The two bodies decided to oblige a soybean producer in Brazil not to sell soybeans grown on an area of created tropical forest, other companies followed suit
Here is a story that demonstrates how the global economy can create complex and even ironic situations. In this story, two organizations, the largest of their kind but opposite in their conception, found themselves collaborating for the sake of the environment; This is the Greenpeace organization and no less than the super corporation McDonald's who came to the rescue in favor of saving the Amazon rainforest. Brazilian farmers began to create areas out of the Amazon forest in order to grow soy.
An investigation by the Greenpeace organization revealed that McDonald's Corporation is one of the most significant customers of soy. The soybeans were bought to feed the chickens that would become McNuggets. Following a protest by Greenpeace, McDonald's decided to cooperate and together the two exerted public pressure on the largest soy exporter in Brazil not to purchase soy grown on Mebora forest land for two years. After this company accepted the restriction, other companies that trade in soybeans joined it.
The Washington Post reports that this week a joint tour by Greenpeace and McDonald's went to the Amazon to witness up close how parts of the Amazon forest are disappearing in favor of soy cultivation. This story demonstrates how previously unthinkable partnerships can be formed and impact environmental and social problems that governments are unable to solve.
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Kudos to McDonald's!!!!
A company that cares about the environment. This week it was also written that she raised salaries for her employees.
The energy sugar wars and the description of the Amazon forests
Brazil is the world's largest producer of sugar, due to the implementation of a long-term plan to take over the sugar industry. At the same time as this trend, Brazil encouraged its residents to switch to the use of ethanol as a substitute for fuel. Ethanol is a compound from the alcohol family, which can be produced from sugar cane, sugar beet, corn and other sources, about 40% of all vehicles in Brazil are powered by ethanol.
In this future market, Brazil has a clear advantage - as the world's largest producer of sugar, it can use the sugar exported for global consumption and channel it to produce ethanol for local consumption. This trend, along with growing global demands for sugar, led to a global shortage of this commodity, and to an increase in both sugar prices (which rose by 86% in the last year) and ethanol prices (which rose by 65% in the last months).
You can read the article about ethanol and understand that the problem with the destruction of the Amazon rainforest lies in the high prices of corn, which is mainly used as poultry feed, which also increases the price of soybeans and the viability of growers.
Brazil is the world's largest exporter of ethanol as demand for corn pushes growers further into the disappearing Amazon forests in favor of various agricultural crops.