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EXPLORE
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agricultural pollution cafo pollution
Photo by Jo-Anne McArthur on Unsplash

18 years and counting: EPA still has no method for measuring CAFO air pollution

18 years after starting to develop methods to measure and control air pollution from livestock operations, the Environmental Protection Agency still has not complied with its own mandate to protect Americans from the harmful health effects of air pollution from big farms.

Newsletter
methane emissions climate agriculture
commons.wikimedia.org

Despite national goals, agricultural greenhouse gas emissions continue unchecked

Agriculture is a major source of planet-warming greenhouse gases, and farming-intensive states like Iowa — with 13 million acres of corn and seven hogs per person — are outsized contributors, federal data show. Iowa ranks No. 2, behind Texas, for greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture.

Causes
Scaling up: 4 ways hog farms changed since the 1990s
Photo by James Tiono on Unsplash

Scaling up: 4 ways hog farms changed since the 1990s

The pork industry shifted dramatically over the past three decades. A USDA report tracks how the industry moved away from small operations to CAFOs, production contracts and specialization.

Causes
Opinion: Feds need to keep watchful eye on climate-smart grants
Photo by James Baltz on Unsplash

Opinion: Feds need to keep watchful eye on climate-smart grants

USDA recently announced $2.8 billion to get farmers to adopt climate-smart practices.
Opinion
Dave Dickey: Big Ag wants to be mum on energy consumption...could it be hiding something?
commons.wikimedia.org

Dave Dickey: Big Ag wants to be mum on energy consumption...could it be hiding something?

Big corporations have been playing the misinformation game for a long time, Dave writes.
Impacts
Warming winters are increasing fertilizer runoff and polluting waterways, a new study finds
commons.wikimedia.org

Warming winters are increasing fertilizer runoff and polluting waterways, a new study finds

A new study finds as winter weather warms across the Midwest, fertilizers that once froze are now finding their way into streams and rivers.
Impacts
Low Mississippi River has barges running aground, farmers’ crops piling up
commons.wikimedia.org

Low Mississippi River has barges running aground, farmers’ crops piling up

Harvest season is underway for crops such as soybeans and corn, but farmers’ yields are piling up. Near-historic low water levels on the Mississippi River are slowing down barges and driving up shipping costs.

ORIGINAL REPORTING
A red baseball cap with the words Make America Great Again on a wooden surface outside.

Trump’s science cuts could backfire on his own energy agenda

San Francisco skyline in wildfire smoke haze.

NIH signals end to key research on climate change and health

A hurricane off the coasts of Florida and Cuba.

Forecasts warn of intensifying hurricane season as NOAA faces deep budget cuts

MOST POPULAR
A controversial facility that would process plastic waste to be burned in steel mills has been cancelled

A controversial facility that would process plastic waste to be burned in steel mills has been cancelled

Road between two sets of nuclear towers.

NRC denies full hearing on Palisades nuclear restart challenge

A black and white photo of the supreme court

Young plaintiffs in Juliana v. United States lose Supreme Court bid but say they'll continue their pursuit of climate justice

CLIMATE
An EV battery.

How old electric car batteries are quietly powering a cleaner future

An aerial view of the Paris skyline with the Eiffel Tower in the center.

Paris proves cities can clear the air by kicking cars to the curb