General Mills, one of the world’s largest food companies, announced plans to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions by 28 percent by 2025.
In an interview with the Associated Press, CEO Ken Powell says the company felt compelled to act because repercussions from a changing climate are bad for the food business. With annual sales of $19 billion, General Mills can exert significant pressure on suppliers to reduce emissions. Powell also acknowledged that consumer concerns over climate change and sustainability are part of what’s driving the new strategy, which will include sourcing from an additional 250,000 organic acres globally by 2020 and stricter management of livestock diet and manure.
A related story in High Country News says that a growing number of farmers in Montana are trying to break free from polarization on the issue of climate change and explore possible solutions.
One barrier the farmers face, says University of Montana ecologist Brady Allred, is that states like Montana, where agriculture is the largest and most-vulnerable industry, tend to elect congressional representatives who resist policies that would help farmers deal with adverse weather events. The lawmakers’ reticence is understandable, though, given that only 40 percent of Montanans believe in man-made climate change.