HEATED - How Big Beef muzzled methane research
Welcome back to HEATED—Emily here. Arielle’s back today with a banger on beef, combining a bombshell new Guardian investigation with her own ongoing reporting on the USDA. How Big Beef muzzled methane researchA new Guardian investigation reveals the U.N.'s farming wing downplayed livestock emissions after pressure from the meat, feed and dairy industries.
But there’s another major contributor to methane emissions that we haven’t recently discussed, with an equally powerful lobby behind it: animal agriculture. Climate scientists have been saying for years that the world needs to eat less meat to slow global warming. They’ve said that even if fossil fuel emissions were immediately halted today, trends in meat and dairy consumption could still prevent the achievement of both the 1.5 degree and 2 degree Celsius targets, because of the massive resource consumption required for raising cattle. But the public still isn’t getting the message. A Newsweek poll from May shows that 40 percent of people don’t believe eating less meat will reduce emissions. Part of that may be because of lacking media coverage. According to a June analysis by Sentient Media and Faunalytics, only seven percent of climate news articles mention animal agriculture, making it “one of the least-discussed causes of climate change in the media.”
“Censored, sabotaged, undermined, and victimized”On Friday, a new Guardian investigation revealed that former officials at the United Nation’s farming wing were “censored, sabotaged, undermined and victimized for more than a decade after they wrote about the hugely damaging contribution of methane emissions from livestock to global heating.” The pressure began in 2006, when the GAO released its first detailed report about how livestock harm the environment. The backlash was immediate: meat-producing countries like Brazil, Argentina, the U.S., and Australia complained to senior officials at the FAO; as did meat, feed, and dairy producers, according to FAO’s former head of livestock policy, Henning Steinfeld. The pressure worked: a 2009 report was delayed by several months as FAO senior leadership tried to water down the descriptions of the climate harm caused by the meat industry, according to staff members and Steinfeld. “Even if livestock contributes 18 percent to climate change, the FAO shall not say that,” Steinfeld recalls being told by senior leadership. “It’s not in the interest of the FAO to highlight environmental impacts.” The mystery of the FAO’s declining livestock emissions numbersThe FAO’s oft-cited, official number for livestock emissions is 14.5 percent. That estimate has dropped precipitously since the FAO’s first report in 2006, which estimated that livestock emit 18 percent of greenhouse gas emissions. That estimate is now being reduced again, to 11.2 percent, according to the FAO’s most recent estimates. “This seems counter-intuitive, given that during the same period, the FAO recorded a 39 percent increase in global meat production,” the Guardian reports. The number the FAO uses here is important, as the Guardian reports, it will be included in a blueprint for countries to limit global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius at the next international climate talks in November. A spokesperson for the FAO’s livestock development office said the new figure simply reflects “best practices and evolving methodologies”—but not all researchers agree with that. For example, the Guardian reports that a recent paper by New York University environmental scientist Matthew Hayek said that “the FAO’s use of modelling—rather than verifiable monitoring data—could underestimate methane emissions from livestock by up to 90 percent in countries such as the U.S.” Another peer-reviewed paper published in the journal Sustainability estimates that livestock account for closer to 16.5 to 28 percent of greenhouse gas pollution. An unspoken rule: Don’t talk about consumptionIn addition to questioning the FAO’s emissions numbers, the Sustainability paper also critically examines the FAO’s preference to recommend making animal production more “eco-efficient,” rather than recommending reducing the amount of meat and dairy people consume. “The FAO’s tendency to assume demand for animal products leaves it at odds with other U.N. agencies that have explored the potential for reducing animal consumption,” the paper’s author writes. “What sort of explanation could be offered for this discrepancy?” One former FAO official, who spoke to the Guardian on the condition of anonymity because he still fear reprisal, said “No one wanted to go to the next step of saying agriculture is a problem for the planet and we need to mitigate it—including by potentially reducing production levels or changing things in less profitable ways.” One explanation could be that the animal agriculture industry—which has a vested interest in keeping meat and milk on the menu—also provides funding to the FAO. Some experts say this leaves the organization beholden to the industry it oversees. “It’s clear that there is corridor pressure by the main agri-producers in the FAO,” Hans Herren, co-chair of the UN and World Bank’s agricultural assessment report, told the Guardian. “There is a chain of pressure because the FAO, like most agencies, depends on external funds.” A lobby as powerful — and far-reaching — as oilIn interviews, several FAO staff members “compared the power of the agribusiness lobby over FAO policy to that of the oil and gas giants on energy policy,” Guardian journalist