2024-05-10 08:02:43
More expensive red meat and dairy products, cheaper chicken and vegetables. This is what the World Bank proposes in its plan to deal with climate change. The idea was presented a day before it became clear that the month of April was the world’s hottest on record.
Against this background, the financial institution wants to redirect the billions that major countries spend on increasing CO2-rich products such as red meat and dairy products to more climate-friendly options such as poultry, fruit and vegetables.
“Must
to prepare to
we destroy
the planet
while we eat,” Julian Lampietti, manager of the World Bank, told Politico.
According to the plan, the world must accelerate its emissions reductions to keep the Paris Agreement targets. Therefore, the World Bank wants the authorities to pay more attention to agriculture and the food industry, which, according to the financial institution, have long been neglected and underfunded. The data shows that countries need to channel $260 billion each year into these sectors to get serious about reducing their emissions by 2050, a common goal for developed economies. This is 18 times more than countries currently invest.
According to the World Bank, governments can partially close this gap by shifting subsidies for red meat and dairy products to lower-carbon alternatives. It’s one of the most cost-effective ways for rich countries, which are estimated to generate about 20 percent of global emissions from the food industry, to reduce demand for highly polluting foods, experts say.
Meanwhile, the EU’s climate change watchdog announced on Wednesday that the world is
experienced
the hottest month
April in history
of measurements, making it the 11th consecutive month with improved degree records.
The average temperature of the planet, including April, is 1.61° above the average values for the pre-industrial period 1850-1900.
The impacts of climate change are obvious. Parts of Asia are grappling with deadly heat: schools were closed for millions of children in Bangladesh, rice paddies in Vietnam were all but devastated, and people in India battled hellish temperatures to vote in elections.
Ocean surface temperatures reached 21.04°, the highest on record for April. The impact on marine systems is devastating. This spring saw a massive coral bleaching that scientists say may be the worst on record.