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How Markets Will Determine Environmental Protection

“Many lines of evidence demonstrate that human activities, especially emissions of greenhouse gases, are primarily responsible for observed climate changes. There are no alternative explanations.”

The US National Climate Assessment (2017)

The United States Advisory Committee for the Sustained National Climate Assessment has been officially disbanded. Originally mandated to help the country prepare for a changing climate, this panel offered a platform for the world’s leading academics, industry, government and local officials to advise private sector and government stakeholders on navigating climate change risk.

Designed to examine all new scientific climate research and summarize the current state of knowledge in the field, the 4th National Climate Assessment was compiled from several thousand studies conducted by tens of thousands of environmental specialists.…

“If we will not change the ways that we are living in the environment and the chemicals that we are exposed to, I am very worried about what will happen in the future… Eventually, we may have a problem with reproduction in general and it may be the extinction of the human species.”

Hagai Levin, Public Health Researcher at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

Sperm counts among men around the world have more than halved in the last 40 years, according to the results of nearly 200 peer-reviewed scientific investigations into male fertility across North America, Europe, Australia and New Zealand.…

An Environment No Longer Supporting Life

Dangerous toxins are pouring into waterways around the world, exacerbating massive, harmful algae blooms that create oxygen-deprived stretches of the ocean. Hundreds of aquatic dead zones exist throughout the world, covering nearly 100,000 square miles of sea and causing the relocation or death of nearly 10 million tons of biomass annually. Once filled with life, these ecosystems are left barren, causing unprecedented pressure on the private sector and federal governments to increase restoration and cut this pollution at its source.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced that this year’s dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico is the largest ever recorded.…

“We know that [synthetic] chemicals are present in the food supply and environment at levels in which they are likely to explain cancer epidemics, mental problems, and many other illnesses that we have.”

Jonathan R. Latham, Ph.D., Co-Founder and Executive Director of the Bioscience Resource Project (2017)

For nearly a century, some of the most controversial activities deemed standard practice across the agrochemical industry have been kept well beyond public reach. Those days are long gone, as over 20,000 documents from Dow Jones, Monsanto, DuPont, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Food and Drug Administration and the Department of Defense have been made publicly available.…

A Natural Way to Access the Cannabis Market

With the legalization of cannabis occurring around the world, many high profile investment banks, asset managers and private investors are paying close attention to what is widely being referred to as the ‘green rush’.

The legal cannabis market in the United States grew by an impressive 34% to $6.3 billion in 2016 alone. Industry forecasts expect the market will reach $21.6 billion by 2021 at a CAGR of 26%. Such rapid growth, matched only by cable television in the 1990s and Broadband Internet in the 2000s, will inevitably catalyze demand for supplementary sectors such as specialized crop care solutions. “The fact is that healthier cannabis, with higher yields, can be produced without the use of synthetic chemicals that exhaust natural capital and pollute the environment.…

Shaping Sustainable Food Systems for Future Generations

Agriculture has always strived to achieve better, more robust yields. Over the centuries, mankind has made significant progress in this field, facing global hunger through new crop varieties, synthetic pesticides for crop protection and synthetic fertilizers to artificially increase yields. Despite the incredible progress humanity has made in the realm of agriculture, there remain stark truths that demand our attention. So what are the main issues we are facing in securing our global food supply and which technologies will enable us to achieve the United Nations Social Development Goal of eradicating hunger by 2030 while managing resources more efficiently and effectively?…

Brazil Beckons to Investors

Former Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has been sentenced to 9.5 years in prison for money laundering and corruption. Though Lula da Silva remains one of the most popular presidents in Brazil’s history – he is credited with lifting millions out of poverty – his recent conviction signals another win for the comprehensive investigations into political corruption at the highest level in Brazil. Despite the fallout from “Operation Car Wash”, Michel Temer’s administration has remained focused on implementing the changes necessary for driving growth in Latin America’s largest economy.

In June, President Temer was also accused of corruption, however, he has vehemently denied the charges, claiming that the accusations are politically motivated.…

Achieving Sustainable and Inclusive Growth at the G-20

After several years of favorable financial conditions, including low-interest rates and a free-for-all in credit access, corporate leverage is reaching unsustainable highs. Bank balance sheets across Europe still need repair following the global financial crisis and the faster-than-projected expansion in China, fueled by rapid credit and increased spending, risks excessive levels of public and private debt in the future. This pales in comparison to the more structural issues facing the world today, such as excessively high economic inequality, low productivity growth, intensifying demographic trends and a growing atmosphere of protectionism.

Representing 85% of the world GDP, two-thirds of its population and 80% of greenhouse gas emissions, the Group of 20 (G-20) nations met last week under the banner of achieving strong, sustainable and inclusive economic growth in the face of mounting global climate pressures.…

Empowering the Local Community with Agriculture

The very first class of local schoolchildren from the Ubiratan Diniz Aguiar School has graduated from Primal Group’s Sustainable Future Initiative. Celebrated on International Environment Day, this graduation marked the successful implementation of an educational program intended to share the latest innovations in sustainable agriculture and the significance of carefully nurturing the very ground we walk on. With parents, teachers and local politicians all gathering to see the thriving produce cultivated by students on-site at Primal Group’s agricultural projects in Brazil, the positive impact that this initiative has had on the local community and the environment is clear.

The Sustainable Future Initiative in action.

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New Studies Confirm Neonicotinoids Harmful to Bees

The most comprehensive and peer-reviewed studies to date on neonicotinoid pesticides (neonics) confirm their harm to both honeybee and wild bee populations around the world. Honeybees experience a 24% decline in colony size the winter after exposure and wild bees demonstrate lower reproductive rates. What’s even more concerning is that beehives are easily contaminated with these synthetic pesticides through soil dissemination, regardless of geographic proximity. With an estimated three quarters of global crop species, ranging from apples to almonds, relying on pollination by bees and other beneficial animals, we must end our reliance on dangerous agrochemicals and opt for crop care solutions that pose no risk to the environment.…

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