Message From the Editor

While fossil fuel companies (rightly so) get a lot of attention for their climate impact, the corporations putting steaks on dinner plates around the world deserve close scrutiny as well. This week, a new study reveals that Brazilian meat giant JBS is now responsible for more climate pollution than the entire country of Italy, with the corporation’s emissions surging in recent years. “It’s mind-blowing that JBS can continue to make climate claims to investors, even as the company massively increases its emissions,” said Shefali Sharma, Europe director for the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP), a nonprofit advocacy organization, which calculated the estimates. Get the full meaty story here. 

In cities across the United States, the ongoing legacy of racism is revealed in new research examining how oil drilling practices overlap with redlining. This study shows neighborhoods targeted by racist mortgage lending practices during the Jim Crow era wound up with twice as many oil and gas wells, and that has serious implications for the health of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color. Read more.

In no surprise to DeSmog readers, the latest IPCC report faults disinformation for delaying climate action. Yet a newly released scorecard finds that the plans released by major social media platforms to handle climate disinformation remain murky. Can you guess which ones got failing grades? Sharon Kelly has the story.

Have a story tip or feedback? Get in touch: [email protected].

Thanks,
Brendan DeMelle

Executive Director

P.S. Readers like you power our news and investigations holding corporations and governments accountable on climate change. Can you donate $10 or $20 right now to help keep this kind of journalism going?

Alberta Is Spending its Carbon Tax on Pro-Oil Ad Campaigns

— By Geoff Dembicki (4 min. read) —

In late March, the Alberta government ran a series of ads on Facebook promoting an oil sands pipeline expansion that could have a climate footprint surpassing that of the entire country of Panama.

“Once completed, the Trans Mountain Expansion will allow more responsibly-produced Canadian oil to reach key markets in Asia and beyond,” claimed one ad from the Canadian Energy Centre, which according to Facebook analytics reached an estimated audience size of over one million people. “And with global demand for oil soaring, the pipeline project is more important than ever.”

Redlined Neighborhoods in Cities Across the US Saw More Oil Drilling, Study Finds

— By Sharon Kelly (5 min. read)—

Roughly 17 million people in the U.S. live within a mile of an oil or gas well — putting them at higher risk of health problems like heart disease, breathing issues, anxiety and depression, and complications during pregnancy, a growing body of research shows.

But all is not equal when it comes to who exactly lives near oil wells — and intentional racial discrimination in federal mortgage policies, reflected in a practice known as “redlining,” may have played a role, according to a new study published in the Journal of Exposure Science & Environmental Epidemiology.

Brazilian Meat Giant JBS a Bigger Emitter Than Italy, Study Estimates

— By Michaela Herrmann (6 min. read)—

Greenhouse gas emissions produced by JBS, the world’s largest meat processor, have surged more than 50 percent in the past five years as the company has acquired new poultry and livestock units – meaning it now has a larger climate footprint than Italy, according to a new study.

The findings, published ahead of the Brazilian company’s annual general meeting on Friday, prompted renewed calls from climate campaigners for asset managers to divest from JBS – despite its pledge to hit net zero carbon emissions by 2040.

Boris Johnson Meets Coal Baron on India Tour Despite Calling For End to Dirtiest Fossil Fuel

— By Adam Barnett (3 min. read)—

Boris Johnson has met with the head of an Indian multinational conglomerate building Australia’s largest coal mine, despite having called on the world to phase out the fuel as part of the UK’s COP26 presidency.  

The UK prime minister met with billionaire Gautam Adani this week on a trip to India to strengthen relations between the two countries and promote “jobs, growth and opportunity”. 

Social Media Giants Get a Failing Grade on Climate Disinformation

— By Sharon Kelly (4 min. read) —

The first page of Menlo Park, California’s 2030 Climate Action Plan shows a map predicting which parts of the city will be underwater by the end of the century, flooded by the rising waters of San Francisco Bay. The famed headquarters of Facebook’s parent company Meta appears as an island, the roads leading to 1 Hacker Way erased by a sea of blue.

Sea level rise is just one imminent threat for Silicon Valley. Concerns about the upcoming wildfire season are looming over California, with over 95 percent of the state experiencing severe or extreme drought. Climate scientists warn future years may bring wildfire smoke at levels the San Francisco Chronicle calls “practically unbearable.”

From the Climate Disinformation Database: Canadian Energy Centre

The Canadian Energy Centre (CEC), also known as the “Energy War Room,” is an Alberta provincial government corporation formed to promote the province’s fossil fuel industry, in part by fighting what it has described as “domestic and foreign-funded campaigns against Canada’s oil and gas industry.” This week DeSmog reports that an Alberta carbon tax program touted as reducing oil and gas emissions is instead funding the Canadian Energy Centre’s goals to increase fossil fuel production.

Read its full profile and browse other individuals and organizations in our Climate Disinformation Database and Koch Network Database.