Sugarcane Burning Kills

Dear Friends,

If you want to understand the human impact of sugarcane burning, a good place to start is The Last Burn Season, a video series focused on the people who live in and around the sugar industry in South Florida. 

Big Sugar would tell you these videos don't reflect reality. The air is clean. Don't believe those people—or your lungs. 

Big Sugar's claims are misleading, but irrefutable evidence is mounting. In a peer-reviewed study, Florida State University researchers find sugarcane burning produces roughly 5,000 tons of particulate matter per year. That's as much as the total annual emissions of every motor vehicle in the state of Florida. 

Air pollution of that concentration kills. The FSU team finds mortality rates from this exposure almost 10 times higher for residents living next to the fields than for those outside the immediate area. That amounts to one to six deaths per year as a result of sugarcane burning emissions.

It's a tragic situation, but we know how to fix it: by reforming the sugar program in the farm bill. With your support, we can end sugarcane burning and save lives.

Our reform coalition is bipartisan and diverse because Big Sugar does damage in wide-ranging ways, from exporting American jobs to jacking up sugar prices and violating human rights in the Caribbean.

With the 2023 farm bill upon us, we need your help now more than ever. Please make a contribution to our campaign for change.

As always, thank you. 

Team No Big Sugar