By RACHEL LANE
D.C. Correspondent WASHINGTON, D.C. — Livestock farmers and others in agriculture need to change their methods in order to combat global warming, says a new report released by the United Nations. It charges that farming is causing issues on a global scale; livestock, specifically, is highlighted as a concern. Farmers in some parts of the world are razing forests to clear more pastureland. “Combined emissions of the meat and dairy industries are greater than some industrial-sized nations,” said Conor Lennon, with UN News. In addition to using more land, livestock consume water – a resource that is being depleted in some parts of the world. “It takes almost 170 liters of water to produce one (McDonald’s) Quarter-Pounder,” Lennon said. The UN report is the second of three to investigate global warming trends and concerns. The report, released earlier this month, focused on climate change, greenhouse gases (GHG), land use and sustainable management, and land-based ecosystems. Land plays an important part in the climate system, the report noted, as it is both a source and a “sink” for GHG. The same day the report was released, USDA Secretary Sonny Perdue and many Minnesota legislators met with people at the Minnesota FarmFest. They spent most of the 90 minutes listening to questions and concerns. Climate was one of the topics of concern. One audience member said more research is needed to help farmers increase yields while protecting the environment. He said farmers can help take some of the GHG out of the air and put it into the ground. Perdue agreed. He said he met with several groups recently doing research that would benefit both farmers and the environment. While most of the world may think farmers are part of the problem, he would like farmers to be viewed as part of the solution to global warming. Ethanol levels in gasoline were also a point of concern at the meeting. Brian Thalmann, president of the Minnesota Corn Growers Assoc., said as the trade war continues, the less likely family farms like his will still exist. One of the ways the government can help is to move forward with increased E15 levels. Ethanol blended in gasoline has helped keep corn prices higher than some commodities, but several things stand in the way, including infrastructure for the ethanol petroleum and waivers for refineries. Rep. Collin Peterson (D-Minn.), chair of the U.S. House Agriculture Committee, said he has presented a bill aimed at getting rid of the waivers. He said Brazil uses an E30 blend and it works well. He would like to see the United States get to an E30 blend use as well. Two days after the meeting in Minnesota, the EPA announced it had granted an additional 31 small refinery exemption waivers. Peterson responded, saying the waivers undermine the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) at a time when farmers need the certainty it creates. The waivers “undermine the Renewable Fuel Standard and the market for corn,” he added. “Farmers are on the front lines of the tariff war, and this announcement by the EPA will only make things worse.” Perdue said he is talking with President Trump to try to get E15 year-round, if there is enough interest and the industry can get the infrastructure in place. The UN report states that all future GHG emission scenarios indicate an increased impact on land. There will be increased rainfall in some regions as climate zones shift, while increased drought in other regions will increase the risk of wildfires. The actual risk posed by climate change will depend on how things change in the future. If consumption, production, and technology develop, the impact on the climate will not be as severe as if the reverse happens and demand increases while technology shows little change. Action has already been taken to try to adapt. Sustainable food production, improved and sustainable forest management, soil organic carbon management, ecosystem conservation and land restoration, reduced deforestation and degradation, and reduced food loss and waste are all ways to mitigate the problems, the report states. Some of the actions have immediate impact, while other responses may take decades to show a return. Immediate-action conservation includes steps such as preserving wetlands, mangroves, rangelands, and forests. Examples of actions that need time to see results include afforestation (creating forests in barren land), reforestation (planting trees in dwindling forests), and restoration of high-carbon ecosystems, agroforestry, and the reclamation of degraded soils. Adaption of some options can be done globally, but other actions – like preserving wetlands – may be more difficult to achieve, depending on the socioeconomic and environmental factors of a region, the report notes. Governments need to support climate and land policies that have the potential to save resources, support ecological reservation, and foster engagement and collaboration among stakeholders, it concludes. The full report can be found on the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change website, at IPCC.ch |
