JBS, the world’s largest meat company, seeks public funding to combat climate change despite its substantial contribution to greenhouse gas emissions. CEO Gilberto Tomazoni argues for increased investment in agriculture, estimating the transformation costs at $300-350 billion. Critics claim agribusiness should focus on reducing its environmental impact rather than seeking more public funds, while recent studies highlight the sector’s record emissions and deforestation issues.
JBS, the world’s leading meatpackers with a net revenue of $3.1 billion in the second quarter of 2024, is pursuing additional funding to address climate change. CEO Gilberto Tomazoni articulated that only four percent of climate change investments currently target agriculture and food systems, while he estimated that transforming this sector would require between $300 billion and $350 billion. Tomazoni seeks to position the meat industry as an essential ally in the climate fight, despite its significant contributions to greenhouse gas emissions in Brazil. In Brazil, the meat industry accounts for approximately 28 percent of the nation’s greenhouse gas emissions, primarily due to cattle methane emissions and deforestation for ranching. At international forums such as the G20, agribusiness leaders advocate strategies to portray the meat sector as a solution-provider, hoping to capitalize on the IMF-World Bank initiative to boost climate-smart agriculture funding to $9 billion annually by 2030. However, critics contend that these industries focus on increasing production rather than addressing the need to curb meat consumption. JBS and its peers argue that livestock can enhance soil health and contribute to carbon storage, framed as regenerative agriculture. Nevertheless, scientists challenge the validity of soil as a long-term carbon storage method. Furthermore, the narrative that meat producers can alleviate hunger and food insecurity is undermined by the understanding that these issues stem primarily from inequities in power, access, and distribution, not from food shortages. JBS’s CEO, as the leader of the B20 Food Systems and Sustainable Agriculture Task Force, has influenced G20 agricultural policies alongside representatives from major agribusiness firms. The Task Force’s recommendations, significantly aligned with agribusiness interests, have been integrated into G20 Agriculture Working Group declarations. This includes calls for a transparent trading system which advocates against protectionist measures that could threaten Brazilian exports following the EU’s Deforestation-Free Products Regulation set to take effect in 2025. Experts have criticized the pleas from the livestock sector for public investment, asserting that it should instead focus on reducing its environmental impact, given its substantial contribution to emissions. Carlos Bocuhy, President of the Brazilian Institute for Environmental Protection PROAM, emphasized the need to invest in agroecology and small-scale farming, which is more environmentally sustainable. According to a recent study by the Climate Observatory, Brazilian agriculture has seen a record increase in greenhouse gas emissions for four consecutive years, primarily due to cattle. The rising emissions underscore the necessity to consider reducing cattle numbers, despite the economic implications for exports. Alternative solutions, such as early cattle slaughter, may serve as a viable approach to mitigate emissions. Livestock production is responsible for 77 percent of deforestation in the Amazon from 1985 to 2022, further illustrating the environmental risks linked to agribusiness activities.
The meat industry, particularly in Brazil, has faced increasing scrutiny for its role in climate change due to significant greenhouse gas emissions associated with livestock production. There is a recognized tension between the need for agricultural expansion and sustainability principles, particularly regarding global hunger and environmental impact. JBS’s approach to seek public funding for climate initiatives underscores an ongoing debate concerning the responsibilities of large agribusinesses in addressing the environmental crises they help perpetuate.
JBS’s push for public funding marks a complex intersection of agriculture, climate policy, and economic interests. While the company’s leadership emphasizes the potential for agribusiness to contribute positively to climate change mitigation, experts argue that the focus should shift towards sustainable practices and reduced livestock production. Additionally, the substantial emissions from the livestock sector challenge the notion that meat production should be prioritized in global food systems, underscoring the urgent need for more environmentally responsible agricultural policies.
Original Source: www.desmog.com
