Agriculture: Greenpeace calls for a halving of meat consumption – for-the-climate – daily mirror

just before the Green week in Berlin, the environmental organization Greenpeace with the “price-to-book Agriculture in 2050″, submitted a Plan for a climate-friendly renovation of the agriculture. Because so far, the agriculture have contributed to climate protection with virtually nothing, so the criticism of Greenpeace.

The research Institute of organic agriculture (FIBL) has been submitted on behalf of Greenpeace, a study of how it is possible to operate in Germany, an agriculture with the half of their current greenhouse gas emissions. To do this, the meat consumption of the Germans would have to fall by about half, from approximately 60 kilograms per capita per year to about 30 kilograms. Accordingly, fewer animals would be fattened in Germany. As a result, the greenhouse gas emissions would decrease significantly.

especially the methane emissions of cattle can be effective only due to less cattle lower. The nitrate values in air and in water would sink, if there are fewer pigs and chickens were kept. In addition, the manure-tourism would be reduced by the whole of Germany. Currently, manure, a day driving the car from the regions with high animal densities, particularly in the direction of Eastern Germany, to the Fields of excess quantities of get rid of as a fertilizer. The green agricultural politician, Friedrich Ostendorff, said on Saturday: “The Animal down.”

bees protect and less Fertilizing

the species extinction to stop, would have to be taken according to FIBL and Greenpeace assessment of further land out of production. Currently, eleven million hectares of arable land and a further five million hectares of grassland are used. In addition, the Institute proposes to ban pesticides and to reduce the nitrate fertilization. The renunciation of pesticides would come mammals, and especially insects – and therefore birds and small – to benefit, because they would then find enough food in the fields. If less is fertilized, seeps less nitrate into the groundwater, and there is less nitrous oxide, a very effective greenhouse gas.

Immediately, Greenpeace calls for a ban on bee-hazardous pesticides. Currently, a Moratorium on the so-called Neonicotinoids, which is currently being reviewed by the European Union. The environmental organization also the fertilisers regulation does not go far enough, which is discussed for two years in the Cabinet, in the parliamentary groups of the countries, and to be adopted in the first quarter. While the Federal environment Agency would like to simply abolish the value-added tax subsidy for meat and sausage products, Greenpeace, a new tax, whose revenue would be used to help farmers in the transition to environmentally sound agriculture.

The agricultural subsidies should also be of ecological inputs, the farmers bound, the environmentalists also. “Industrialized agriculture has no future,” says Greenpeace agricultural expert Martin Hofstetter. However, the consumer should expect “higher prices” in order to make the sector more climate friendly. But on the other hand, the costs for the environment would result in the elimination of problems such as, for example, an expensive drinking water treatment in the medium term.