Democrat Manny Rutinel, running for Congress in Colorado’s 8th Congressional District, which accounts for 26% of the state’s beef and cattle output, and with 75% of its 2.5 million acres devoted to farming and raising livestock, is under fire for a resurfaced paper that attacks his constituents’ livelihoods.
The paper, Reducing Animal Agriculture Emissions: The Viability of a Farm Transition Carbon Offset Protocol by Rutinel and Sebastian Quaade, was published in 2022 and suggests that the Paris Agreement’s goals on fossil fuels are not enough and that there should be “ambitious policies that reform our food system.”
“Despite the growing awareness of animal agriculture’s climate impact, climate policy and action have historically focused on electricity and fuel use.”
A description of the paper reads, “Animal agriculture is one of the leading sources of greenhouse gas emissions. Carbon offset markets allow entities to reduce their overall climate impact by financing projects that decrease emissions elsewhere.”
“This Article analyzes the viability of an offset protocol that credits farms for transitioning from raising livestock to growing crops, based on the difference in emissions between these operations.”
“It finds that a livestock-to-plants farm transition project can satisfy all of the criteria for offset protocols, and provides a preliminary methodology to calculate the emission reductions associated with a farm transition.”
“Carbon offset registries, legislative bodies, and administrative agencies may implement these findings to help address the environmental and social harms associated with our current food system.”
Hellbound and Down 