Booker cited Brazilian meat giant JBS in the video, which is the world’s largest meat processor. JBS is notorious for driving more than 2.4 million acres of Amazon deforestation and putting record amounts of methane in the atmosphere. The company’s estimated carbon footprint is higher than the entire country of Spain.
Despite this, JBS announced late last year that it would be seeking an initial public offering on the New York Stock Exchange, which would give it access to far more capital than it already has. The move was heavily criticized by environmentalists, and Booker was one of its most prominent opponents. He led a bipartisan group of senators pressing the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to decline JBS’ Initial Public Offering (IPO) because of its “history of corruption and greenwashing.” “Thanks to that pressure, JBS was forced to delay their listing, and I’m hopeful that they are beginning to take steps towards good governance and meeting their climate commitments,” Booker said in the video.