Mighty Earth

We're proud to launch our new film telling Mighty Earth's story of how we deploy our "perfect storm" campaign approach to stop the destruction of nature and shift whole industries to adopt sustainable practices. We use several strategies, from satellite monitoring to pinpoint deforestation in supply chains to scrutinising companies to see if they're “greenwashing” their climate and ESG credentials. Our reports and investigations have revealed that many industries still don’t have control of their supply chains, allowing deforestation and human rights violations to seep in through direct and indirect suppliers. We work alongside Indigenous communities on the frontline of deforestation, amplifying their voices and seeking new platforms for their stories to be heard. Watch the trailer ⬇️and see the full film here: https://lnkd.in/eXYpfqTK

Junk JBS IPO on the NYSE! During his final month as Chair of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, we’ve written to Gary Gensler, urging him to reject the Brazilian meat giant’s plan to list on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE). Since JBS announced its proposal to list on the NYSE in July 2023, its application has faced delay after delay due to growing opposition from environmental groups, U.S. Senators, MEPs, UK politicians, animal welfare organizations, and investors. The evidence against JBS continues to mount, exposing its notorious track record of environmental violations, human rights abuses, governance failures, and misleading ‘Net Zero’ and greenwashing claims. This month, we submitted another complaint to the SEC detailing recent developments that highlight the risks associated with JBS. These include: -A Mighty Earth investigation linking JBS to widespread ‘chemical deforestation’ in the Pantanal wetlands in Brazil.  - A Greenpeace report finding JBS’s estimated methane emissions exceed those of carbon majors ExxonMobil and Shell.  - Allegations of human-trafficking and rights violations of migrant workers at JBS’s Greeley meatpacking plant in Colorado.  - A lawsuit filed by McDonald's against JBS for beef price-fixing. This submission rounds off another damning year for JBS and underscores why JBS should be denied access to the world’s largest stock market - preventing it from gaining access to almost limitless capital to fuel its climate-wrecking operations. Mighty Earth has dubbed JBS’s New York Stock Exchange IPO application the single most important IPO for the climate in history. Junking the JBS IPO would be one of Gary Gensler’s most impactful decisions for people and planet, and a fitting legacy for the outgoing SEC chair. #StopJBSIPO #Deforestation #Climate #Methane #NetZero #SEC #MeatIndustry #DropJBS Glenn Hurowitz Jordan McDonald Gemma Hoskins Alex Wijeratna João Gonçalves Jurjen de Waal Alex Armstrong Molly Dorozenski Mariana Bombo Perozzi Gameiro Carole Mitchell Boris Patentreger Isabel Fernández Cruz Carlos Bravo Villa Julian Oram Changing Markets Foundation Global Witness World Animal Protection Global Canopy Read more here, including links to the latest submission ⬇️ https://lnkd.in/ef3PWSy2

The European Parliament vote on the #EUDR marks an end to a potential fatal fork in the road for the future of the anti-deforestation Regulation. While the journey to full implementation has been mired in a twelve month delay, there is still cause for great optimism. The vote marks a victory of common sense over political skulduggery, and an ambitious Green economy transition over business as usual for Europe. Had enough member states fallen for the European People's Party (EPP) ruse in claiming it wanted make the law more "fit for purpose" - while in fact wanting to deliver it a killer blow - the future of the world's precious remaining forest habitats would have been in grave peril. But through a powerful and united civil society voice, a strong pushback from companies that had prepared for on-time EUDR compliance, and sufficient political will amongst member states to maintain an effective EUDR, the false narratives of the EPP were blown out of the water. Now its time to focus on the next leg of the journey - finalising the European Commission guidance, information systems and benchmarking in Q1 of 2025, equipping national competent authorities with the tools and resources they need to uphold the law and catch non compliance. And urgently moving the law forward to cover other wooded lands (OWL) such as the Cerrado savannah in Brazil which are under extreme pressure from the European Union's commodity consumption footprint. Council of the European Union Fern NGO WWF EUROPEAN POLICY PROGRAMME Deutsche Umwelthilfe ClientEarth Global Witness Barry Callebaut Group Michelin Carrefour Nestlé Julian Oram Isabel Fernández Cruz Carlos Bravo Villa Boris Patentreger Jurjen de Waal

