DeSmog is relaunching its big agriculture series, scrutinizing the power of food and agriculture corporations.
When it comes to global warming, agriculture was once considered a nice-to-have, second only to energy, but as the planet warms rapidly, food-related emissions are growing rapidly.
Nitrous oxide is a greenhouse gas that is about 300 times more potent than carbon dioxide when measured over a 100-year period. Accumulate Earth’s atmosphere is reaching unprecedented levels of methane, another potent greenhouse gas that is crucial for sustaining life on Earth. Reduce Emissions – It rose sharply The number has been increasing since the beginning of the decade and “shows no signs of slowing down.”
But science show Despite concerns that the food system is driving global warming, the world’s largest agricultural companies Assert They Solution To climate collapse.
This assertion is evidence mount Major agricultural polluters are using their significant economic and political influence to block environmental legislation around the world, and emissions from major meat and dairy companies continue to rise. growing up.
DeSmog’s renewed focus on agriculture comes ahead of a pivotal and eventful year for climate and food policy, with major summits on biodiversity, energy and food due to be held in Colombia and Azerbaijan in the coming months.
In 2025, the COP30 climate summit will be held in the Brazilian city of Belém, gateway to the world’s most important biome, the Amazon rainforest.
These summits are important because the future of agriculture is not only connected to global warming but also to feeding humanity, and is key to preserving the habitats and species we live with.
Food and agriculture are both drivers of global warming and victims of its effects. Extreme Weather The phenomenon, which has become more severe and frequent due to climate change, has killed 7.1 million cattle, sheep and goats in Mongolia. ZodThe combination of drought and a harsh winter has wiped out more than a tenth of the country’s livestock.
In Jamaica, Hurricane Beryl destroyed $6.4 million worth of food crops and infrastructure across the country. departure Hurricanes struck across the country in July, causing devastating damage to areas facing food shortages.
These events were included in the annual evaluation. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), a United Nations agency, is currently Identified He noted that climate change is one of the main causes of food insecurity, and warned that accelerating climate risks risk setting back progress in tackling world hunger.
Agriculture also directly endangers our natural world. It is the main driver of biodiversity loss and is responsible for 80% of land-use change, resulting in deforestation rates The surrounding area That’s the size of 10 football fields per minute.
As world leaders prepare for crucial talks at the COP30 climate summit, where they will review the past five years of climate action and call on governments to demonstrate greater ambition in the face of the current global emergency, they are likely to see cooperation from companies with a vested interest in maintaining the status quo.
A major report released in July said the world’s largest meat and dairy companies – some of whose emissions rival those of other countries – tactics They borrowed from the fossil fuel and tobacco industries to block climate action.
A landmark assessment by the World Health Organization found that major food companies (including the meat and dairy sectors) Derail European health policies are estimated to have led to thousands of premature deaths in the region.
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With food now high on the multilateral agenda, we expect big agribusiness to step up their PR and exert their influence, especially ahead of the COP30 climate change summit in Brazil, which is unsurprisingly home to some of the world’s largest agribusinesses, including the meat giants. J.B.S.Countries will be asked to submit new plans to reduce agricultural emissions.
On the way to Belém, we will also cover other key moments when the industry’s efforts to expand its influence are likely to gain momentum, including two major summits taking place this year.
First, the Biodiversity Summit COP16 to be held in October this year will interest In recent years, governments have come under increasing pressure to collectively tackle the climate and nature emergency, and investment in big agrochemical companies has also increased.
Immediately after COP16, we boots The COP29 climate summit in Baku, Azerbaijan, is also set to be a lively one, with finance expected to top the agenda, and big agricultural companies from countries such as the EU and the US have proven adept at it. Vacuuming Meanwhile, small-scale farmers worldwide miss About green subsidies.
Like last year, the Climate Summit called on agricultural businesses to root Impact. Baku – Amazing Human rights records and climate This follows COP28 in Dubai in 2023 and will welcome hundreds of industry representatives. host A dedicated food day, side events, at least one food initiative and an agriculture-focused pavilion.
The Azerbaijan COP will coincide with the G20, a two-day world summit hosted by Brazil, where climate change and hunger will be discussed (and where agribusiness is already a key player). taste It depends on the messaging you use.
In addition to covering these summits, DeSmog has also been discussing the terms of the industry’s preferred “net zero” plan, e.g.Regenerative Agriculture”This will be incorporated into new voluntary initiatives such as Regen10 next year.
DeSmog will also be investigating the misleading claim that the world’s largest food company is a panacea for hunger and food security, a widespread slogan.
After last year’s COP, meat industry executives left the summit Zinc plating He vowed to “keep moving forward” in the future.
As the battle over the future of food intensifies and countries are called upon to submit ambitious new targets, we will be following the industry’s fight back.
