Climate justice discussions need new participants and new audiences
Nature Climate Change, Published online: 17 December 2024; doi:10.1038/s41558-024-02219-4
Climate justice discussions need new participants and new audiences
Nature Climate Change…
‘Waging war on science’: Researchers worry about their jobs under Trump 2.0
Over the years, Donald Trump hasn’t exactly been a champion of science. As president and on the campaign trail, he called climate change a “hoax“; oversaw the rolling back of more than 100 environmental policies; directed agencies to cut down on expert guidance; pushed unproven COVID treatments; pulled out of the Paris climate agreement (and pledged to do so again); and claimed, without evidence, that the noise from wind turbines causes cancer. Ahead of his next stint in the Oval Office, he has nominated a vaccine denier to oversee the Department of Health and Human Services, promised to rid federal agencies of potentially tens of thousands of career staffers, and said he intends to shutter the Department of Education.
“Trump has basically said he is waging war on science and scientists,” said Jennifer …
Release: NSAC Urges Congress to Include Popular Conservation Funding in Farm Bill Extension
For Immediate Release
Contact: Laura Zaks
National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition
press@sustainableagriculture.net
Release: NSAC Urges Congress to Include Popular Conservation Funding in Farm Bill Extension
Washington, DC, December 13, 2024 – Today, the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC), a coalition of more than 150 farm, food, conservation, and rural organizations, called on Congress to prioritize additional funding for the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) working lands conservation programs as lawmakers finalize an extension of the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018.
In a letter sent today to key Congressional leaders, NSAC highlighted the widespread popularity of USDA conservation programs among farmers and ranchers, noting that many cannot access critical funding due to overwhelming demand. The letter emphasized that programs like the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) and Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) help farmers increase productivity, improve soil health, build resilience to extreme …
Rainfall complexity in mountains
Nature Climate Change, Published online: 04 December 2024; doi:10.1038/s41558-024-02209-6
Rainfall complexity in mountains
Nature Climate Change…
Does talking about climate ‘tipping points’ inspire action — or defeat?
Climate tipping points are a specter looming over our future — thresholds beyond which the Earth’s systems switch into new states, often abruptly and irreversibly.
The long-frozen soil beneath the Arctic could rapidly thaw and release vast amounts of carbon dioxide and methane stored within it, heating up the atmosphere even more in a feedback loop. Fast-melting fresh water from Greenland’s ice (one tipping point) could disrupt the Atlantic Ocean’s circulation pattern (another tipping point), causing weather chaos around the world: Temperatures might plunge in northern Europe, the tropics could overheat, the rainy and dry seasons in the Amazon could flip, and parts of the U.S. East Coast could be submerged by rising seas.
A new paper in the journal Nature Climate Change makes the case that all these alarming events should be called something other than “tipping points.” …
Sowing impact: Latest crop of LAMP awards continue to bolster farm economies
The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) recently announced $ 33.5 million in awards that will strengthen and improve access to local and regional food markets by investing in a diverse range of businesses, organizations, markets, and communities.
This latest announcement of funds for 113 projects across 43 states is a part of the Agricultural Marketing Service’s Local Agriculture Market Program (LAMP) and is funded by a combination of mandatory funds from the farm bill and annual appropriations.
Program Background
The LAMP program was established in the 2018 Farm Bill and combined existing Farmers Market and Local Food Promotion and Value-Added Producer grant programs with a new Regional Food System Partnership program. The combination of programs ensures they each have permanent funding and encourages coordination between the Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) and Rural Development.
Recent Program Updates
Last …
Author Correction: Aligning renewable energy expansion with climate-driven range shifts
Nature Climate Change, Published online: 05 December 2024; doi:10.1038/s41558-024-02216-7
Author Correction: Aligning renewable energy expansion with climate-driven range shifts
Nature Climate Change…
This New York town doesn’t want to be a climate experiment
On a hot morning in July, Ray Apy stood in a vacant lot in upstate New York and pointed to the mowed grass, explaining what he wanted to build there: a pilot plant to convert waste into something useful. He tipped the contents of a small glass jar into his cupped palm, revealing tiny black pellets the size of peppercorns.
The pellets were a substance called biochar. It’s created by heating organic matter — any substance originating from plants, animals, or other organisms — at high temperatures in the absence of oxygen. This turns it into a charcoal-like substance that can be sold as an additive to concrete or soil — and, crucially, locks carbon inside.
Heralded as “black gold,” biochar promises to dispose of waste, enrich soil, and fight climate change, all which has made it the darling …