Opinion: US and China Trade Relations Will impact the Future of the Amazon and Soybean Production In Brazil
The trade war between the United States and China, that began in 2018, caused many visibly damaging effects on the world economy and exporters in both countries. However the effects the trade war has had on the environment, particularly the increased deforestation of the Amazon in Brazil, were not as visible in the media, which allowed these effects to go mostly unnoticed and unobjected. While US soybean farmers were hit with a 25% tariff on their soybean exports to China, the world’s largest importer of soybean, soybean producers in Brazil saw and took advantage of this major opportunity to expand their soybean production and exports to China.
In 2018, Brazil’s soybean exports to China significantly increased, due to soybean demand in China left unfulfilled by US soybean farmers, caused by the imposed Chinese tariffs. Brazil’s soybean exports to China increased 86% in the last four months of 2018 when compared to the previous year, causing a significant increase in the country’s soybean production. A problem arises when you consider the fact that the majority of Brazil’s soybean farms are in regions that border or are located in the Amazon Rainforest, along with the fact that from 2018 to 2019 , during the US and China Trade war and the surge in Brazil’s soybean production, the deforestation of the Amazon increased by 30%, when compared to previous years.
In Brazil, soybean is mainly grown in the Amazon basin and covers approximately 37 million hectares of land. The deforestation of the Amazon and the clearing of land for the increased soybean production, has not only impacted the natural environment, but has impacted the indigenous communities who have called these regions their home for thousands of years.
The US and China Trade war is directly linked to increased deforestation of the Amazon, but the continual rise of Brazil’s soybean exports will further contribute to the problem of deforestation. In the 2019/2020 crop year, Brazil accounted for 37% of the global soybean exports, while the US only accounted for 27%. Brazil, holding the largest percentage of global soybean exports, will more than likely boost their soybean production in the forthcoming years and lead to increased deforestation in the Amazon, without intervention from the government or consumers.
85% of exported soybean is used as soy meal and animal feed for large scale factory farms in the agriculture industry, while the other 15% is directly used in soy based products. Consumers are able to impact soybean production in Brazil through their choices in a supermarket. Although, it is difficult to source where the soy animal feed used to factory farms is sourced, it is still important for consumers to recognize this connection and understand how they are, perhaps unknowingly, supporting the deforestation of the Amazon in Brazil, when eating a beef burger hundreds of miles away on another continent.
Supporting US soybean farmers may seem like a tangible way to help solve this issue of deforestation in the Amazon, however soybean production in the US has contributed to the deforestation of thousands of acres of land throughout the US, this deforestation is not destroying one of the world’s largest carbon sinks and the most biodiverse region in the world. By supporting businesses who buy US soybean, consumers can be confident that they are not directly contributing to the deforestation in the Amazon.
The US and China trade war showed how impactful US soybean exports to China has on both the global economy, but also the climate crisis and the protection of the Amazon. Although US soybean farmers have and are currently recovering from the damaging effects of the trade war, the permanent effects the trade war had on the Amazon and the climate crisis, may never be alleviated or reversed, and future trade relations between these two countries could cause devastating effects to this region.
As global citizens, it is important that we each take our own steps to acknowledge and actively work against the destruction of the Amazon and the climate crisis. I adopted a vegan lifestyle, so that I decrease my carbon footprint, and I ,to the best of my ability, try to buy products that do not use soy that was produced in Brazil. Voting for politicians that will make smart decisions on US and China trade relations and will work to prevent another US and China trade war is also important, as the US is still recovering from the devastating impacts of the trade war, and the importance of US soybean exports to China is increasingly important , to decrease and limit the demand for Brazil’s soybean production. Petitioning lawmakers in Brazil and encouraging global leaders to help stop this deforestation, and preventing another US and China trade war is essential in efforts to protect the Amazon ,as well as to combat the ongoing climate crisis.
It is easy to think that US and China trade relations have a very limited impact, but when the global impacts of trade wars are presented, we must pay attention. Future US and China trade relations could lead to the accelerated deforestation of the Amazon and our ongoing climate crisis, but it is essential to recognize that consumers and citizens have the ability to prevent future devastation from occurring.