Around 80% of land is used to raise livestock for consumption, yet these animals, while occupying around 80% of agricultural land, provide us with only 37% of our protein. In the case of meat production, the ends do not justify the means.
To put that into perspective, if cows made up a country, the country would be the world’s third largest emitter of greenhouse gases, surpassing India by some margin.
The four biggest contributors are: methane from cattle digestion, nitrous oxide from fertilizers, carbon dioxide from deforestation, and fuel use for multiple purposes on farms. We must eliminate deforestation in our supply chains. This is representative of short-sighted and outdated patterns.
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The United Nations Environment Program says the current food industry is unsustainable and has led to land degradation, nutrient loss, biodiversity loss and water scarcity. Food production accounts for around 10% of all EU emissions, the European Environment Agency (EEA) said, warning it could spiral out of control by 2030.
To make matters worse, the United Nations Development Program predicts that global food demand will increase by 50% by 2050, which will not only affect land and soil degradation, but also increase carbon emissions from food production. These predictions have proven correct in the past.
But, despite this, agriculture remains the highest-emitting industry in the absence of a low-carbon plan. McDonald’s, Starbucks, Greggs and other major chains need to ensure their suppliers practice sustainable farming.
Two years ago, Nestlé, the world’s largest food company, pledged to invest $1.3 billion over five years to help farmers transition to regenerative farming techniques. Take a small step towards a bigger endeavor.
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What is less clear is what specific measures are being taken to alleviate food and water shortages for the most vulnerable. Conservative estimates suggest that more than 400 million people do not have access to safe drinking water or the most basic diets needed to survive.
The World Food Program reports that more than 900,000 people worldwide live in famine-like conditions. It is ten times that of five years ago. A further 828 million people do not know when they will next have food, and the climate crisis (rather than conflict) is largely responsible for these extreme food shortages.
The wealthiest countries and businesses must take on the responsibility of working together to tackle this staggering inequality and bear most of the financial burden involved in investing in new sustainable models of food supply chains. There is money to do other things in a short period of time, and of course there is money to do this.
According to the World Bank, well over $700 billion is provided annually to support agriculture and food to mitigate the effects of climate damage directly caused by the food industry. That money is better spent on preventive measures and sustainable agriculture, rather than a reactive approach.
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Although the transport sector measures its emissions, only a quarter of meat, fish and dairy producers have measured their emissions, and only about half have taken steps to reduce them. No one knows exactly how damaging the food industry is to the environment, but transportation accounts for a large, and likely higher, share of the industry’s greenhouse gas emissions.
Food retailers know that it is unusual, and historically so, for customers to complain that the cost of a cut of meat is too low. However, we cannot continue to act like cheap meat is just cheap meat. The true toll of the unimaginable damage that large-scale farms and industrial farming techniques have done to animals, our ecosystems, and us is clear.
Today, big food companies have no legal incentives to act responsibly. They can sign up to any number of net-zero low-carbon agreements, but unless there are laws to protect our planet from one of its most destructive industries, the necessary changes will never come.
What else can be done about this? Get involved in politics. We all need to be more political; write letters, sign petitions, and share important climate news as widely as possible. Politicians and lawmakers need to feel the pressure from people to make the necessary changes and start effectively regulating industries like the food industry.
the author
Joshua Lizaraga Currier to speechwriters and communications consultant.
