Policy

image of cow on crowded feedlot, inflation reduction act, agriculture emissions

A Year Later, Inflation Reduction Act Lags on Tackling Ag Emissions

The Inflation Reduction Act was supposed to reduce emissions from food. Here’s where the money went, and why some say the bill falls short.

Eurasian brown bear

New Research Finds E.U. Policies Fund Beef and Bioenergy Over Nature

Two new reports find E.U. policies are failing to protect climate and biodiversity.

‘Our Oceans Are Not Getting Any Healthier’: Conservationists React to Failed High Seas Treaty Talks

A UN treaty to protect international waters has been delayed for the fifth time.

cattle feedlot

Most Factory Farms Have ‘Free Pass’ to Pollute the Environment

Emissions from factory farms in the U.S. cause more deaths than coal-fired plants. And yet, factory farming is one of the least regulated industries by the EPA.

wind power mills

Biden’s $1-Billion Bid to Make U.S. Farming More Sustainable

The U.S. food system is dominated by intensive agriculture. What would a more sustainable one look like? Biden just took a big step in the right direction.

Animal Agriculture Was Critically Ignored at COP26—But Why?

At COP26, writer Alex Lockwood said one thing was abundantly clear: Animal agriculture is still too taboo to talk about critically at climate negotiations.

Why Serving Meat at a Climate Conference Is a Problem

Reducing meat consumption should be at the top of every world leader’s climate agenda—but it’s not. And the more we ignore the problem, the larger it grows.

Plant-Based Companies Call Attention to ‘the Cow in the Room’ at COP26

Animal agriculture is often left out of critical conversations about the climate crisis—including COP26. Plant-based food companies are calling for change.

Protester holding a banner with a message 'Less meat, less heat'

8 Incredibly Obvious Climate Solutions Governments Often Ignore

In advance of COP26, we compiled a list of climate actions that governments around the world can take to protect the planet from the disastrous impacts of animal agriculture.

What Is COP26 and Why Does It Matter? The Complete Guide

Everything you need to know about the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference seeking to forge a global response to the climate emergency.

Pre Summit of the United Nations Food System Summit 2021

UN Food Systems Summit Kicks Off Amid Controversy

With the much-anticipated Summit underway, the UN now faces the difficult task of reconciling its support for the meat and dairy industry with its own development goals.

Mockup of cows around a tree in a sphere of grass

Connecting the Dots Between Climate Change and Animal Agriculture

To reduce greenhouse gas emissions, we need to change the way we eat. Councilman Justin Brannan has a message for the people of New York City: “Let’s get it done.”

permaculture

Can Permaculture Help Us Build More Resilient Communities?

Permaculture is a way of farming that seeks to work with nature instead of against it. But the use of the term is widely contested as a form of cultural appropriation.

Overlooking a city

How One Small City in California Is Going Plant-Based

The City of Berkeley just adopted a first-of-its-kind sustainable food policy that will replace 50% of the city’s animal-based food purchasing with plant-based alternatives in the next four years.

school kids lunchroom

Nix Meat From NYC Public School Menus

To enrich student health and curb the environmental damages caused by animal agriculture, NYC schools must remove all meat from their menus.

biden campaign iowa

In a Year of Climate Reckoning, Where Does Joe Biden Stand on Climate and Agriculture?

Fires rage in the West as storms, hurricanes, and floods hit the rest of the country. Progressives are pushing Biden to transform the food system and manage and mitigate the effects of the climate crisis.

climate protest co2

How the Environment Has Changed Since the First Earth Day 50 Years Ago

These charts show that while progress has been made in some areas, humanity still has a major impact on the planet.

plant based food

Why the UK Should Adopt a Plant-Based Food System

With the country on track to miss its 2050 climate change targets, the agricultural sector will play a vital role in reaching carbon zero.

A Climate Change: An Unstoppable Movement Takes Hold

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres calls for the climate movement to grow in this exclusive op-ed for the Covering Climate Now media partners.

UN secretary general

“Nature Is Angry”: UN Secretary General Urges Public to Address Climate Emergency

In an exclusive interview, United Nations Secretary General António Guterres said we are losing the race against climate catastrophe, but a Green New Deal can help.

Can One Meatless Day Out of the Week Make a Difference?

“One day a week, cut out meat.” Meatless Monday is a weekly commitment that will contribute in the fight against climate change.

President Trump smirks

Trump Administration Refuses to Implicate Agriculture in Climate Reports

USDA is undermining its own work on climate change. Even when government-funded studies show the mounting threat a changing climate poses to big ag, the department stays silent.

New York City to Phase Out Processed Meat by 2030 in Push for Green New Deal

New laws and actions will help NYC reach 30% emissions reduction by 2030—more than any other U.S. city—and unlike many big-oil-focussed climate initiatives, the Green New Deal is also targeting animal agriculture.

new york city

New York Is Embracing Meatless Monday. Will Your City Be Next?

The commitment not to eat meat for one day each week can be portrayed as a culture war, meant to spark a bigger societal shift against meat consumption. In at least one sense, Meatless Monday’s critics are right.

animal angry cow

There’s Meat on the Menu at the UN Climate Change Conference. That Should Scare You.

Attendees have twice as many meat-based entrees as plant-based ones to choose from the menu…

animal agriculture climate

Animal Agriculture Should Be Part of Climate Talks

Animal agriculture isn’t one of the main challenge areas for the Global Climate Action Summit…

Despite Lack of Animal Ag on Agenda, Climate Summit Talks Plant-Based

The climate science community, for over a decade now one of the most vocal defenders of factual scientific information, will not be able to leave animal agriculture off its agenda for much longer.