Climate Food and Agriculture
All Stories
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How Now, Brown Cow?
The 450,000 dairy cows in Southern California are contributing to some of the dirtiest air in the country — and regulators want to clamp down. The cows kick up tons of dust and their manure emits ammonia that joins with nitrogen oxide from vehicle tailpipes to create particulate pollution. Dairies in the area account for […]
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Pampas and Circumstances
More than 1,500 farmers now plant 7 million acres of organic crops a year in Argentina, up from 220 farmers and 13,000 acres in 1995. For the most part, people in Argentina haven’t developed a taste for the stuff — 90 percent of the country’s organic crops are exported, mostly to the U.S. and Europe. […]
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This Little Farmer Went to Market
The number of farmers’ markets in the U.S. increased 63 percent from 1994 to 2000, with 19,000 farmers now selling at about 2,800 markets, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Many of the farmers tout their produce as being organically certified, and farmers at the New York Greenmarket have agreed to a moratorium on […]
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Scrambled Egg Labels
With few federal rules in place, many eco-labels and related markers placed on food in the U.S. are meaningless or confusing, says Consumers Union. For example, because the U.S. Agriculture Department doesn’t have standards for free-range eggs, no one checks up on whether the chickens producing such eggs really have the run of the farm. […]
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Bay of Pigs' Waste
The U.S. Congress should give farmers more than $6 billion a year to help them restore wetlands and prevent agricultural waste from polluting the nation’s waterways, according to American Rivers and Environmental Defense. They said yesterday that nearly half of the country’s bays are too polluted for fishing and swimming because of fertilizer and manure […]
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Residon'ts
Nearly half the fruit and vegetables sold in U.K. supermarkets since 1998 contained pesticide residues, according to an analysis of government pesticide data by Friends of the Earth. The group said most of the residues were within legal limits, but it raised concerns that the individual chemicals could be dangerous in combination, especially for unborn […]
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Not in a While, Crocodile
Enviros say more than 10,000 endangered crocodiles in Paraguay are dying because a major river that irrigated their swamplands is now being diverted to provide water for agriculture in Argentina. The crocodiles, known as Yacares, are starving to death or being encased in mud as the swamps dry up. Their numbers had been climbing before […]
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A review Fast Food Nation
Given my distaste for fast food and the general knowledge of its detrimental effect on the American diet, I didn't expect to find any revelations in Fast Food Nation. But journalist Eric Schlosser's thoroughly researched and well-written probe into the industry that has transformed American roadsides, eating patterns, and agriculture was actually an eye-opener.
