news
From Politico
Summary
- The World Bank proposes shifting from red meat and dairy to less carbon-intensive options like poultry and fruits to combat climate change.
- This switch is an effective and cost-efficient way for developed countries to reduce emissions from the agriculture and food sectors.
- Governments should redirect subsidies to support low-carbon alternatives and make plant-based diets more competitive, saving twice as much planet-warming gases.
- The World Bank emphasizes the need to invest in agriculture and food industries to reach emissions reduction goals and help keep global warming below dangerous levels.
Cows and milk are out, chicken and broccoli are in — if the World Bank has its way, that is.
In a new paper, the international financial lender suggests repurposing the billions rich countries spend to boost CO2-rich products like red meat and dairy for more climate-friendly options like poultry, fruits and vegetables. It’s one of the most cost-effective ways to save the planet from climate change, the bank argues.
The politically touchy recommendation — sure to make certain conservatives and European countries apoplectic — is one of several suggestions the World Bank offers to cut climate-harming pollution from the agricultural and food sectors, which are responsible for nearly a third of global greenhouse gas emissions.
“We have to stop destroying the planet as we feed ourselves,” Julian Lampietti, the World Bank’s manager for global engagement in the bank’s agriculture and food global practice, told POLITICO.
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