Narrator: Most of the world's sugar comes from sugarcane. But the plant is so difficult to harvest that farmers usually set their fields on fire first. That's to get rid of leaves, so they can easily collect the valuable cane full of sweet juice. In Florida, the biggest producer in the US, the smoke clouds can be seen from miles away. We estimated that between one and six deaths likely happen across South Florida as a result of sugarcane fires. Narrator: It used to be the same story down in Brazil, the largest sugar producer in the world. But a few decades ago, farmers figured out how to harvest without burns. So why does the US keep setting its fields ablaze? And what will it take to shift this multibillion-dollar industry? For centuries, workers across the world harvested sugarcane by hand. Clearing tough leaves with a machete was time-consuming and took a toll on workers' bodies.

Burning made it much faster and saved companies money. It also helped drive out unwanted pests, like insects and rats. But nowadays in Brazil, most farmers harvest it raw, without the need for burning. The method is known as green harvesting. Narrator: José Leandro manages nearly 80,000 acres of sugarcane in São Paulo. Narrator: This circular saw first cuts off the top of the cane. A fan separates leaves from the stalk and then blows the unwanted plant material onto the ground. Narrator: Brazil's red soils are dry and low in organic matter. The leaves shield the ground from water loss and erosion and keep it rich in nutrients. Narrator: Raw cane also retains the valuable juice for longer. Narrator: Tiago is the agricultural director of this farm. He's proud of the changes they've made, but he and José recognize there are downsides. Narrator: Many farms have to rely on pesticides.

to keep them out. The raw cane is also harder to process because it has extra leaf litter and impurities. Factories had to develop new chemicals to break it all down. Narrator: They shred the cane and then crush it inside mills. The juice is pressed from the pulp and purified, then boiled and reduced to a syrup and spun in a centrifuge to separate the sugar crystals. The process is not entirely without fire. Leftover fibers called bagasse are burned in an incinerator that powers the facility. But here in Brazil, it's not all about sugar. More than half of the sugarcane harvested is used to make a biofuel called ethanol, and that has been the key incentive to stop the burns. Narrator: Ethanol burns cleaner than gasoline and emits 62% less CO2, but only if you're not setting the fields on fire to begin with. The Brazilian government began investing

in its ethanol program in 1975 when oil prices soared. Narrator: Sugarcane production tripled in just one decade. The second production spike came in the 2000s when the government invested in flex-fuel cars that could run on ethanol alone. Since the '70s, the amount of land used for the crop grew five times in size, mostly in the state of São Paulo. But as the farms spread, so did the burns. That made Brazil's ethanol a hard sell in international markets, as more countries were looking to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions. In 2002, the state of São Paulo signed a law giving farmers about three decades to end the burns. New public policies, government funding, and a spike in foreign investments helped farmers phase out burns. And it worked. By 2014, 90% of the cane in São Paulo was green-harvested.

Today, Brazil is the second-largest producer of ethanol in the world, making more than 8 billion gallons in 2023 — behind only the United States. Narrator: But burning is still practiced in many top-producing countries across the world, including India and Thailand. And it's common in the winter months in Florida, where large sugar companies like U.S. Sugar and Florida Crystals operate. Residents who live near farms often see giant clouds of smoke forming from their backyards. Narrator: The plumes are so large, you can even spot them in satellite imagery. The state issues more than 8,000 permits for burns every season. Most happen in the rural region of Palm Beach County, known as the Glades. On windy days, burns aren't allowed. But when there's only a breeze, they are permitted if it's blowing inland, which keeps the smoke away from the more populated, wealthier areas.

There are no burns in the summer, which is when Reggie Goodgame and his wife bought their home. Just felt comfortable. And then all of a sudden, all hell broke loose, man. Narrator: Within two years, Reggie's wife, Naomi, began having asthma attacks. It's hard to prove the burns caused them, but the couple don't see it as a coincidence. Narrator: EPA data shows Glades residents are among the most at risk for asthma in the country. Narrator: All fires release toxic gases and particles. Some particles called PM 2.5 have a diameter 30 times smaller than a human hair. They can go deep into our lungs and make their way into our bloodstream. Inhaling too many can cause breathing difficulties and increase the risk of cancer and heart disease. A Florida State University study found a higher concentration of those particles during the burning season in winter months. We found that the fine particles

generated by burning sugarcane is about equal to the fine particles that are produced by all of the vehicles in the state of Florida. Narrator: The $13 billion US sugar industry often disputes pollution claims. Christopher: Many statements from the sugar industry have suggested that they have zero impact on air quality. Well, the evidence shows otherwise. Narrator: U.S. Sugar, one of the largest producers in Florida, has released reports showing that air quality in the Glades is better than the state average. But because the burns are so localized and often short-lived, air-quality monitors don't always pick up the smoke. And local residents who get in the way of the plumes told us they see and feel the effects immediately. From many, many studies across the globe, we know that inhaling higher concentrations leads to higher mortality. Narrator: We reached out to U.S. Sugar, Florida Crystals, and the Sugar Cane Growers Cooperative of Florida,

but they didn't respond. Many farms in Florida already have machines similar to the ones in Brazil, but here they're mostly used to harvest cane after the fields are already burned. Farmers will sometimes opt for green harvesting when it rains or when it's too windy. But burns are still the norm because they're faster and reduce the need for pesticides. Michelle: If we want to reduce pest pressure and we want to reduce pesticides and we want to be the best stewards of the land, sometimes that burn is just the best answer to being the best environmental stewards they can be. Narrator: Another problem is that Florida's moist soil is already high in organic matter, so adding too much leaf material can affect the quality of the crops. Matthew: It kind of produces an environment that's not really selecting for the plant to just jump up and start ratooning over again. That's probably the biggest difference that I see.

between the science of sugarcane here in South Florida versus Brazil. It's our environment. Narrator: Unlike in Brazil, there are no regulations that require or incentivize green harvesting here. Michelle: Let's say you do green harvesting and you have all these pest issues, and you don't have a healthy regrowth of the crop. In other parts of the world, sometimes the government will essentially bail these farmers out. So, I mean, if they would really want us all to switch to green, there would need to be a lot of tax dollars being spent to the farmer when their crop fails. Narrator: The US does subsidize sugar production, with an estimated net cost to the economy of $1 billion each year. But the majority of the US subsidies go to large producers of more popular crops like wheat, soy, and corn. And the US makes most of its ethanol from corn, leaving little room for a potential

sugarcane ethanol market. There's no farmer out there that wants to go out and spray pesticides or wants to go out and burn, but at the end of the day, that's just not an option. Narrator: Meanwhile, Reggie feels like he has little choice but to stay and fight. Reggie: I don't want to give up this house for this burning, but something has to happen, man. Can't keep burning and burning.

How Brazil Dominates Sugar Production Without Burning Fields | Big Business | Business Insider

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