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Friday, 19 March 2021

Soy and the damage it is doing- horrendous

Overview:

Information from WWF website

Around the world, there is a surging demand for soy—the “king of beans.” Soy is a globally traded commodity produced in both temperate and tropical regions and serves as a key source of protein and vegetable oils. Since the 1950s, global soybean production has increased 15 times over. The United States, Brazil, and Argentina together produce about 80% of the world’s soy. China imports the most soy and is expected to significantly increase its import of the commodity.

Soy is pervasive in our lives. Not only are soybeans made into food products like tofu, soy sauce, and meat substitutes, but we also eat them in the form of soybean oil and soybean meal. Soybean meal is widely used as animal feed, so we humans consume much of it indirectly via our meat and dairy. Soybeans also reach our tables as oil—which represents around 27% of worldwide vegetable oil production. While its most common oil-based form is table oil, soy is increasingly used for biodiesel production.

Without proper safeguards, the soybean industry is causing widespread deforestation and displacement of small farmers and indigenous peoples around the globe. To ensure that soybean expansion does not further harm natural environments and indigenous communities, WWF is encouraging the development of better production practices. We call for transparent land-use planning processes and promote responsible purchasing and investment policies.

Information from Union of Concerned Scientists  

When we think of soybean products, the first things that come to mind may be health food staples like tofu, edamame or soy milk.

But in reality, a typical soybean is more likely to end up in a ham-and-cheese sandwich or a chicken nugget than a block of tofu. Only about 6% of soybeans grown worldwide are turned directly into food products for human consumption. The rest either enter the food chain indirectly as animal feed, or are used to make vegetable oil or non-food products such as biodiesel. 70-75% of the world’s soy ends up as feed for chickens, pigs, cows, and farmed fish.

On top of these commercial products, soybeans have had an unfortunate by-product: tropical deforestation.  

How soybeans became a deforestation driver

Soybeans are a highly valuable crop for several reasons. As legumes, they "fix" nitrogen, reducing the need for nitrogen fertilizers. An excellent source of protein, soybeans are also richer in oil than most legumes, making them a good source for vegetable oil and biofuels.

As global demand for meat, biofuels, and other soy products has grown, the soybean market has kept pace. World soybean production has more than doubled in the past 20 years, and while some of this increased demand has been met by improvements in yield, much of it has come from expanding soybean cultivation into new areas—such as tropical forests in the Amazon region.

Until a few decades ago, tropical forest soils were not considered viable for soybeans. But advances in farming methods and crop varieties made it possible to grow soybeans profitably in new environments, including tropical forests. Before long, Brazil became the second leading soybean-producing country in the world—and soybeans became one of the leading drivers of deforestation. 

The Soy Moratorium

The good news is that deforestation rates in the Brazilian Amazon dropped by 70 percent between 2005 and 2014. This reduction has prevented about 3.2 Gt of carbon emissions (equivalent to about half of total annual U.S. global warming emissions)—and much of it has resulted from the Soy Moratorium.

This moratorium has since been repeatedly extended, and it has worked: during the 2013-14 crop year, soybeans were found to account for less than 1 percent of total Amazon deforestation during the moratorium period. The moratorium's effectiveness has been enhanced by a concerted effort on the part of the Brazilian government to enforce deforestation laws in the Amazon.  

Despite successes, challenges remain

However, while the direct impact of soy has been greatly reduced, it is still playing a role in tropical deforestation. For example, when ranchers sell pasture land to be converted to soybean production, they may use the profits to continue their operations in forested areas—making soy an indirect cause of deforestation. 

Many experts also believe that at least some of the deforestation avoided in the Amazon has simply moved to other regions, such as the Gran Chaco, a major carbon reservoir covering an area larger than Texas. Much of this expansion is taking place in Paraguay and Bolivia, where land costs are lower and environmental protections fewer than in Brazil. 

