The Food Industry Must Lead On Climate Before Activists Eat Their Lunch

The Food Industry Must Lead On Climate Before Activists Eat Their Lunch

Over the past few weeks the giants of the fossil fuels industry have been forced to reckon with their contribution to global warming. Royal Dutch Shell was ordered to reduce its carbon emissions by 45% by 2030, a ruling that encompassed even the fuel burned by consumers. And another energy titan, Exxon Mobil XOM , ceded three board seats to clean energy activists who will likely pressure the company to change its strategy behind fossil fuels. The oil industry has long been under scrutiny for its role in climate change, and this has only intensified despite re-branding themselves as "energy companies" and touting their investments in wind and solar. Activists now are eyeing the food industry as the next entrant to the environmental rogue's gallery. The industry should get ready for the hammer to come down, unless they own up to their own role in climate change and be far more aggressive about reducing it. Martyn Day, a top environmental lawyer at Leigh Day in London, had this to say about the Shell verdict: "This judgment will not only send shivers down the spines of the oil industry, but of all the other industries that significantly contribute to the greenhouse