For
GSS A New World View chapter 5. Excerpt: There is a higher cost to
steaks and hamburgers than what is reflected on the price tags at
grocery stores and restaurants. Producing food – and beef, in particular
– is a significant source of greenhouse gas emissions, which are
projected to grow as rising incomes in emerging economies lead to
greater demands for meat. But an encouraging new study by UC Berkeley
researchers and international collaborators ..., published today
(Monday, April 28) in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of
Sciences, found that by subsidizing more productive use of pastureland,
and by taxing those who stick with less sustainable practices, Brazil
could cut its rate of deforestation by half and shave off as much as 25
percent of all global greenhouse gas emissions from deforestation.
...“semi-intensive” cattle ranching practices in Brazil...include better
management of pastureland by rotating where animals graze, planting
better grasses more frequently, and amending the soil to unlock more
nutrients. The authors noted that better land management could double
productivity of pasturelands compared to conventional practices, thereby
reducing the pressure to cut down more trees. ...Over the past several
decades, Brazil has risen to become the largest beef exporter in the
world. ...“There’s this notion that fighting climate change requires a
stark tradeoff for emerging economies, that they must forego development
to meet their emissions target,” said Cohn. “This paper suggests that
there is a pathway where that compromise may not be needed.”... http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/2014/04/28/brazil-cattle-ranching-deforestation/. By Sarah Yang, UC Berkeley News Center. |
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