According to a new report backed by the UN, coal mining and cattle ranching are the industries with the hardest impact on the environment. It costs more to fix the damage that these industries cause to the environment than industries generates in profit.
According to the report “Natural Capital at Risk – The Top 100 Externalities of Business”, coal power is the most hazardous industry in the world. The damage that the coal industry causes to the environment and on human health is primarily from greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution. In East Asia the regional coal industry generates 443 billion dollars annually, and the North American this industry generates a profit of 247 billion dollars annually, according to the report. In both cases, the costs of preventing and repairing the damage that the industries have on the environment and on human health exceed the profits generated, as reported by the Environmental Leader.
Livestock farming in South America ranks as the second most dangerous environmental sector, because of the negative effect that cattle have on the sea, lakes and soils. The environmental cost amounts to $ 354 billion annually, while livestock production generates $ 18 billion annually.
Download the report here (45 pages):
http://www.teebforbusiness.org/js/plugins/filemanager/files/TEEB_Final_Report_v5.pdf