The Rising Influence of Rising Affluence

[DewDiligence]

Organic produce—>bad for the planet, says Syngenta’s CEO:

https://www.wsj.com/articles/syngentas-ceo-navigates-the-u-s-china-trade-war-11566990002

WSJ: How dire is the threat from climate change?

Mr. Fyrwald: I personally believe it’s the biggest threat facing the world. If you look beyond 10 years, there’s a significant threat to the ability to feed the world with nutritious, affordable food. The agriculture/food value chain contributes roughly 25% of greenhouse-gas emissions. Farmers that use the best technologies significantly reduce their emissions.
Many farmers in the U.S. use [genetically modified] corn together with herbicides. That allows them to reduce or eliminate tillage. That keeps the carbon in the soil.

WSJ: Aren’t a lot of U.S. farmers climate-change skeptics? Can you get them on board?

Mr. Fyrwald: If you look at the [carbon-dioxide] levels in the atmosphere, ever since industrialization, they’ve been increasing. They’re now at the highest levels they’ve been in millions of years. Any scientist will agree with that. I believe more and more farmers and more people around the world are starting to see the data.

WSJ: “Food Inc.” came out 10 years ago. Has the industry’s image gotten better or worse?

Mr. Fyrwald: It’s gotten worse, unfortunately. We allowed organic to get this reputation without explaining that pesticides are used, the yields are much lower, you need more land and the [carbon-dioxide] emissions are higher.

WSJ: Could Syngenta invest to make organic production more efficient?

Mr. Fyrwald: We sell a lot of product, both seeds and crop-protection pesticides, into the organic market. We like the organic market because the prices are high, and it’s growing. But it is not the solution to environmental sustainability.

WSJ: Do you buy organic produce?

Mr. Fyrwald: When I go into a grocery store, if the organic produce looks better, I’ll buy it and pay the extra. The USDA will tell you it’s no more nutritious. I am absolutely convinced that organic takes us backward from an environmental-sustainability standpoint, so I prefer to buy nonorganic.

Syngenta is a wholly owned subsidiary of the ChemChina.