COP26
MEAT WILL BE THE DEATH OF US By Roxy Costello-Ross The meat and dairy industries are two of the most substantial causes of climate change in the world today, yet they are also arguably two of the most ignored. Unfortunately, when it comes to food many people will not budge on their chosen diets, even If they are contributing to a trail of destruction across the planet; from climate change to forest fires and even human rights abuses. In the UK, the majority of meat bought is mass-produced in intensive factory farms such as JBS – the largest meat processing company in the world. Supermarkets like Tesco, Sainsbury’s and Asda, as well as popular fast-food chains like KFC and McDonald’s buy their
meat from companies that are owned by JBS. Through its meat production, JBS produces around half of the carbon emissions of massive fossil fuel companies such as Shell or BP and is spearheading deforestation in the Amazon. To make matters worse, suppliers to JBS such as cattle ranch and soya producers in Brazil have been found to have a history of profiting from modern-day slavery. The industrial meat industry is the single biggest cause of deforestation globally as it requires a huge amount of land to sustain itself. Forests are deliberately slashed and set alight, particularly in
❛❛ The industrial meat industry is the single biggest cause of deforestation globally ❜❜
38
www.platinummediagroup.co.uk
South America, to make space for grazing cattle and crops to feed the billions of farmed animals in the UK. When this happens, immeasurable amounts of carbon dioxide are released into the atmosphere and fallen trees are left to rot or are burned, creating further emissions that massively contribute to climate change. If deforestation in the Amazon continues at its current rate it will no longer be able to sustain itself as a rainforest. This will cause mass devastation for the people and animals who live and depend on the forest and could lead to less rainfall, therefore affecting drinking water and irrigation across South America.
