Animal Agriculture Surpasses Oil as Largest Polluter in the World
The climate community’s attention has been focused on fossil fuel companies. It is time we broadened our focus to include the meat and dairy majors.
ANNA STAROSTINETSKAYA: ‘A new report published by the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP) and non-profit GRAIN found that the world’s five top meat and dairy corporation (JBS, Tyson, Cargill, Fonterra, and Dairy Farmers of America) collectively produce more greenhouse gas emissions than the top three oil companies (ExxonMobil, BP, and Shell). “The indirect subsidies the industry receives through governments footing the bill for their air, water and land pollution, public health impacts from antibiotics overuse, and biodiversity loss can and must be stopped,” the report stated.
Researchers quantified greenhouse gas emissions from 35 global meat and dairy companies—which, the report stated, often fail to report their own emissions—and found that the top 20 animal-agriculture companies emit more harmful gases than entire nations such as Germany, Canada, Australia, and the United Kingdom. “The climate community’s attention has been focused on fossil fuel companies,” the report stated. “It is time we broadened our focus to include the meat and dairy majors”.’ SOURCE…
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