Back in school, most of us learned about photosynthesis from an early age. Science class taught us that when trees grow, they use sunlight to convert carbon dioxide and water into food. . The result of billions of years of evolution, this process is not only beneficial to plants, but essential to life on Earth. For one thing, as the climate crisis intensifies and emissions rise, we need to be able to remove more carbon dioxide from the atmosphere before the planet heats up to an uninhabitable state. Trees just do it without thinking, so it makes sense to take care of them.
But for decades, some of the world’s largest industries have not taken care of trees. I was. Thanks to mankind he has been reduced to 4 billion. It continues to decrease even now. This is not good news for us or for the animals that depend on these forests for survival.
When it comes to deforestation, there are many culprits. Wood and palm oil make up about half of all packaged products, of which he is two. But none of these industries are destroying the world’s forests as much as meat. That’s right, it turns out that all beef burgers are seriously damaging the rainforest. And all the soybeans grown to feed the world’s livestock are destroying rainforests.
Here, we take a closer look at the role of meat in deforestation and what is being done to stop it. (Hint: Eat less beef burgers and more vegetables.)
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What is deforestation?
Deforestation is simply the deliberate cutting down of forests. For the beef industry, a major driver of deforestation, forests are either cleared or set on fire (known as slash-and-burn) to make room for cattle to graze.
A significant proportion of rancher-run fires occur regularly in the Amazon rainforest. Most of the wildfires in 2019, which burned areas the size of New Jersey, were deliberately set to clear land. “The important thing to know about the Amazon is that there are very few natural fires there,” said Michaela Weisse of the World Resources Institute. Vise 2019.
Why is deforestation a problem?
Each year, mature trees absorb about 48 pounds of carbon dioxide. However, when it is cut down or set on fire, it loses its ability to remove greenhouse gases. But when wood decomposes or burns, it releases the carbon it has built up, making it even worse. return into the atmosphere.
According to the World Resources Institute, between 2015 and 2017, the loss of tropical forests worldwide emitted about 4.8 billion tons of carbon dioxide. And in 2021, there will be a report finding that due to deforestation and the climate crisis, much of the Amazon rainforest is now emitting more carbon dioxide than it can absorb.
“This is a huge impact because we are releasing CO2 into the atmosphere that is accelerating climate change. because it encourages them,” said Luciana Gatti, author of the report. guardian. “This is terrible negative feedback that increases emissions much more than we knew.”
But emissions are not the only problem associated with deforestation. When forests are cut down, wildlife that depends on them for survival is also affected. The Amazon rainforest is home to several endangered animal species, including jaguars, river dolphins, uakari monkeys and South American tapirs. However, as deforestation progresses, their survival is threatened. Last year, more than 10,000 plant and animal species were threatened with extinction due to deforestation in the Amazon.
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What is the role of meat in deforestation?
The global beef market is currently worth over $467 billion. It is also projected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 4.8% through 2030, according to market research. But all this demand has consequences. To produce more beef, you need more cows. This means that more land will be required. A Global Forest Watch study last year showed that beef production caused five times more deforestation than any other industry.
But the relationship between meat and deforestation goes beyond beef. According to the same survey, soybeans were his second largest driver of deforestation, with more than 8 million hectares of forest destroyed between 2001 and 2015. Most of these were not grown for human consumption. In fact, only about 6% of the world’s soy is consumed in products such as tofu and soy milk. Most of the world’s soybeans, nearly 80%, are grown for livestock feed. This means that alongside beef, products such as eggs, milk, cheese, nuggets, sausages and bacon are also linked to deforestation.
What is being done to curb deforestation?
In the past, Brazil-based JBS, the world’s largest meat processor, has pledged to try to stop the destruction of rainforests. However, recent reports suggest that they are still actively involved in deforestation. In November 2022, the company confirmed that it had purchased about 9,000 cattle from one of Brazil’s largest forest loggers between 2018 and 2022.
At the time, JBS claimed to be a victim of fraud and was unaware that the cattle were linked to deforestation. However, many organizations, such as the group Drop JBS, which is backed by several environmental nonprofits such as Greenpeace and Mighty Earth, argue that deforestation is inherent in his JBS operations. “Don’t let the cover fool you,” the website says. “Deforestation is in his JBS DNA.”
However, the company does not operate in isolation. Drop JBS argues that the supermarkets that sell JBS products, the banks that fund JBS, investors and lenders, and the leather industry that depends on its by-products are all responsible for perpetuating deforestation. I’m here.
That said, some supermarkets are taking steps to stop rainforest destruction. Tesco, the UK’s largest supermarket chain, says it is “supporting initiatives to combat deforestation” and is committed to making its soy supply chain deforestation-free by 2025. And in 2018, he stopped sourcing beef from Brazil due to deforestation concerns. However, Greenpeace says it sources its meat from JBS subsidiaries Moy Park and Pilgrim’s Pride.
To truly stop deforestation, we need to change the law. And thankfully, we are seeing progress. In the EU, for example, new legislation was recently agreed aimed at tackling deforestation. When it comes into force, all companies operating in the EU market will be legally obliged to carry out rigorous due diligence and ensure that products such as coffee, beef and cocoa do not contribute to deforestation.
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How to avoid products that lead to deforestation
Some progress has been made in tackling deforestation, but there is still a long way to go. But as a consumer, you can avoid products linked to global deforestation by choosing to buy plant-based products instead of beef and other animal products.
Today, if you want a beef burger, there are plenty of plant-based alternatives on the market that taste the same. It’s on the market. In fact, some reports say that by 2030, the plant-based food market could exceed $162 billion.
Research suggests that a collective shift to a plant-based diet would significantly reduce land use and, consequently, the need for deforestation. In 2021, a study by Our World In Data showed that a global plant-based diet would reduce global agricultural land use by 75%.
And by 2022, replacing 20% of global beef consumption with products like Quorn, which are made from microbial proteins and require much less land to produce, could cut deforestation in half. Another study suggested that there is
“The good news is that people don’t have to be afraid of eating only vegetables in the future,” said Florian Humpeneder, lead author of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research. guardian. “They can continue to eat burgers and such, but those burger patties are just manufactured differently.”
Read more about plant-based meat alternatives below.
Charlotte is a writer and editor based in sunny Southsea on the south coast of England.