The impact of Indonesia’s nickel mining industry on the world’s last remaining sea tribe is captured in a powerful photo essay from The Associated Press (AP) published today. The Bajau tribe of Kabaena island off the Southeast coast of Sulawesi live in stilted communities which are surrounded by murky brown river and sea water, the runoff from the many nickel mines scarring this once pristine place. The global nickel rush for EV batteries and demand for stainless steel is driving extensive deforestation and pollution on Kabaena, devastating the lives and livelihoods of the people that live there, Mighty Earth’s Amanda Hurowitz tells AP. The piece highlights Mighty Earth’s analysis which found that over 3,700 hectares (9,140 acres) of forest — including protected forest — were cleared by mining companies on Kabaena between 2001 to 2023. People are suffering itchy rashes and lesions from living with metal contamination. Villagers told AP that since the mines have opened, there’s been a spike in people complaining of itchy skin, sore throats and other health issues. No one wants to bathe or wash clothes in the water. And parents warn children not to swim. Analysis of water and dust samples taken by our partners at Satya Bumi and Fern NGO on field trips to Kabaena show hazardous levels of nickel, lead and cadmium — common mining byproducts. Exposure to these metals at the levels seen in the lab samples could lead to cancer, cardiovascular, kidney and other chronic diseases, reveals Kathrin Schilling, an assistant professor at Columbia University who reviewed the lab results. Quoted in the piece, Dr Schilling said:” If people on this island are using the river water as drinking water — which has higher levels of the metals — and then if they are also eating the shellfish and breathe the air ... you cannot escape basically any of the exposure to those toxic metals.” Huge thanks to Victoria Milko and Yusuf Wahil for their collaboration and compelling photo essay. Andi Muttaqien Sayyidatiihayaa Afra Dhany Alfalah Robert Blake, Jr. Thea Parson Katie Y. Glenn Hurowitz Perrine Fournier Alex Armstrong Restu Diantina Matthew Groch Christopher Alford Lead The Charge Read the article in full here: https://lnkd.in/ebbkRATj Read more from Mighty Earth here: https://lnkd.in/eFrNzXsQ And Satya Bumi here: https://lnkd.in/enmquFxK

Thanks Philippa Nuttall for this great piece on the impact of the Mercosur free trade deal on the Amazon and for highlighting our Rapid Response programme tracking soy-driven deforestation. Boris Patentreger Jordan McDonald João Gonçalves Mariana Bombo Perozzi Gameiro Glenn Hurowitz

🚨🚨🚨 Amazônia em Risco!🚨🚨🚨 Produtores de soja lideram ataques à Moratória da Soja, que desde 2008 reduz o desmatamento sem impedir o crescimento da produção. Com o planeta aquecendo e a floresta perto do colapso, desmontar esse acordo é retroceder.  Defenda o desmatamento zero e o futuro da Amazônia! 🌎 🔗 https://lnkd.in/edq6fuyA #Amazônia #DesmatamentoZero #Sustentabilidade #MoratóriaDaSoja

Mighty Earth is part of a global coalition urging soy traders not to gut the historic Amazon Soy Moratorium (ASM) and maintain commitment to zero deforestation in the threatened biome by the end of this decade. Established 18 years ago, the ASM has been a successful mechanism to protect the Brazilian Amazon from agricultural expansion, particularly the growing of soy to feed intensively reared farm animals. It’s a voluntary agreement in which big agribusinesses such as Bunge and Cargill agreed to not buy soy from any area of the Amazon deforested after July 2008. And to ensure that soy growing is confined to existing agricultural land.   There’s a slew of new regional and national laws in Brazil that threaten the ASM but given what the country has experienced this year with unprecedented fires and droughts, it's critical that the mechanism is preserved and the Amazon protected. Read the NGO manifesto here:  https://lnkd.in/edq6fuyA More from Mighty Earth here: https://lnkd.in/ecuSUtuZ WWF-Brasil Greenpeace Brasil ICV - Instituto Centro de Vida João Gonçalves Jordan McDonald Boris Patentreger Gemma Hoskins Isabel Fernández Cruz Alex Wijeratna Glenn Hurowitz Carole Mitchell #Amazon #SoyMoratorium #soy #Brazil #Brasil #environment #Nature #wildlife #IndigenousCommunities #ecosystems #soyindustry 