Within Brazil, soy production has also been moving into the Cerrado, a region of tropical savanna and woodlands where the soy moratorium does not hold. While the Cerrado has lower carbon stocks than the Amazon rainforest, it's a biodiversity hotspot: more than 3,000 plants, mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibian species are unique to the region. Nearly 60,000 square kilometers have been cleared for agriculture in the Cerrado since 2003, and about a fifth of that land is being used for soy.

The global soy market

The importance of soy on the global market is not likely to decrease anytime soon. With growing demand for meat around the world in places such as China, the United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) predicts that soy production will continue to increase dramatically, from around 276 million metric tons in 2013 to 390 million metric tons by 2050. Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay, or Argentina may be likely to fill that demand.

However, not all soy is grown in South America. The United States is still the leading global soybean producer. Most U.S. soy is grown in the Midwest—often in rotation with corn—and is sold domestically to animal feed millers, food processors, and the growing biodiesel industry. China and Russia are also major soy producers that consume most of their crop domestically. 

Solutions

Because soy is grown in so many places around the world and can be used in so many different ways, there is close interaction between regions where soy production is not linked to deforestation, and those regions where deforestation is prevalent. The challenge in coming years will be to meet increased market demand for soy while continuing to reduce its deforestation impact.

In South America, soy is likely to continuing moving into former pasture, potentially displacing cattle into new areas. But a focus on increasing yields, rather than expansion, could increase soy production without causing ecosystem destruction.

There is some movement towards requiring higher standards for soy, as led by the Roundtable for Responsible Soy, a trade group setting higher-than-market standards for the production of soy. However, as of 2013, this effort only covered about 1% of Brazil’s total production.

Economic and environmental conditions have aided the success of the Soy Moratorium in reducing deforestation in the Amazon forest. But until cross-border, cross-ecosystem tools and regulations are put into pace, the growing demands of the world market are likely to favor growing soy at the expense of vital natural resources.
 
I have stopped buying my soya milk and have changed to almond milk. This is a much bigger problem than I thought it was before I started to investigate. It seems that eating meat is contributing mostly to the problem too.  I have at least one meat free day a week and am encouraging my family to do the same.

It is a combination of lots of different things it seem,s but by making small lifestyle changes and thinking about what I buy I may make a very small difference somewhere!

The blog song for today is: "Where did all the love go?" by Kasabian

TTFN
 
 

 


Wednesday, 17 March 2021

Learn more about nature loss & biodiversity

Learn more:


Nature underpins everything around us - from the food we eat, the water we drink, and the air we breathe, to our very livelihoods and quality of life. Nature is vital for all our futures and and is one of our strongest allies against the climate crisis - and yet, the rate of global loss of nature in the last 50 years is unprecedented in human history.    

Why are we losing nature?


For a long time, it was still possible to say ’more science is needed‘ to understand how exactly human activities were harming the natural world. Not anymore.

In the last 50 years our world has been transformed by an explosion in global trade, consumption and human population growth, as well as an enormous move towards urbanisation. This puts a huge amount of pressure on the natural world around us, leading to impacts like habitat loss, overfishing and climate change.
The true cost of our food system

Changing land use for food production is the biggest driver of nature loss. About 50% of the world’s habitable land area is already used for agriculture – for livestock such as cattle and pigs and for crops that feed both people and livestock.

Destroying diversity for food


The Cerrado region in South America has the richest diversity of life of any savannah in the world, is an important water source, and stores carbon that would otherwise accelerate climate change. Sadly, half of the region has already been lost to livestock rearing and soy production for consumption around the world.

This is absolutely heartbreaking to see.

What can you do?

Humanity’s increasing destruction of nature is having catastrophic impacts not only on wildlife populations but also on human health and all aspects of our lives.
Do something about it.
 
There are many ways in which we can all make changes to our lifestyle which will make an impact. We must act NOW.

The blog song for today is: "Stray cat strut" by the Stray Cats

TTFN





Monday, 15 March 2021

Less than 2 weeks away from Earth Hour! Saturday 27th March 2021 at 20.30 (switch off lights for one hour)

 

 

 

 


What is Earth Hour? (For more infor visit: www.earthhour.org) Here is information from their website.

