The Bezos Earth Fund has announced a significant investment of $57 million in grants dedicated to combating climate change and addressing biodiversity loss. Out of this substantial sum, more than $46 million will be directed towards initiatives focused on enhancing livestock sustainability and safeguarding the Brazilian Amazon from the perils of deforestation, according to an official statement from the fund.
Key Grant Recipients and Initiatives:
- Global Methane Hub ($5.1 million): This grant aims to support the Enteric Methane R&D accelerator, which is dedicated to strengthening research efforts concerning methane reduction in cattle. The research encompasses various aspects, including feed additives, breeding strategies, and vaccine development.
- CGIAR ($15.5 million): A global research partnership focused on food security, CGIAR’s grant will be used to identify specific grasses and forages containing methane-reducing compounds. These findings will then be deployed in high-emission livestock systems in the Global South, to decrease methane production in cattle.
- The Pontificia Universidad Javeriana ($4.5 million): This grant will facilitate the development and production of a wearable sensing device designed for cows, automating individual methane measurements.
- The Earth Rover Program ($4 million): This initiative is set to develop sensors employing seismology for soil carbon measurement, contributing to a better understanding of carbon content in the soil.
- The platform for Agriculture and Climate Transformation (PACT) ($4.3 million): PACT, a network of U.S. scientists focusing on climate-smart agriculture, will receive funding to update livestock and agriculture practices to enable American farmers and ranchers to adopt low-methane technologies and receive federal support for such efforts.
- Clim-Eat ($1.5 million): A think-and-do tank for food systems transformation, Clim-Eat will further develop a groundbreaking food systems dashboard. This innovative tool will bridge the knowledge gap between the climate community and food tech innovations.
- Wageningen University ($5 million): This grant will be used to establish standard approaches and strategies for a concerted global effort to breed next-generation low-methane cattle, a promising step towards reducing methane emissions from livestock.
- The Food and Land Use Coalition (FOLU) ($1.1 million): FOLU will work to facilitate a global coalition of international governments, to transform food systems on a global scale.
- The Instituto de Manejo e Certificação Florestal e Agrícola ($2.5 million): This funding will support the development of protocols for cattle producers and incentivise system adoption that promotes sustainability.
- The Nature Conservancy ($8 million): Working in Pará, this initiative will collaborate with public and private sector stakeholders to establish a state-wide animal-based traceability system. This will ensure data access and reliability, a crucial aspect of sustainable practices.
- The Earth Innovation Institute ($2.5 million) and Aliança da Terra ($1 million): These organisations will provide training to actors in the farming sector in Pará, focusing on carbon markets and low-emission production practices.
- The University of Wisconsin — Madison ($1 million): Through a project of the University of Wisconsin Foundation, this grant aims to create a comprehensive and user-friendly data system that tracks the meat and leather trade in the Amazon. This system will inform best practices in traceability systems.
- Global Canopy ($1.25 million): With a focus on strategic commodity market levers in China and Brazil, Global Canopy’s grant aims to increase transparency and accountability in the finance sector. This will help combat cattle-related deforestation, particularly in regions that export Brazilian beef and soy.
These substantial grants signify a pivotal step towards addressing climate change and biodiversity loss within the meat industry, ultimately contributing to a more sustainable and environmentally conscious future.