Well said, Alex Wijeratna! The findings prompted calls for the shipping companies to be held responsible. “Major shipping companies are the silent enablers in the billion-dollar global trade of deforestation-risk commodities like beef and leather,” said Alex Wijeratna, senior director at Mighty Earth. “But they slip under the radar when it comes to legal accountability.” Read more: https://lnkd.in/dcQ-4g-n

What a surprise! JBS and Cargill are at the bottom of Mighty Earth’s new Soy & Cattle Scorecard.    The Scorecard assesses 10 of the largest meat & soy companies on their responses to deforestation alerts filed with them through Mighty Earth's Rapid Response Monitoring program over the past year, and their public Deforestation-and Conversion-Free (DCF) commitments.    JBS and Cargill, who have been repeatedly linked to Brazilian deforestation, scored only 10 and 11 points out of 100, respectively. LDC Groupe leads the scorecard with 42 points out of 100 and has the highest scoring Deforestation & Conversion Free Policy, while ADM, in second place is the only company to publish deforestation cases in a public grievance log.  The Scorecard exposes the meat industry’s inaction and a lack of accountability in tackling deforestation in their supply chains.    Learn more about the Scorecard here: https://lnkd.in/eetiz4KU Jordan McDonald João Gonçalves Carole Mitchell Mackenzie Harris Glenn Hurowitz Julian Oram Mariana Bombo Perozzi Gameiro Isabel Fernández Cruz Boris Patentreger Alex Wijeratna Alex Armstrong Molly Dorozenski Gemma Hoskins Amanda Hurowitz Katie Y. Thea Parson Jackson Harris #deforestation #soydeforestation #soy #cattle #cattledeforestation #deforestationscorecard #scorecard #RapidResponse

Finally, some good news for the Amazon! 🌱 Lactalis Group, Cooperl, Lidl France and other major food companies are still committed to protecting the Amazon. As the most effective mechanism to combat Amazon #deforestation — the Soy Moratorium—is under threat, French #SoyManifesto members have stepped up to publicly support it. The #SoyMoratorium has been a key tool for 18 years, preventing the purchase of soy animal feed linked to deforestation in the Amazon. However, some companies, like Cargill, are pushing to weaken it. Ending the Soy Moratorium would not only accelerate deforestation but also serve as a stark reminder of the EU-Mercosur trade deal’s harmful environmental consequences. The images of bulldozers clearing precious jaguar and sloth habitats will make it much harder for EU states to ratify the trade deal—something that is crucial for the meat industry’s economic interests. The meat industry will ultimately lose access to markets and favorable trade terms due to their own shortsighted political maneuvers. A loss for them, but ultimately for the #Amazon. 🌍 The Soy Moratorium has proven its value in preserving ecosystems and promoting responsible soy sourcing in the Amazon. Key global and European companies from the protein sector, including European poultry leader LDC Groupe and French retail giant E.Leclerc remain fully committed to supporting the Soy Moratorium and encourage traders importing soy into France to uphold this critical agreement. 💡 Major food retailers and manufactures are also sending a powerful reminder: we must tackle the conversion of critical ecosystems like the Cerrado. This remarkable biome, which has conversion rates even higher than the Amazon, is often overlooked. It is one of the world’s richest biodiversity hotspots, and its protection is just as critical. For the signatories of the French Soy Manifesto, this is a key point of their commitment: no deforestation, no conversion of all ecosystems. This is a very important signal to the soy sector: decisions cannot be made in isolation and traders must uphold their commitments to protect our best allies in the fight against climate change — our natural ecosystems. The market will not accept any backtracking of critical protection measures – including the Amazon Soy Moratorium - for these precious biomes. Earthworm Foundation Imaflora ICS WWF-Brasil ABIOVE - Associação Brasileira das Indústrias de Óleos Vegetais Louis Dreyfus Company Bunge ADM Amaggi COFCO International Jordan McDonald Boris Patentreger João Gonçalves Isabel Fernández Cruz Gemma Hoskins Carlos Bravo Villa Alex Wijeratna Alex Armstrong Glenn Hurowitz