We already know that Big Oil spends millions to lobby against climate policy each year, but what about Big Meat?
According to a new study by New York University, beef and dairy companies have spent millions of dollars lobbying against good climate policy, specifically trying to blur the connection between animal agriculture and greenhouse gas emissions.
Six of the big US groups — the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, the National Pork Producers Council, the North American Meat Institute, the National Chicken Council, the International Dairy Foods Association, and the American Farm Bureau Federation — have together spent about $200 million in lobbying since 2000. And they’ve been lobbying annually against climate policies like cap-and-trade, the Clean Air Act, and regulations that would require farms to report emissions.
Sigal Samuel: Author of It’s not just Big Oil. Big Meat also spends millions to crush good climate policy
One of their biggest achievements came in 2009 when Big Meat successfully lobbied with oil companies in opposing the American Clean Energy and Security Act — an act that would have been the first bill to directly fight greenhouse gas emissions but never made it past the house.
The study also found that Big Meat companies overwhelmingly support Republican candidates, sometimes spending millions on their political campaigns. And, as Sigal Samuel points out in It’s not just Big Oil. Big Meat also spends millions to crush good climate policy, funding Republican campaigns typically pay off — as there is a clear connection between those that are funded by Big Meat and those that vote against climate change legislation.
There are other examples in the study where Big Meat companies have tried to redirect blame, instead emphasizing that their gas emissions are small when compared to other industries such as transportation. In some cases, they’ve even funded their own academic experts in an attempt to publish research that denies a causal link between the two entities.
So what’s the main thing we should take away from the study?
Right now, the most important thing is to recognize that Big Meat poses just as much of a threat to good climate policy as Big Oil. And with meat consumption predicted to grow 73% by 2050, it’s plausible that meat and dairy companies may one day exceed the emissions coming from fossil fuel companies.
There has to be a big reimagining of meat and dairy,” Jacquet said. Whether that will entail a reduction in meat consumption or a total switch to plant-based or lab-grown meat and dairy, one thing is for sure: “Given what we know about climate change,” Jacquet said, “it seems clear that business as usual is not the answer.”
Read The Full Story Here: It’s not just Big Oil. Big Meat also spends millions to crush good climate policy. Published on April 13, 2021, by Vox