Farm groups meet to examine role of agriculture in building climate resiliency.
kticradio.com

Farm groups meet to examine role of agriculture in building climate resiliency.

The idea of climate adaptation is taking hold in traditionally conservative farm organizations.

Here's a worthy read from Nebraska Rural Radio Association about how climate adaptation is coming to agriculture - and ways farm organizations are beginning to talk about the evolution of climate-smart agriculture and the need to ensure the U.S. remains at the table as the United Nations develops an agricultural framework for climate change.


Stephanie Ewing, an associate professor of soil biogeochemistry and pedology at Montana State University, pointed this out (full disclosure: She's also my wife), noting with some interest that the idea of climate resiliency is taking hold in traditionally conservative farm organizations.

More than 30 farm organizations met in Washington, D.C. at an event hosted by the American Farm Bureau Federation. Key quote in the piece came from Ernie Shea, president of the group Solutions from the Land and a meeting organizer:

"The world is growing.... There are going to be 10 billion people and they have to eat. Agriculture has to grow, but it also has to be sustainable."

Indeed: We published a commentary just this week, by Frances Moore Lappé, reflecting on the dead end path of industrial agriculture:

Farming for a small planet

Industrial agriculture is a dead end. Agroecology is the only way to ensure that all people have access to sufficient, healthful food. Read more...

Go to the source:

Read the Nebraska Rural Radio Association piece on climate-resilient agriculture here.

Collapsed house surrounded by rubble and wood debris.

U.S. to stop publicly tracking financial toll of billion-dollar climate disasters

The federal government will no longer collect or share data on the financial costs of extreme weather events, a move that scientists and lawmakers say will obscure the growing risks of climate change.

Rebecca Dzombak and Hiroko Tabuchi report for The New York Times.

Keep reading...Show less
Disaster aid on a flatbed truck.

Congress proposes major reforms to FEMA in bid to counter Trump cuts

A bipartisan House effort seeks to restructure the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) into an independent agency and expand its powers amid President Trump’s push to shrink or eliminate it.

Thomas Frank reports for E&E News.

Keep reading...Show less
Aerial photo of wind turbines near field with clouds floating over them casting shadows below.

Trump administration budget shifts lead to layoffs at key federal renewable energy lab

More than 100 employees at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory were laid off last week following new federal orders and funding changes under the Trump administration.

Rachel Frazin reports for The Hill.

Keep reading...Show less
Solar battery with red and black connection cables.

Virginia governor blocks bipartisan solar and battery bills, citing cost to utility customers

Gov. Glenn Youngkin vetoed two bipartisan clean energy bills in Virginia that would have expanded small-scale solar and battery storage, despite support from utilities and environmental groups.

Charles Paullin reports for Inside Climate News.

Keep reading...Show less
Yellow excavator on an excavated mountain during daytime with sun rising over the horizon.

Trump’s mining push undermines itself by gutting clean energy demand

The Trump administration is accelerating domestic mining projects while simultaneously undercutting the clean energy policies that would create a stable U.S. market for critical minerals like lithium and graphite.

Alexander C. Kaufman reports for The Atlantic.

Keep reading...Show less
A pile of plastic bottles for recycling.
Credit: Photo by tanvi sharma on Unsplash

Plastics industry misled public on decades-old recycling tech

The fossil fuel industry has aggressively promoted “advanced recycling” as a breakthrough solution to plastic pollution — even while knowing it rarely works.

Dharna Noor reports for The Guardian.

Keep reading...Show less
Seabed with rocks and rays of sunlight permeating the depths.

Trump’s order on deep-sea mining risks fragile ocean ecosystems and global cooperation

President Trump’s decision to fast-track deep-sea mining permits without international agreement has alarmed scientists and conservationists who warn of long-lasting environmental damage and geopolitical fallout.

Richard Schiffman reports for Yale Environment 360.

Keep reading...Show less
From our Newsroom
Multiple Houston-area oil and gas facilities that have violated pollution laws are seeking permit renewals

Multiple Houston-area oil and gas facilities that have violated pollution laws are seeking permit renewals

One facility has emitted cancer-causing chemicals into waterways at levels up to 520% higher than legal limits.

Regulators are underestimating health impacts from air pollution: Study

Regulators are underestimating health impacts from air pollution: Study

"The reality is, we are not exposed to one chemical at a time.”

Pennsylvania governor Josh Shapiro speaks with the state flag and American flag behind him.

Two years into his term, has Gov. Shapiro kept his promises to regulate Pennsylvania’s fracking industry?

A new report assesses the administration’s progress and makes new recommendations

silhouette of people holding hands by a lake at sunset

An open letter from EPA staff to the American public

“We cannot stand by and allow this to happen. We need to hold this administration accountable.”

wildfire retardants being sprayed by plane

New evidence links heavy metal pollution with wildfire retardants

“The chemical black box” that blankets wildfire-impacted areas is increasingly under scrutiny.

Stay informed: sign up for The Daily Climate newsletter
Top news on climate impacts, solutions, politics, drivers. Delivered to your inbox week days.