If ever there was a hot topic at the moment, it’s climate.
At the forefront of the conversation for the past decade, it’s been thrust into an even bigger spotlight recently following Labor’s sweeping election victory.
Fledgling Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s grandiose promise to “end the climate wars”, while working with farmers to develop more solutions and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, is all well and good.
As an industry we are prepared to do everything we can as the nation works towards a net zero target by 2050.
We are naturally well placed to drive these efforts – and we will proudly continue to take the leadership role we have held for many years.
But what mention of the work we have already done and the positive stories we have to tell?
The truth is agriculture is the only industry to tangibly reduce its emissions profile in the past 20 years, and the steps we have taken to improve our practices and care for the environment are already good-news stories worthy of far greater publicity than has been afforded.
To our credit, since being unfairly targeted at Kyoto’s COP3 climate summit in 1997, we have borne the brunt of reducing emissions for every single Australian – and it’s high time this was recognised.
What’s more, our work in this area has only just begun.
AgForce has spent the past three years developing its ground-breaking AgCarE (Agriculture Carbon and the Environment) program – a rigorous verification process that ultimately reveals a producer’s natural capital score.
It’s the only known framework that can connect landholders to trading opportunities such as carbon offsets, as well as allowing them to tell their story by marketing their products and increasing their brand with consumers and businesses.
So, when the anti-agriculture brigade rears its ugly head again, seeking ways to belittle and discredit our work, remember this – agriculture will fight back, engaging with every single one of you to proudly tell our story.
There is much to be done, but industry is ready for the next chapter.
