Despite its pledge to hit net zero carbon emissions by 2040, those produced by JBS, the world’s largest meat processor, have surged more than 50% in the past five years as the company acquired new poultry and livestock units. Its climate footprint is now larger than Italy’s. Long under fire from campaign groups over evidence linking JBS to Amazon deforestation, it became the meat industry’s first major player to pledge to slash carbon emissions to net zero. Climate campaigners said the surge in emissions caused by recent expansion suggested that the net zero target was little more than “greenwashing,” and urged investors to divest. The UN has created a new greenwashing watchdog group, which plans to publish recommendations on how to judge companies’ net zero targets; suggest how to translate them into national and international regulations; and discourage over-reliance on carbon offsets. That’s something to watch for.
www.desmog.com/2022/04/21/brazilian-meat-giant-jbs-a-bigger-emitter-than-italy-study-estimates/