 

 

History of the Hour

Started by WWF and partners as a symbolic lights-out event in Sydney in 2007, Earth Hour is now one of the world's largest grassroots movements for the environment. Held every year on the last Saturday of March, Earth Hour engages millions of people in more than 180 countries and territories, switching off their lights to show support for our planet. 

But Earth Hour goes far beyond the symbolic action of switching off - it has become a catalyst for positive environmental impact, driving major legislative changes by harnessing the power of the people and collective action.
 
Earth Hour is open-source and we welcome everyone, anyone, to take part and help amplify our mission to unite people to protect our planet.

Our mission: Then and Now

In 2007, we encouraged people around the world to switch off their lights to call attention to climate change. More than a decade later, the climate crisis remains, made worse by another urgent threat: the rapid loss of biodiversity and nature.

Natural systems are vital for all our futures – and yet, the rate of global loss of nature during the past 50 years is unprecedented in human history. Nature not only provides us food, water, clean air, and other services worth over US$125 trillion a year – it is also one of our strongest allies against climate change. Protecting nature is one of the most immediate, powerful, and cost-effective solutions to the climate crisis.

Today, Earth Hour aims to increase awareness and spark global conversations on protecting nature not only to combat the climate crisis, but to ensure our own health, happiness, prosperity and even survival.

2021: The year that counts

2021 presents an unmissable opportunity for change. In 2021, world leaders will come together during key global conferences and forums to set the environmental agenda for the next decade and beyond. Crucial political decisions will be made on climate action, nature, and sustainable development –- decisions that will directly affect the fate of humanity and our planet for years to come.

With your support, Earth Hour 2021 could be a spotlight moment that puts nature at the center of international conversations. Together, we can speak up and show world leaders and other decision-makers around the globe that nature matters and urgent action must be taken to reverse nature loss.

What is new this year?

Our first-ever Earth Hour "Virtual Spotlight"

 

Over the years, the lights-off moment saw entire streets, buildings, landmarks, and city skylines go dark - an unmissable sight that drew public attention to nature loss and the climate crisis. 

This year - amidst the current global circumstances - in addition to switching off your lights, we also invite you to raise awareness and create the same unmissable sight online, so that the world sees our planet, the issues we face, and our place within it, in a new light.

👉 How? It's simple. On the night of Earth Hour (March 27), we'll be posting a must-watch video on all our social media pages - and all you have to do is share it.

Share it to your Stories or to your wall, re-Tweet it, send it via DM, tag friends in the comments - the choice is yours! 
 
🌍👀 Our goal is simple: put the spotlight on our planet and make it the most watched video in the world on March 27 (or beyond!) so that as many people as possible hear our message.
 
✅ Be sure to follow us on Instagram / Facebook / Twitter to stay updated!
 

Can I share the video outside of social media?

 

The video will also be on Youtube so it can be shared on Whatsapp or email or whatever other platforms you wish.
 

The next decade (and beyond) is at stake

 
2021 presents an incredible opportunity to push world leaders into action.
 
In a few months time, representatives from all over the globe will be attending the 15th meeting of the United Nations Conference of the Parties (COP 15) to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) in Kunming, China.
 
The state of nature and biodiversity will be the focus for this conference, and global plans will be made for the next 10 years - decisions that will affect not only the next decade, but our future and well-being for many years to come. With enough public support, this conference could be the conference where we secure an international commitment - signed by world leaders - to end nature loss and put our planet on the path to recovery by 2030
 
By speaking up for nature this Earth Hour, we can put the spotlight on our planet and spark global conversations on the need for change, building momentum and a "domino effect" that directly influences the direction of this crucial United Nations Biodiversity Conference in a few months time. 

So over the next few weeks I will be reminding people and hopefully drum up a bit more support, it really is an easy thing to do!

The blog song for today is:"Smoke gets in your eyes" by Bryan Ferry
 
TTFN