CEO Note: From Pope Francis – valuing wildlife for its own sake
Before diving into the latest campaign updates, I wanted reflect on Pope Francis. One of the lessons he preached was that we should value nature and animals for their own sake. To him, defending our fellow creatures was an act whose importance transcended what even an enlightened person would recognize are the material benefits that accrue to humanity and the economy from Nature:
“The earth’s resources are also being plundered because of short-sighted approaches to the economy, commerce and production. The loss of forests and woodlands entails the loss of species …It is not enough, however, to think of different species merely as potential ‘resources’ to be exploited, while overlooking the fact that they have value in themselves. Each year sees the disappearance of thousands of plant and animal species which we will never know, which our children will never see, because they have been lost for ever. We have no such right.”
Psalm 156 says, “Every living thing will praise the Lord,” a refrain of which I am often reminded in the presence of animals. Their lives nurture the whole web of life around them, which in turn nourishes the world. As such, wild animals lead a purposeful, life-giving existence to which modern humans should aspire. Their lives don’t just make our lives possible, but they also ennoble us.
At Mighty Earth, we often say that we don’t just rewild ecosystems, but work to rewild hearts and minds. I’m grateful to Pope Francis for his inspiration, and hope his spirit endures in the movement to protect Nature.
Next steps on JBS IPO
Shifting from the sublime to the ridiculous, last week, I shared the news that Trump’s Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) approved the listing on the New York stock Exchange (NYSE) for JBS, the world’s largest meat company – after JBS’ subsidiary Pilgrims’ Pride made the largest single donation to President Trump’s inauguration.
For 20 months, Mighty Earth and allies delayed the approval of the listing, forcing changes in JBS’ disclosures and disrupting their plans. The stakes are high: JBS unlocking investments in the world’s largest capital market could finance supersizing its climate pollution and deforestation.
That’s why we are continuing to fight. We’re asking independent shareholders to withhold support from the listing – which would allow the controlling Batista family to acquire more than 85% of voting shares.
We’re also asking the NYSE to consider the company’s history of corruption and misreporting before undermining the integrity of their exchange by allowing JBS to join. We hope resistance from investors and the exchange finally drive JBS to make the kind of changes that would make it a responsible company.
Ahold Delhaize CEO Faces Mighty Earth at Shareholder Meeting
At Ahold Delhaize’s annual meeting last week, our Netherlands Director Jurjen de Waal asked directly: “What is the company doing about its methane emissions?”
The response from CEO Frans Miller? Anything but clear. Despite acknowledging methane as a “potent greenhouse gas present in agriculture,” he failed to outline any concrete or meaningful steps the company could take.
Our new report with Profundo found Ahold Delhaize emits 11.7 million tons of CO₂e annually from meat and dairy alone, more than the entire methane emissions of Denmark or Sweden. Nearly half of those emissions come from the company’s U.S. brands like Food Lion and Stop & Shop which, unlike their European counterparts, lack even a target for introducing more plant-based foods.
Ahold Delhaize methane emissions per country (estimated) – Source: Profundo
Ahold Delhaize’s European brands have committed to at least a 50% plant-based protein ratio — with Dutch Albert Heijn even aiming for a 60-40 split — but the US brands have no analogous goals. Our aim is to change that, and we’re scaling up our campaign in both the United States and Netherlands to make it so.
Meet Our New Vermont State Director
I am excited to welcome Renee Seacor to the team as our Vermont State Director, where she will oversee our campaign to reintroduce catamounts (also known as mountain lions, cougars, panthers, or pumas) to the forests of the Northeast.
Renee previously served as the Carnivore Conservation Director for Project Coyote where she led campaigns to promote coexistence with North America’s wild carnivores, and played a vital role in banning wildlife killing derbies in several states. With a law degree and a background in effective advocacy, Renee has championed bold conservation solutions to protect wildlife and nature. We’re thrilled to have her leadership as we work to restore balance to North America’s ecosystems.
