Counting on … day 1.219

20th November 2023

The authors of the State of Climate Action 2023 report advise that world needs to:

• Retire about 240 average-sized coal-fired power plants a year, every year between now and 2030.
• Construct the equivalent of three New Yorks’ worth of public transport systems in cities around the world each year this decade.
• Halt deforestation, which is happening to an area the size of 15 football pitches every minute, this decade.
• Increase the rate of growth of solar and wind power from its current high of 14% a year to 24% a year.
• Cut meat consumption from ruminants such as cows and sheep to about two servings a week in the US, Europe and other high-consuming countries by 2030.” (1)

We may feel we have little control over deforestation, especially that which happens outside the UK, but indirectly we do. Many of the products we consume every day come directly or indirectly from forested land that has been cleared to allow for commercial production of sugar, palm oil and soya beans. 

Palm oil is an interesting crop as it finds itself in many products ranging from toothpaste to margarine, laundry liquid to biscuits. When listed as an ingredient, it may appear as palm but can as easily appear as palm- , stear- , laur- , or  glyc-. Reducing our consumption of palm oil, or seeking products made from sustainably produced palm oil, does take some research – Ethical Consumer has a useful guide – https://www.ethicalconsumer.org/palm-oil/palm-oil-free-list

Processed soya beans may feed directly into our shopping basket as tofu, tempeh or as soya milk (and other similar dairy replacements).  This accounts for a very small portion of global soya production – less than 6%. Most of the global output of soya beans (77%) is used as animal feed. By eating less meat and dairy produce we can reduce the demand for soya beans and hence deforestation! 

For more information on palm oil and how to avoid its damaging production – https://greentau.org/2021/12/15/green-tau-issue-27/

For more information on the dangers of sugar plantations – https://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/sugar-a-killer-crop.html, https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2020/jun/18/a-shame-for-the-world-ugandas-fragile-forest-ecosystem-destroyed-for-sugar?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other, 

For more information on soya beans and deforestation- https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/oct/06/top-grain-traders-helped-scupper-ban-on-soya-from-deforested-land?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other , https://ourworldindata.org/soy

(1) https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/nov/14/world-behind-on-almost-every-policy-required-to-cut-carbon-emissions-research-finds?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other