Arthur Neslen writes. But the agribusiness lobby’s influence doesn’t just extend to the FAO. Indeed, while reporting on the USDA’s climate-friendly agriculture program worth $3.1 billion, I spoke with one scientist who estimates that the USDA may also drastically undercount livestock emissions by as much as 39 to 90 percent. Industry influence may also be a factor here, too. Matthew Hayek, a professor of environmental studies at New York University and author of the USDA emissions analysis, detailed for me how the USDA advertises for the same industries it regulates. For example, the USDA manages the industry boards that pay for ad campaigns like “Got Milk?” and “Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner.” When I asked if it’s normal for agencies to help advertise the industry they hold accountable, Hayek pointed out that the EPA doesn’t advertise coal plants. It’s an example of what he calls a much larger regulatory paradox in the USDA. "They are at the same time charged with regulating agriculture and marketing agriculture businesses,” said Hayek. “It's not just that there are instances of regulatory capture. It is a culture and an institution of regulatory contradiction.” In another example of how government and industry are entwined, officials frequently have worked in the industry they regulate. Current agriculture secretary and former head of the USDA Tom Vilsack told reporters at COP26, “I do not think we have to reduce the amount of meat or livestock produced in the U.S.” Before becoming the secretary of agriculture, Vilsack was the CEO of the U.S. Dairy Export Council. Essentially, the government officials tasked with regulating agriculture are serving two masters: industry and the people they’re supposed to protect. The Guardian’s expose is merely one more example of this conflict of interest, and a reminder of why accountability for these government institutions is so important. Speaking of holding institutions accountable…
Catch of the Day: Reader Shaina sent us two treats ahead of Halloween: Ginger and Beebs. The bunnies found their forever home with Shaina after she rescued them from the streets. Ginger and Beebs support climate justice for everyone, regardless of species. Want to see your furry (or non-furry!) friend in HEATED? It might take a little while, but we WILL get to yours eventually! Just send a picture and some words to catchoftheday@heated.world. Invite your friends and earn rewardsIf you enjoy HEATED, share it with your friends and earn rewards when they subscribe. |
Older messages
The urgent need for methane literacy
Thursday, October 19, 2023
The climate threat of methane gas expansion is growing, and the public remains largely unaware — in part because of misinformation and misleading terminology.
143 coal plants and a punch in the face
Thursday, October 19, 2023
Which do we, as a society, find more abhorrent?
Our modern-day Columbuses
Monday, October 9, 2023
Like the controversial colonizer, billionaires are trying to lead the discovery of a new world—and they're approaching it with a similarly destructive mindset.
Technically, that New York City flood was “mild”
Wednesday, October 4, 2023
If we want to understand the full picture of climate-fueled flood risk to New York City, we can't just look at rainfall.
Do we need to change our behavior?
Thursday, September 28, 2023
A new paper calls for global recognition of a “Human Behavioral Crisis” to prevent ecological overshoot. Plus, the New York Times runs a fossil fuel ad on an article about climate anxiety.
You Might Also Like
Anne Hathaway Nailed The 'Naked' Trend Just In Time For Summer
Tuesday, April 30, 2024
The looks just keep coming.
Last chance to join us for Poetry & the Creative Mind
Monday, April 29, 2024
Register now! View this email in your browser Final call for RSVPs! Join the Academy of American Poets for Poetry & the Creative Mind. Our signature celebration tomorrow features a spectacular
Does It Really Matter Which Side You Sleep On? 😴
Monday, April 29, 2024
How to Soundproof Your Home on a Budget. Your body isn't symmetrical, so there really is a difference between the left and right sides. Not displaying correctly? View this newsletter online.
MIDDI Rewind: How to Shop for … Houseplants
Monday, April 29, 2024
Follow these five steps to inject a little (or a lot) of green into your space. ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏
Kylie Jenner Just Wore Jeans As A Top And It's Iconic
Monday, April 29, 2024
Plus, Zendaya's fashion in 'Challengers', your tarot reading for money this week, & more.
The Woman Who Got Your Best Friend Pregnant
Monday, April 29, 2024
What's new today on the Cut — covering style, self, culture, and power, plus interviews, profiles, columns, and commentary from our editors. Brand Logo MONDAY, APRIL 29 health The Woman Who Got
Panera is now selling a bread bowl hat
Monday, April 29, 2024
Why does this ice cost $32?
Housing, YIMBYs, and "Luxury Preferences"
Monday, April 29, 2024
We need to build housing not just for people, but for cities and metro areas writ large ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏
BLAG 05, Jobs Board, and the Latest from bl.ag online
Monday, April 29, 2024
This is the bl.ag online [https://bl.ag/] digest email, exclusive to paid members. Read on for a preview of BLAG 05, an opportunity to work with Collosal Media, all the latest online adventures in sign
The Voters Most Likely to Abandon Trump
Monday, April 29, 2024
A new poll shows the fragility of Trumps' coalition ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