If the current home page of pesticide giant Syngenta is to be believed, the company has two priorities: “Helping farmers. Fighting climate change”.
Eco-consciousness may seem unlikely from a company that has been one of the most strident opponents to an EU ban on bee-killing neonicotinoids, but Syngenta is by no means alone in the world of agribusiness giants, with Bayer “uniquely positioned” and Corteva (formerly Dow-DuPont) making similar claims.
Perhaps it’s about time? After all, our chemical-addicted agriculture and forestry industry are the world’s second most climate-changing sector. Have these companies really transformed from environmental pariahs to climate messiahs? Not according to environmental investigations website DeSmog (where I’m UK editor).
