According to a new report just out by Oxfam, climate change will send food costs soaring, leading to hunger and suffering. Oxfam intentionally aimed this report at the 10 largest food and beverages in the companies.
The Oxfam study posits that not only is there a moral obligation for corporations to address climate change, but the report also makes it clear to the corporations themselves that there are profits o be made by doing so. All the corporations are taking individual action to reduce the amount of greenhouse gases they release, but none are going far enough.
Basically, if there isn’t some kind of regulation, no one company has the incentive to go completely carbon neutral.
General Mills and Kellogg came under particular scrutiny for their high vulnerability to climate change, but according to the report, both companies also have the ability to position themselves as leaders toward a more sustainable future.
Most major companies know they would benefit from climate regulation, yet they resist from advocating for it. No one wants to take the first step.
The only company of note in the study was Unilever and CEO Paul Polman. He has consistently and publically advocated loudly for action on climate change. The rest of the CEOs of the big ten have remained silent.
