The cattle ranching industry in Brazil is one of the largest in the world, but it could see huge financial losses if it doesn’t adapt to climate change and increasingly rigorous deforestation policies to protect the Amazon, a new report says. Domestic beef production in Brazil could drop by 25% by 2050 as governments and the private sector look to step up climate change and forest conservation strategies, according to a new report from Orbitas, an initiative of Climate Advisers. The industry will have to find ways to adapt soon or else risk major losses. “The future of the Brazilian cattle sector is set to look very different to how it appears and operates today,” said Orbitas director Niamh McCarthy in a statement. “The sector has real climate risks it needs to contend with if it is to remain a significant contributor to Brazil’s GDP.” Brazil has the second-largest number of cattle in the world at around 232 million, according to FAO, and contributes about 20% of the world’s beef exports. The industry has grown massively over the last several decades, but often at the expense of important biomes like the Amazon Rainforest and Cerrado. Cattle pasture and agriculture for cattle feed are some of the top drivers of deforestation in those biomes, which act as carbon sinks helping prevent climate change. In the Amazon, deforestation dropped to 900,100 hectares (2,224,196 acres) last year, the first time it had fallen below 1,000,000 hectares since 2018. But clearing is up in…This article was originally published on Mongabay
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