What's in the news right now about an environmentally sound, socially responsible and economically viable beef value chain?
","paddingTop":10,"paddingLeft":5}}],"id":"nu929jn2p","properties":{"borderTopWidth":0,"borderRightWidth":0,"borderBottomWidth":0,"borderLeftWidth":0,"backgroundColor":"transparent","borderTopStyle":"none","borderRightStyle":"none","borderBottomStyle":"none","borderLeftStyle":"none","borderTopColor":"#000000","borderRightColor":"#000000","borderBottomColor":"#000000","borderLeftColor":"#000000","width":600}}],"id":"tj029jn2x","properties":{}},{"columns":[{"gadgets":[{"gadgetType":"IMAGE","id":"vq91kz6hm","properties":{"align":"center","containerBackgroundColor":"transparent","src":"https://grsbeef.org/resources/Pictures/ConPhotos/2016%20Blue%20template/topwhite.png","width":"600","linkHref":"/","linkOpenInNewWindow":true,"linkTooltip":""}}],"id":"s1s28xtb5","properties":{"borderTopWidth":0,"borderRightWidth":0,"borderBottomWidth":0,"borderLeftWidth":0,"backgroundColor":"transparent","borderTopStyle":"none","borderRightStyle":"none","borderBottomStyle":"none","borderLeftStyle":"none","borderTopColor":"#000000","borderRightColor":"#000000","borderBottomColor":"#000000","borderLeftColor":"#000000","width":600}}],"id":"r2w28xtb5","properties":{}},{"columns":[{"gadgets":[{"gadgetType":"TEXT","id":"aro29fc76","properties":{"containerBackgroundColor":"#0090a1","content":"Executive Director's Message:
I hope you are all doing well in this exceptional year. I know for many GRSB member companies it is challenging, and for many of you as individuals it has been extremely tough. I have been impressed by how our network has really held together and continued to do positive work despite the challenges. Thank you!
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While for many of you it is now summer, here in New Zealand, snow is covering the hilltops on the other side of the bay. If you are taking a summer or winter break. I hope you have a good vacation and get back to whatever normal has become feeling refreshed.
\n\nI received a correction from Professor Myles Allen to the presentation he made in our webinar on GWP*, which he asked me to share with you.
","paddingTop":5,"paddingLeft":15,"paddingRight":15,"paddingBottom":1}},{"gadgetType":"IMAGE","id":"xhegq3wj1","properties":{"align":"center","containerBackgroundColor":"transparent","src":"https://grsbeef.org/resources/Pictures/ConPhotos/2016%20Blue%20template/CO2%20equivilent.png","width":475,"paddingLeft":16,"paddingBottom":8}},{"gadgetType":"TEXT","id":"w5ygqdf6u","properties":{"containerBackgroundColor":"transparent","content":"With reference to this slide, Prof Allen was talking about the relative value of cattle emissions under a putative trading scheme at €25/tCO2. You can see that while the \"rental\" value of the emissions is higher using CO2 equivalent, the capital value involved in adding or removing cattle using such a system is significant.
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Not that anyone has currently suggested using such an accounting system for enteric emissions, but this really illustrates the difference between the two methods of measuring warming impact quite starkly.
\n\nLast week I was asked about an article by Michael Shellenberger,(see it HERE) essentially a brief summary of some of the points of his new book \"Apocalypse Never\", so I decided to read the book itself to understand better what he was getting at.
\n\nWhile this book is attracting a lot of comment because his pitch in many articles has been to sell it as an \"apology on behalf of environmentalists\" for alarmist representation of climate change, he is not a climate change denier. The central tenet of the book is actually that our biggest problem in terms of protecting the planet is raising everyone out of poverty. He argues that only through human development can we truly protect biodiversity and stabilise climate.
\n\nSince human development requires large amounts of energy, he is strongly in favour of nuclear power as it is the most energy dense power source we have and comes with the benefit that it is carbon neutral. The book does also touch on emissions from livestock and argues that if we achieved equal levels of human development throughout the world, livestock emissions would be lower than they are now as production would become more efficient and that converting to plant based diets would not have as much of an impact as is often claimed. I felt that he certainly picks his sources to fit with his argument, but does document the source used for all of his assertions.
\n\nI do agree with him that we need a humanist approach to development, and that it is the lack of this, and growing inequality that leads to increasing unrest. His criticism of what he refers to as \"Apocalyptic Environmentalists\" as being part of a sort of secular religion seems to be stretching the point for dramatic effect.
\n\nAlthough it is true that some environmentalists do have a somewhat dystopian view of the global human population, I do not believe that they are being deliberately malthusian. It is simply the common problem of thinking in silos. People are trained in one area and may work their whole career on a subject without going much beyond the confines of their discipline. This can lead to simplistic conclusions about issues when they are beyond our areas of specialisation. We are all prone to doing this to some extent.
","paddingLeft":15,"paddingRight":15,"paddingTop":5,"paddingBottom":1}},{"gadgetType":"IMAGE","id":"bjx6pmtye","properties":{"align":"center","containerBackgroundColor":"transparent","src":"https://grsbeef.org/resources/Pictures/ConPhotos/2016%20Blue%20template/July.png","width":600}},{"gadgetType":"TEXT","id":"4ur6po61a","properties":{"containerBackgroundColor":"#ffffff","content":"As you heard in the last newsletter, our webinar on the 22nd July is on Delivering Animal Wellbeing Outcomes.
\n\nInvited Speakers / Panelists:
\n\nDr. Lily Edwards-Callaway, Assistant Professor of Livestock Behavior and Welfare, Colorado State University
\n\nDr. Angela Baysinger, Animal Welfare Lead; North America, Merck Animal Health
\n\nMandi McLeod, Managing Director, Systems Insights, Ltd.
\n\nMateus Paranhos da Costa, Assistant Professor, Universidade Estadual Paulista \"Júlio de Mesquita Filho\"
\n\nParticipants will have the opportunity to ask questions during the webinar.
Please register for the free webinar.
","paddingLeft":15,"paddingRight":15,"paddingTop":2}},{"gadgetType":"BUTTON","id":"y7zgqwr1u","properties":{"backgroundColor":"#0090a1","containerBackgroundColor":"#ffffff","borderRadius":4,"borderWidth":4,"color":"#ffffff","fontFamily":"Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif","fontSize":16,"content":"Register","align":"center","borderStyle":"none","borderColor":"#0090a1","innerPaddingTop":8,"innerPaddingLeft":12,"innerPaddingRight":12,"innerPaddingBottom":8,"paddingTop":4,"paddingBottom":4,"linkHref":"https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZYlcOurrTMvH9BgAaL7hJT64qsp2pLjokah","linkOpenInNewWindow":true,"linkTooltip":""}},{"gadgetType":"TEXT","id":"gnsgr0w2s","properties":{"containerBackgroundColor":"#ffffff","content":"We are looking forward to hearing from these experts on how to both deliver animal wellbeing outcomes and demonstrate that through the supply chain.
Our August webinar will similarly look at delivering outcomes and demonstrating them, but in this case through the use of innovative technologies and practices. Amongst others, we will be hearing from Ian Wheal of Breedr.
","paddingLeft":15,"paddingRight":15,"paddingTop":2}},{"gadgetType":"TEXT","id":"yxogrjuur","properties":{"containerBackgroundColor":"transparent","content":"Thanks,
\n\nRuaraidh Petre
\nGlobal Roundtable for Sustainable Beef
\nExecutive Director
\nJuly 14, 2020
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