How green groups help Big Meat mislead you

Plus: Harris's and Trump’s big fundraising hauls, bonkers state fair food, and more. August 8, 2024 [View in browser]( Good morning! Senior reporter Kenny Torrella published a blockbuster of a feature this week examining how the most powerful environmental groups help greenwash Big Meat’s climate impact. You should read the whole piece (find it [here),]( but first, we've got his favorite takeaways in today's newsletter. —Caroline Houck, senior editor of news   [collage photo illustration of cows] Mark Harris for Vox; Getty Images The meat industry’s surprising ally In 2006, the United Nations published a [landmark report]( that singled out the meat and dairy sector as one of the most polluting industries on the planet, one that has “such deep and wide-ranging environmental impacts that it should rank as one of the leading focuses for environmental policy.” Ever since, livestock producers have operated an [extensive campaign]( to downplay the industry’s impact and assure policymakers that they can clean up their act by developing questionable initiatives to produce [“climate-friendly” beef]( and [“net-zero” dairy](. While some of these projects have the potential to marginally reduce pollution from meat and dairy production, they fall far short of what climate scientists [say]( we must do to bring the food industry in line with global climate targets: Scale down livestock populations and transition to a more plant-based food system. (Globally, meat and dairy production remain a leading cause of [climate change]( and [deforestation](, and in the US, it’s a top source of [air]( and [water]( pollution.) None of this is terribly surprising — it’s [largely the same]( denial-and-deflection playbook used by the oil industry to avoid responsibility for climate change, with help from the usual suspects: [industry-aligned academics](, [front]( [groups](, [loyal]( [politicians](, and [social media influencers](. But among those allies are some surprises, including a few of the world’s largest environmental organizations, like the World Wildlife Fund and the Nature Conservancy. I’ve been researching factory farming issues for nearly 20 years, and I’ve long wondered why so many environmental groups either ignore meat’s enormous environmental impact, or even help industry promote initiatives that some critics describe as greenwashing. So, for [How Factory Farming Ends](, an ambitious new 10-part Vox series on the past and future of the movement against factory farming, I talked with nearly 40 environmental activists to better understand the green movement’s complicated relationship with meat. Here are three takeaways. (You can read the whole story [here](.) [pigs in cages] Jo-Anne McArthur / We Animals Media 1. Meat and dairy greenwashing has gone into overdrive Beef, pork, and poultry producers have been under increasing pressure to reduce their environmental impact, and in response, they’ve launched a range of supposed sustainability initiatives. Many of the projects borrow practices from [“regenerative agriculture,”]( an organic-style farming ethos that’s recently gone mainstream. While these methods of land management (for example, rotating cattle among different fields instead of grazing them on just one until it’s kaput) do have some proven ecological benefits, [research]( doesn’t [bear out]( the grandiose claims many of regenerative agriculture’s proponents make about its [potential]( to slow down climate change. “I think the climate argument in general with regenerative agriculture … is pretty bogus,” said [Derric Pennington](, a former lead scientist at WWF and now a sustainability scientist at the University of Minnesota. Then there’s a slate of technological solutions, like feeding cows seaweed to reduce the amount of methane they burp, or changing how animal manure is managed. These projects hold some potential to reduce Big Meat’s environmental footprint, but it’s limited. Despite that, these initiatives have helped to prevent environmental oversight of farms: From 2010 to 2022, US meat production increased by over [13 percent]( while the industry [successfully]( staved off [calls]( for regulation. [ chart showing the donations major food and meat companies have given to WWF] 2. Some of the world’s most powerful environmental groups are helping the meat industry greenwash In 2010, the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and McDonald’s — along with other companies — launched a conference on sustainable beef, and later, other meat-related projects. For its collaboration, McDonald’s has made sure WWF is well compensated; the company donated $4.5 to $9 million to WWF-US in recent years, and the organization has received millions from other meat-and-dairy driven companies. Yet nearly 15 years after McDonald’s and WWF launched their sustainable beef project, the fast food giant has little to show for it: An executive [admitted]( recently that the company doesn’t even yet know how to measure and validate its progress. WWF is hardly alone. Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) and the Nature Conservancy, for example, provided technical assistance to Tyson Foods on its so-called [“climate-friendly” beef]( project. What does “climate-friendly” beef even mean? Neither Tyson nor the US Department of Agriculture (which approved the label) could provide data to explain that claim when asked. Yet when you visit Tyson’s website about that beef or view one of its advertisements, it name-drops EDF and the Nature Conservancy. It’s earned those environmental groups some sharp criticism from fellow activists and academics, including one employee at EDF who told me that this work “provides cover for businesses by letting them set their own ambition.” And [Silvia Secchi](, a professor of geographical and sustainability sciences at the University of Iowa, told me, “the taking over of these organizations for greenwashing has reached such a level that I think we need to be honest about it. Because it's pretty obvious that the industry is using them, and whether willing or not, they're letting themselves be used.” [cows] Ed Young /Design Pics Editorial/Universal Images Group via Getty Images 3. Taking on the meat industry is politically risky. But there is a better way forward for environmental groups. When I asked why these organizations take this approach — and neglect to push for a more plant-based food system — I received a variety of answers. Some said working on policy to shift the American diet isn’t in their wheelhouse, or isn’t a feasible strategy for change. Some said that there’s no realistic pathway to pass legislation requiring livestock producers to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, so voluntary corporate initiatives must be pursued. There’s no doubt that taking on the meat and dairy industry would be a difficult, even toxic fight. [Politicians]( are increasingly pulling meat in the culture war, while European farmers have jammed up highways in protest of proposed livestock regulations. But some environmental groups have shown that they can indeed advocate for a more climate-friendly food system — and they can do it with little to no political backlash. For example, the Breakthrough Institute advocates for the government to [fund R&D]( for the alternative meat sector to produce better plant-based meat and dairy-free milk, while groups like [Earthjustice]( and [Food and Water Watch]( campaign against factory farm pollution that dirties our air and water, and have seen [some potential regulatory success](. European environmental advocates have even helped lower meat consumption in [some countries](. None of this is yet enough — as incomes rise around the world, so too does per capita meat consumption. But progress is possible. If there is to be any chance at success, however, buy-in from the broader US environmental community will need to precede it. For that to happen, environmental leaders will have to take their own advice: Follow the science wherever it leads, including to the inconvenient truth that changing how we farm alone won’t cut it. We have to rethink our relationship with meat. —[Kenny Torrella, senior reporter](   [Listen]( Riots in the UK Disinformation after a knife attack in the UK transformed a local tragedy into nationwide upheaval. The Guardian's Robyn Vinter explains how it got to this point. [Listen now](   AMERICA - More money, no more problems?: The impact of Harris’s and Trump’s big fundraising hauls, explained. [[Vox](] - You might have missed this in all the other political news this week: Cori Bush, a prominent member of the progressive “Squad” in the US House, lost her primary this week in a race with heavy spending from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC). [[Washington Post](] WE HOPE YOU’LL CHECK OUT - How factory farming ends: Kenny’s feature that we sampled above is actually part of a huge (and hugely impressive) package of stories that the Future Perfect team at Vox put out this week. It asks: Can the fight against the meat industry be won? [[Vox](] [cotton candy]( Getty Images SAVOR SUMMER - Hot tip about some cool frozen treats: Wendy’s Frostys are $1 through the end of summer. [[Today](] - Check out a state fair: The Texas one has some absolutely bonkers foods in contention for its top prizes this year: cotton candy bacon on a stick; a cup that’s ostensibly an order of pickles but mostly appears to be sweet cereals, cotton candy, and ice cream; deep-fried balls of brisket, shredded potatoes, and cheese; and more. [[Eater](]   Ad   Why "pop-up" restaurants are everywhere now [[ratio]  ](   Are you enjoying the Today, Explained newsletter? Forward it to a friend; they can [sign up for it right here](. And as always, we want to know what you think. Specifically: If there is a topic you want us to explain or a story you’re curious to learn more about, let us know [by filling out this form]( or just replying to this email. Today's edition was produced and edited by Caroline Houck. 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