“We have to stop destroying the planet as we feed ourselves,” a World Bank official said, as red meat and dairy drive CO2 emissions.

Cows and milk are out, chicken and broccoli are in — if the World Bank has its way, that is.

In a new paper, the international financial lender suggests repurposing the billions rich countries spend to boost CO2-rich products like red meat and dairy for more climate-friendly options like poultry, fruits and vegetables. It’s one of the most cost-effective ways to save the planet from climate change, the bank argues.

The politically touchy recommendation — sure to make certain conservatives and European countries apoplectic — is one of several suggestions the World Bank offers to cut climate-harming pollution from the agricultural and food sectors, which are responsible for nearly a third of global greenhouse gas emissions.

The paper comes at a diplomatically strategic moment, as countries signed on to the Paris Agreement — the global pact calling to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius — prepare to update their climate plans by late 2025.

    • capital@lemmy.world
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      6 months ago

      We need to reduce animal consumption across the board.

      Rich people get stuff that the normals don’t. This isn’t new.

      • vividspecter@lemm.ee
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        6 months ago

        You could also make it more equitable by implementing a carbon tax and returning some of it in the form of cash payments to the poor, and/or investments in infrastructure that benefit the poor the most (health care, public and active transport, welfare).

        • capital@lemmy.world
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          6 months ago

          I’ve heard of that. I think I’ve heard it called “carbon dividend” or something to that effect.

          I’m totally for it.