Environment.org

Editor’s Note: This blog post is a guest post authored by Gordon Merrick, Senior Policy and Programs Manager at the Organic Farming Research Foundation (OFRF) and Mark Schonbeck, Research Associate, also at OFRF, which is an NSAC member.

The world is increasingly recognizing the value of sustainable food systems, and organic agriculture plays a vital role in this movement. Organic practices enhance soil health and biodiversity, foster resource regeneration, and help mitigate and build resilience to climate change. This translates to healthier food and a healthier environment and reduces reliance on synthetic fertilizers and pesticides.

However, recent budget proposals by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) within the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) suggest a concerning decrease in funding for organic research programs. If implemented, this shift could stifle the progress documented by these programs, hindering the …

Impact of climate change on vaccine responses and inequity

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| Climate

Nature Climate Change, Published online: 15 November 2024; doi:10.1038/s41558-024-02192-y

Climate change poses a substantial threat to global health by altering environmental conditions and impacting vaccine effectiveness. We explore how climate change impacts vaccines and worsens inequities, highlighting the need for further research and targeted interventions.
Nature Climate Change…

Trump’s GOP at UN climate talks: We’re in charge now

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| Pollution

Though the election of Donald Trump has loomed over this month’s United Nations climate talks in Baku, Azerbaijan, Biden administration officials and prominent Democrats have given speech after speech pledging that the nation’s transition to renewable energy will continue. White House representatives have touted the economic benefits of the billions of dollars in climate-related subsidies in Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act, and officials from California and Washington have pledged that individual states will continue the march to net-zero emissions.

But the U.S. officials with the most power over the country’s energy future did not even arrive in Baku until the end of the first week of the U.N. conference, which is known as COP29. When Trump assumes the presidency in January, these five Republican members of Congress will enjoy unified control of the federal government, giving them wide latitude to write …

Different Types Of Squirrels Found in North America With Pictures

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| Wildlife

On this page is a list of common squirrel species found in North America.

Squirrels are rodents belonging to the squirrel family, Sciuridae. This family has several subfamilies, the most notable of these in North America being the tree squirrels (which includes the three species of flying squirrels found in North America), and the ground squirrels, a group that includes chipmunks and marmots.

You can find out more about the squirrel family and the different types of squirrels (including the cat-sized Oriental giant squirrels) further down the page.

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Release: New JAFSCD Commentary Highlights Urgent Need for Federal Investment in Urban Agriculture

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| Sustainability

For Immediate Release

Contact: Laura Zaks

National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition

press@sustainableagriculture.net

Release: New JAFSCD Commentary Highlights Urgent Need for Federal Investment in Urban Agriculture

Washington, DC, October 31, 2024 – In a new commentary published in the Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development (JAFSCD), authors Hagan Capnerhurst of Michigan Food and Farming Systems, Hannah Quigley of the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC), and Jake Hawes of the University of Wyoming (UW), emphasize the vital role of urban agriculture in fostering local food sovereignty, driving economic development, and enhancing community well-being.

“Despite the significant growth of urban farming, federal support has not kept pace, with funding remaining critically low in relation to the pressing needs of urban growers,” said Hannah Quigley, NSAC Policy Specialist, adding that “NSAC Urban agriculture initiatives, often led by communities of color, have become essential

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‘We may have less to offer’: US negotiators confront diminished standing at COP29

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| Pollution

As dozens of heads of state arrived in Azerbaijan for the annual United Nations climate talks this week, one absent world leader’s name was on everyone’s lips. At press conference after press conference, questions arose about the election of Donald Trump. The U.S. president-elect has threatened to pull the United States out of the landmark Paris climate agreement — for a second time — and slow down the country’s transition to renewable energy.

The Biden administration has tried to project confidence in the early days of the conference, which is known as COP29, given the country’s status as the world’s largest economy and second-largest emitter of planet-warming carbon. At a packed-house presser on the conference’s first day, President Joe Biden’s senior climate advisor, John Podesta, said he expected many of Biden’s clean energy achievements — which are projected to …

Emergence of a climate oscillation in the Arctic Ocean due to global warming

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| Climate

Nature Climate Change, Published online: 11 November 2024; doi:10.1038/s41558-024-02171-3

Abrupt transitions in the climate system are discussed mostly in terms of mean state changes. Here, the authors use simulations to show that a decline in Arctic sea ice can lead to a new multidecadal mode of surface temperatures in the Arctic Ocean.
Nature Climate Change…

Here are the 5 issues to watch at COP29

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| Pollution

It’s possible there has never been a worse time for the United Nations to hold negotiations on climate change. Post-pandemic inflation has upended countries around the world, straining public budgets and distracting governments from climate action. Conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East continue to rage, scrambling the priorities of powerful countries like Russia, Iran, and those of the European Union. To top it all off, the United States just elected former President Donald Trump, who has called climate change a “hoax” and removed the U.S. from the 2015 Paris climate agreement during his first term in office.

Nevertheless, in a few days thousands of negotiators and activists will convene in Baku, Azerbaijan, to try to make progress on the global climate fight. This year’s conference, known as COP29, is widely acknowledged as a transitional affair without the marquee …