"The federal government has no problem subsidizing, to the tune of $20 billion/year --GMO monoculture crops that degrade the soil and play a significant role in making global warming worse." (Photo: File)
Oct 24, 2017
Another report sounding the alarm about climate change. Another missed opportunity to talk about the most promising solution: regenerative agriculture.
The New York Times yesterday cited a new report by the notoriously conservative Government Accountability Office (GAO), which said "climate change is costing taxpayers billions.
CNN also reported on the GAO study, which calls on Trump to "craft appropriate responses."
The CNN coverage noted several initiatives to combat climate change undertaken under the Obama administration, including the Environmental Protection Agency's Clean Power Plan, which sought to lower carbon emissions on a state-by-state basis, and the Paris climate agreement, which saw almost every country agree to voluntary limits on future carbon emissions.
The current climate-denying Trump administration wants to scrap those, and other climate initiatives, in favor of prioritizing corporate profits.
But that's not why I'm writing today. I'm writing because once again, a major report on the costs--financial, social, environmental, political--of doing nothing to slow runaway global warming focuses exclusively on reducing carbon emissions. As usual, this new report fails to mention that even if we achieved zero emissions tomorrow, we're still in big trouble--unless we draw down and sequester the billions of tons of carbon already in the atmosphere.
And once again, a major report on global warming fails to acknowledge that we have the tools readily at our disposal to draw down that carbon, and we know how to use them. They are regenerative agriculture and land-use practices outlined in a recent Stanford Woods Institute report, which says:
If you want to do something about global warming, look under your feet. Managed well, soil's ability to trap carbon dioxide is potentially much greater than previously estimated, according to Stanford researchers who claim the resource could "significantly" offset increasing global emissions. They call for a reversal of federal cutbacks to related research programs to learn more about this valuable resource.
The federal government has no problem subsidizing, to the tune of $20 billion/year --GMO monoculture crops that degrade the soil and play a significant role in making global warming worse.
But Congress has no problem cutting back research on how to improve soil health as a means of combatting global warming?
Fortunately, other governments are incorporating "the soil solution" into their policies and plans to combat global warming. The most significant is France's "Four for 1000: Soils for Food Security and Climate" Initiative launched by the French government at the Paris Climate Summit in December 2015.
In the U.S., some states are taking steps of their own to enact regenerative agriculture policies, notably California, Vermont and Massachusetts.
If your state isn't on the list, maybe it's time you start building a Regeneration Movement in your own community?
It's time to stop ignoring our best hope of cooling the planet. If federal lawmakers won't help, we need to make sure our local and state officials get on board.
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, The U.S. is on a fast track to authoritarianism like nothing I've ever seen. Meanwhile, corporate news outlets are utterly capitulating to Trump, twisting their coverage to avoid drawing his ire while lining up to stuff cash in his pockets. That's why I believe that Common Dreams is doing the best and most consequential reporting that we've ever done. Our small but mighty team is a progressive reporting powerhouse, covering the news every day that the corporate media never will. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. And to ignite change for the common good. Now here's the key piece that I want all our readers to understand: None of this would be possible without your financial support. That's not just some fundraising cliche. It's the absolute and literal truth. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. The final deadline for our crucial Summer Campaign fundraising drive is just hours away, and we’re falling short of our must-hit goal. Will you donate now to help power the nonprofit, independent reporting of Common Dreams? Thank you for being a vital member of our community. Together, we can keep independent journalism alive when it’s needed most. - Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Ronnie Cummins
Ronnie Cummins was a veteran activist, author, and organizer. He was the International Director of the Organic Consumers Association and its Mexico affiliate, Via Organica. Cummins passed away in Mexico on April 26, 2023. Ronnie tragically lost his life to bone and lymph cancer after dedicating so much of his life's work to exposing the connections of disease and the toxins in our environment.
Another report sounding the alarm about climate change. Another missed opportunity to talk about the most promising solution: regenerative agriculture.
The New York Times yesterday cited a new report by the notoriously conservative Government Accountability Office (GAO), which said "climate change is costing taxpayers billions.
CNN also reported on the GAO study, which calls on Trump to "craft appropriate responses."
The CNN coverage noted several initiatives to combat climate change undertaken under the Obama administration, including the Environmental Protection Agency's Clean Power Plan, which sought to lower carbon emissions on a state-by-state basis, and the Paris climate agreement, which saw almost every country agree to voluntary limits on future carbon emissions.
