Policy

News

Supreme Court Ruling Leads to Second Wave of NOAA Firings

Work on overfishing and weather forecasting — vital to climate protection — have been gutted, according to House Democrats and environmental advocates.

Climate•6 min read

News

Food Security Researchers in 20 Countries Thought They Had U.S. Funding. Then Trump Took Office

All but one of the Obama-Era agricultural innovation labs received notice in late February that climate-resilient and other food security programs were “not in the national interest.”

Climate•14 min read

Feature

One Senator’s Lonely Quest to Make the Farm Bill More Sustainable

For years, Debbie Stabenow fought for environmentally friendly agricultural policy. She retired with mixed results.

Climate•10 min read

Explainer

‘Climate Smart’ Policies Might Not Actually Be Helping the Climate

A closer look reveals a lack of transparency, and potentially negative effects.

Climate•8 min read

Reported

Are COP29 Food Pledges Going to Succeed? COP28’s Impact Holds Clues

The last UN conference saw major breakthroughs, but there's still a long way to go.

Climate•7 min read

Explainer

Why Methane Is Bad for Climate Change, and What the Government Is Doing About It

Biden has addressed methane emissions. Here’s what we might expect from Trump.

Climate•10 min read

Explainer

The Top U.S. Cities with Climate-Friendly Food Policies

These cities are on the progressive edge of food policies that protect the climate and residents’ health.

Climate•9 min read

Reported

Inside Florida’s Ban on Lab-Grown Meat

The recent move to criminalize cultivated protein has more to do with politics than science.

Climate•11 min read

Explainer

New York’s Lawsuit Against JBS, Explained

The world’s largest beef producer is accused of false advertising.

Climate•8 min read

Explainer

Amazon Deforestation Is Falling Under Brazil’s New President — but Is It Too Late?

Lula is much, much better for the environment. But can he reverse Bolsonaro’s damage?

Climate•9 min read

Reported

4 Key Takeaways for Food Systems From the COP28 Climate Summit

Climate negotiators have started to tackle food systems reform, but hard commitments are still largely missing.

Climate•7 min read

Reported

Meat Has Long Been Missing From Climate Commitments — But COP28 Could Be a Turning Point

The push to address food systems at climate talks in Dubai is long overdue.

Climate•7 min read

Reported

Farmers Are Leaving Animals to Die During Natural Disasters — and Getting Paid for It

Millions of animals die in floods and wildfires each year. Should factory farms be required to have a relocation plan?

Climate•7 min read

Reported

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.

Climate•7 min read

Analysis

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.

Climate•5 min read

Reported

‘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.

Climate•3 min read

Analysis

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.

Climate•7 min read

Analysis

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.

Climate•3 min read

Perspective

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.

Climate•8 min read

Perspective

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.

Climate•4 min read

Reported

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.

Climate•4 min read

Perspective

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.

Climate•6 min read

Explainer

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.

Climate•13 min read

Analysis

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.

Climate•5 min read

Perspective

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."

Climate•4 min read

Explainer

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…

Climate•13 min read

Reported

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.

Climate•4 min read

Perspective

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.

Climate•4 min read

Analysis

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…

Climate•10 min read

Perspective

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.

Climate•5 min read

Perspective

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.

Climate•5 min read

Perspective

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.

Climate•4 min read

Reported

“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.

Climate•6 min read

Perspective

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.

Climate•4 min read

Reported

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.

Climate•6 min read

Reported

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…

Climate•6 min read

Reported

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…

Climate•4 min read

Perspective

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 at this year’s United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP24) in Katowice, Poland, according…

Climate•6 min read

Reported

Animal Agriculture Should Be Part of Climate Talks

Animal agriculture isn’t one of the main challenge areas for the Global Climate Action Summit (GCAS) in San Francisco, which is confusing, to say the least, given the massive impact…

Climate•2 min read

Reported

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…

Climate•5 min read