Jobs and Environmental Justice

We have written that sugar reform — ending the practice of sugarcane burning in particular — would encourage industry innovation and create new jobs. Big Sugar resists innovation because the sugar program, funded by our tax dollars, protects them from having to do so.

A new study from a Harvard graduate student adds to the case for ending sugarcane burning. The study includes a cost-benefit analysis of alternatives to sugarcane burning: replacing sugarcane harvesters with a more efficient approach; processing the cane "trash" into biofuel for resale; and planting a "cover crop" during the fallow year to stabilize soil, prevent nutrient loss prevention, and control pests. The study concludes there are multiple ways to reform the industry that "result in a prosperous sustainable symbiotic future for the sugarcane industry and the environment."

This is a big deal. On the heels of the FSU study focused on mortality rates from cane burning, the case for ending sugarcane burning has never been stronger.

Big Sugar Podcast Debut
A new podcast pulls reveals the corruption, exploitation and greed at the heart of the sugar industry. The focus of the story is a decades-old legal battle pitting sugar industry against migrant Jamaican laborers recruited to harvest the cane. New episodes drop every Tuesday. We encourage you to tune in.