The current climate-denying Trump administration wants to scrap those, and other climate initiatives, in favor of prioritizing corporate profits.
But that's not why I'm writing today. I'm writing because once again, a major report on the costs--financial, social, environmental, political--of doing nothing to slow runaway global warming focuses exclusively on reducing carbon emissions. As usual, this new report fails to mention that even if we achieved zero emissions tomorrow, we're still in big trouble--unless we draw down and sequester the billions of tons of carbon already in the atmosphere.
And once again, a major report on global warming fails to acknowledge that we have the tools readily at our disposal to draw down that carbon, and we know how to use them. They are regenerative agriculture and land-use practices outlined in a recent Stanford Woods Institute report, which says:
If you want to do something about global warming, look under your feet. Managed well, soil's ability to trap carbon dioxide is potentially much greater than previously estimated, according to Stanford researchers who claim the resource could "significantly" offset increasing global emissions. They call for a reversal of federal cutbacks to related research programs to learn more about this valuable resource.
The federal government has no problem subsidizing, to the tune of $20 billion/year --GMO monoculture crops that degrade the soil and play a significant role in making global warming worse.
But Congress has no problem cutting back research on how to improve soil health as a means of combatting global warming?
Fortunately, other governments are incorporating "the soil solution" into their policies and plans to combat global warming. The most significant is France's "Four for 1000: Soils for Food Security and Climate" Initiative launched by the French government at the Paris Climate Summit in December 2015.
In the U.S., some states are taking steps of their own to enact regenerative agriculture policies, notably California, Vermont and Massachusetts.
If your state isn't on the list, maybe it's time you start building a Regeneration Movement in your own community?
It's time to stop ignoring our best hope of cooling the planet. If federal lawmakers won't help, we need to make sure our local and state officials get on board.
Ronnie Cummins
Ronnie Cummins was a veteran activist, author, and organizer. He was the International Director of the Organic Consumers Association and its Mexico affiliate, Via Organica. Cummins passed away in Mexico on April 26, 2023. Ronnie tragically lost his life to bone and lymph cancer after dedicating so much of his life's work to exposing the connections of disease and the toxins in our environment.
Another report sounding the alarm about climate change. Another missed opportunity to talk about the most promising solution: regenerative agriculture.
The New York Times yesterday cited a new report by the notoriously conservative Government Accountability Office (GAO), which said "climate change is costing taxpayers billions.
CNN also reported on the GAO study, which calls on Trump to "craft appropriate responses."
The CNN coverage noted several initiatives to combat climate change undertaken under the Obama administration, including the Environmental Protection Agency's Clean Power Plan, which sought to lower carbon emissions on a state-by-state basis, and the Paris climate agreement, which saw almost every country agree to voluntary limits on future carbon emissions.
The current climate-denying Trump administration wants to scrap those, and other climate initiatives, in favor of prioritizing corporate profits.
But that's not why I'm writing today. I'm writing because once again, a major report on the costs--financial, social, environmental, political--of doing nothing to slow runaway global warming focuses exclusively on reducing carbon emissions. As usual, this new report fails to mention that even if we achieved zero emissions tomorrow, we're still in big trouble--unless we draw down and sequester the billions of tons of carbon already in the atmosphere.
And once again, a major report on global warming fails to acknowledge that we have the tools readily at our disposal to draw down that carbon, and we know how to use them. They are regenerative agriculture and land-use practices outlined in a recent Stanford Woods Institute report, which says:
If you want to do something about global warming, look under your feet. Managed well, soil's ability to trap carbon dioxide is potentially much greater than previously estimated, according to Stanford researchers who claim the resource could "significantly" offset increasing global emissions. They call for a reversal of federal cutbacks to related research programs to learn more about this valuable resource.
The federal government has no problem subsidizing, to the tune of $20 billion/year --GMO monoculture crops that degrade the soil and play a significant role in making global warming worse.
But Congress has no problem cutting back research on how to improve soil health as a means of combatting global warming?
Fortunately, other governments are incorporating "the soil solution" into their policies and plans to combat global warming. The most significant is France's "Four for 1000: Soils for Food Security and Climate" Initiative launched by the French government at the Paris Climate Summit in December 2015.
In the U.S., some states are taking steps of their own to enact regenerative agriculture policies, notably California, Vermont and Massachusetts.
If your state isn't on the list, maybe it's time you start building a Regeneration Movement in your own community?
It's time to stop ignoring our best hope of cooling the planet. If federal lawmakers won't help, we need to make sure our local and state officials get on board.
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.