Pruitt gives exclusive interview to conservative Sinclair TV empire

In short:

• The beef industry’s educational materials, distributed via the federally funded Beef Checkoff program, highlight beef’s role in science curricula while downplaying or excluding diet-related climate solutions like reducing meat consumption.
• Materials portray beef production as sustainable, emphasizing technological fixes and cow genetics over dietary change, even though scientists say the world can’t meet climate goals without eating less meat.
• These resources are often introduced without much oversight, targeting young students from kindergarten through high school, especially in states with a strong agricultural industry, like Oklahoma and Kansas.

Key quote:

“That this industry — notorious for environmental harms and adverse health issues — has set its sights on children doesn’t bode well for our educational systems."

— Jennifer Molidor, senior food campaigner at the Center for Biological Diversity

Why this matters:

Students as young as five are being introduced to a version of climate science where cattle are high-tech climate warriors and hamburgers are guilt-free. What’s missing from the picture? The idea that eating less meat might actually help the planet. As climate-related health risks climb, sidestepping a major source of emissions in science education makes it harder for future generations to act on health and climate.

Read more: This diet will likely keep you alive longer — and help the planet