Sustainability & Climate Change
Food production needs are expected to roughly double over the next 35 years as the world population grows and people in under developed countries become more affluent and demand more calories. Healthy ecosystems are vital to the survival of all organisms. How can we grow crops without harming the environment? How can we balance technology and global food security? What is the right balance of organic and conventional farming? What role can genetics and biotechnology play without compromising the needs of tomorrow?
Below is the complete archive of related articles sorted by date.
UK farmers have ‘deep concerns’ over potential EU neonicotinoid ban, survey shows
British arable farmers have deep concerns regarding the European Commission's proposal to ban all outdoor uses of neonicotinoid seed treatments ...
Talking Biotech: Using GMO insects instead of pesticides to fight diamondback moth, other crop-killing pests
Cornell entomologist Tony Shelton: Using GMO insects to control diamondback moths—a global pest that quickly evolves resistance to insecticides ...
Lab-grown fried chicken? ‘Alternative’ meat company adds poultry options
In April, Memphis Meats [offered] taste samplings of fried chicken and Duck a l’Orange, both made by growing animal cells ...
Second Green Revolution: Stress-tolerant rice varieties increase crop yields, food security
According to [International Rice Research Institute (IRRI)], the global rice demand is estimated to increase from 439 million tons in ...
GMO nitrogen-fixing microbes could one day help plants fertilize themselves
Peanuts, peas, and many types of beans are climate-friendly because they basically make their own fertilizer. They play host to ...
Targeting weeds at the genetic level aids battle against herbicide resistance
Understanding how weeds evolve to become invasive and herbicide-resistant at the genetic level can help scientists design better weed controls ...
Viewpoint: Meatless meat could be next environment-saving breakthrough
[Editor's note: Dan Blaustein-Rejto is a food and agriculture analyst at the Breakthrough Institute. He holds a Master’s in public policy from ...
Ugandan journalist: How do you report on crop biotechnology when critics spread misinformation?
Genetic engineering could help Uganda combat some of its toughest food security challenges. But anti-GMO activists' misinformation campaigns are standing ...
How biotechnology can help India’s small farmers meet ‘zero hunger challenge’
Biotechnology covers a range of low (biofertilizers and microbiology) to high-end technologies (genetic engineering, gene editing etc). However, when we ...
Video: Miracle tomato? Israeli scientists developing tasty, drought-resistant variety
Finding out how to develop drought-tolerant tomatoes is one of the goals of this European Research project. Researchers here think ...
Studying root traits could aid development of hardier crops
If you want a better corn crop, you need to get to the root of the matter. So says Duke ...
Syngenta CEO: Sustainability—not whether something is ‘organic’—should be food standard
[Syngenta chief executive Eryk Fyrwald] suggested neonicotinoid pesticides were not as dangerous as was being suggested. While France has confirmed ...
Did GMO connection prompt Gates Foundation to halt support for corn-aflatoxin breakthrough?
When Gates Foundation reviewers rejected a researcher's bid for new funding, one of the reasons cited was a concern over ...
7 meat alternatives that could reduce strain of feeding a growing population
Livestock production is a major contributor to climate change, especially in wealthier countries like the U.S., and won’t be able ...
Viewpoint: Green groups reject agricultural technology in embrace of ‘utopian fantasies’
[Editor’s note: Ted Nordhaus is the co-founder and executive director of the Breakthrough Institute and a co-author of the Ecomodernist ...
Fluorescent non-GMO cotton study in doubt after one day, and ‘glowing’ media headlines
Science has issued an expression of concern for a widely covered materials science paper published on Friday, citing issues with ...
Viewpoint: Vertical farming not nearly as feasible as popular media reports
[In] their efforts to develop a system that sustainably supplies cities with a large share of their food, theorists and ...
Cornell’s Tony Shelton: Scientist behind GMO moth in activist crosshairs
[Cornell University Professor Tony Shelton] admits to being disappointed by the “misinformation” directed at his research to find a non-insecticidal ...
Climate change: Could rising carbon dioxide levels explain decreasing nutrient levels in foods?
“Every leaf and every grass blade on earth makes more and more sugars as CO2 levels keep rising,”[Irakli Loladze, Ph.D ...
‘Food Evolution’ movie tackles ‘frankenfood’ myths by putting GMOs in global perspective
[Filmmaker Scott Hamilton Kennedy] and his fellow producer, Brooklynite Trace Sheehan, decided to delve into one issue: GMOs, or genetically ...
Left and right share anti-science instincts, rooted in fears of ideological misuse
Anti-science views have been increasingly embraced by political factions, left and right. Both harbor deep suspicions of government, industry and ...
Canadian glyphosate opponents take aim at usage by local governments
In the last two weeks, the [Canadian] municipalities of Upper Miramichi, Moncton, and Petitcodiac have all started to question the ...
9 misdirected arguments against GMOs
When discussing GMOs, many arguments are put forth on why they are “bad” and should be avoided. A molecular geneticist ...
Studies cited by GMO and climate change skeptics similarly flawed, research shows
Benestad, Hayhoe and colleagues developed an open-source analytical tool to replicate and test the results and methodologies of these 38 ...
Ecologist: ‘Heavily scrutinized’ glyphosate not a ‘highly toxic chemical’
[Editor’s note: Frank Hassler is chief ecologist with Good Oak Ecological Services, which works to provide sustainable landscaping and land ...
Viewpoint: Organic industry misleads consumers with fear, unethical sales tactics
[Editor’s note: Michelle Miller, the "Farm Babe", is an Iowa-based farmer, public speaker and writer.] While acting like the “little guy” ...
Viewpoint: Anti-GMO online series promotes fear and ‘less sustainable’ farming
Works like the recently released "GMOs Revealed" are making it more difficult for new agricultural techniques to gain widespread acceptance ...
