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Agriculture

 Senator Debbie Stabenow: "What  I’m  hearing  now  from  farmers  is, 

 'yes...the  climate  crisis  is  real. 

 

 But  we  need  help  on  what  to  do  about  it'.”   

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"To...shift...our food choices...goes against...

 culture...habit, and appetite." 

 

 See the Food page - under Solutions

 "Limiting  the  impact  of  climate  change...would  mean  major  changes  for  agriculture — 

 

 from  how  we  farm,  to  how  we  eat  and  waste  food... 

 [which  would]  require  action  by  the  more  than  two  billion  people  employed  in  agriculture." 

  • Farm "animal manure...is a major polluter of both water and air.” 

 “Pesticides...and pollution are major...factors in the...decline of...soil organisms.”

 Regenerative agriculture can be a much better choice, if possible.  Here’s how: 

  1. No till - “Minimize soil disturbance: ...farmers seed directly into the soil.

  2. Maintain soil cover: farmers leave crop residues after harvesting, or grow cover crops.

  3. Manage crop rotation: farmers change what is grown and where.”

 

 Chemical fertilizers use methane gas to make nitrogen, which has helped produce

 an agricultural bounty for the past century!  However, methane and nitrous oxide

 pollute air and water - increasingly more every year. 

 “By [replacing]...chemical fertilisers...with high-quality organic fertilisers, half...

  of agricultural ghg emissions could be prevented while simultaneously building” healthy soil

 “Another major intervention point” would be to promote “pasture grazing.” 

 These methods “protect [the] soil, avoid emissions...sequester carbon,

 and help keep local watersheds clean.

 One example:  "Agroforestry is a land use management system in which trees or shrubs

 are grown around or among crops or pastureland." 

 Also see: Agrivoltaics regarding bees and broccoli!

 Regenerative farming may not work for everyone, however: 

 “When fields aren’t tilled, pesticides are often used to kill weeds."

 Some “farmers who planted...cover crops in a given year, failed to do so in subsequent years.” 

 Farming  isn't  always  easy,  but  anyone  can  eat  vegan. 

 “What  we  should  be  scared  of  is  double  cheeseburgers.” 

 "Excessive  meat  consumption  is  linked  to  numerous  health  issues.” 

 “Industrial  agriculture  is  associated  with...habitat  destruction." 

 

 “The  [hog  and  dairy]  industries...slammed  efforts  to  promote  ‘Meatless  Mondays’.” ​​

  What if a famous celebrity promoted vegetarian eating, and got sued for it? 

 In 1996, Oprah "Winfrey declared that the [beef safety] discussion ‘has...stopped me...from eating another burger’."  This ”contributed to a drop in cattle prices.” 

 “Cattle industry...executives filed a lawsuit...blaming her for millions in lost business.” 

  Ms. Winfrey won the case. 

  Beef industry leaders then turned to state legislators. 

 "’Ag-gag’...bills are designed to [prevent] whistleblowers [from] revealing animal abuses.” 

  These bills are still being argued over in courts and state capitals. 

 While  meat  production  expands working  conditions  remain  unhealthy 

 in  slaughterhouses,  meat  packing  plants,  and  in  the  fields. 

 “Toiling  under  difficult  heat  conditions,  [farm]  workers...gamble  with  their  health:   chronic  dehydration  can  cause  kidney  damage.” 

   "'If slaughterhouses had glass walls, we’d all be vegetarians', Paul McCartney".

             Maybe  you  want  to  stop  the  cruelty?  

lets ask marion

 For  more  on  food-related  topics,  look  for  Let’s  Ask  Marion,  which  covers 

“The  politics  of  personal  dietary  choices...community  food  issues  and...global  food  systems.” 

      "The  food  industry's  primary  job  is  to  sell  products  and  return  profits  to  stockholders.” 

 For more on famine, see Collapse

                                                          There's  still  time  to  change  the  road  you're  on. 

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