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?
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Viewpoint: Harnessing bacteria, fungi, and viruses — Genetically engineering microbes could help us contain climate change, if we get clear regulations
Microbes are tiny living things — such as bacteria, fungi, and viruses — that can help boost crop immunity to ...
GLP podcast: EPA wrong about ‘forever chemicals’? Heatwaves and drugs don’t mix; Idealistic activism harms public health
The EPA is facing a new crop of lawsuits brought by plaintiffs who say the agency's new guidance on "forever ...
Agroecology supporters mull threats and opportunities posed by agro-biotechnology revolution
The result of 18 months of workshops and analysis, the Agroecological Intelligence project brought together agroecological farmers and growers for a series ...
‘Plastic is a product of brilliant engineering’ — Now let’s make it better for the environment
Materials scientists are cooking up environmentally friendly polymers from natural sources like silk, plant fibers and whole algae ...
Viewpoint: One-third of greenhouse gas emissions come from agriculture. Here’s why that needs to change, and how we do it
Our global food system is in urgent need of transition. At present, one-third of anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions come from food ...
98% of Chinese consumers are willing to eat more plant-based foods. What’s holding them back?
When you inform people in China about the benefits of a vegan diet, nearly all of them (98%) would be ...
Brazen Beef: Do Tyson Foods’ taxpayer-subsidized ‘climate-friendly’ beef claims hold up under the microscope?
In late 2022, Tyson—one of the country’s “big four” meat packers—applied to the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), seeking a ...
Grazing sheep under solar panels? How ‘intercropping’ livestock and clean energy boosts animal wellfare and farmer incomes
As a flock of about 2,000 sheep graze between rows of solar panels, grazier Tony Inder wonders what all the ...
From food waste to plastic-free biodegradables? Leftover rice byproducts might be key to sustainable packaging
You know that protective outer layer you toss out before cooking rice? Scientists at Kyungpook National University in South Korea ...
Antibacterial wax coating made from cinnamon? Here is a ‘natural’ way to extend shelf life of food
A team of researchers at Texas A&M University determined a way to make fruits and vegetables last longer — using only ingredients approved ...
Here is why CRISPR is a more helpful tool than transgenic GMOs and organic farming to sustainably transform crops and food
Despite scientific consensus on the safety of genetically modified organisms, or GMOs, they have faced significant regulatory hurdles and public ...
What’s next for GMO corn and herbicides in the wake of Mexico’s latest presidential election?
Thomas Jefferson famously noted that "[T]he greatest service which can be rendered any country is to add a useful plant to its ...
Climate-adaptive alternative proteins could replace up to two-thirds of animal proteins by 2050 and dramatically reduce need for agricultural land
In the least optimistic scenario, alternative proteins could displace a sixth of meat and dairy consumption in Europe. In the ...
Is tilapia a human-made freak that we should avoid — or an evolutionary rockstar?
Posts were appearing on my Facebook feed warning against the dangers of eating tilapia. So I decided to do a ...
China develops gene-edited rice variety that could resist debilitating crop disease
Scientists have made an exciting breakthrough that resulted in mutant rice with enhanced immunity against a devastating disease ...
Methane-releasing cow ‘burps’ are a major global contributor to climate instability. Could a vaccine fix that?
The methane emitted by the world’s billion-plus belching cattle has roughly the same impact on the climate as all the ...
‘Gene editing is a more elegant way of tackling crop disease than spraying more pesticides’: CRISPR revolution opens door to ‘disaster-proof’ crops
Traditional crop breeding can be time-consuming and laborious. Brad Ringeisen, the executive director of the Innovative Genomics Institute (IGI) at ...
Genetically-modified poplar and chestnut trees: Contrasting organizations navigate regulatory maze in search of government and popular acceptance
When you think of GMOs, controversial products like Monsanto’s herbicide-tolerant RoundupReady corn might spring to mind. However, the world of ...
Viewpoint: History of the transgenic Rainbow papaya shows that ‘sometimes it is unethical to ignore or discard GM technologies’
In 1998, the papaya industry in Hawaii was on the verge of collapse due to an uncontrollable virus. In just ...
Green politics and sustainability: Rising costs and other trade-offs
“Green” policies designed to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels may not as much of a good thing as you ...
Viewpoint: ‘Organic products are safer for consumers than conventional products?’— In Canada, 46% of organic produce tests positive for pesticide residue
Over and over, the term ‘organic’ is used as an umbrella for a variety of qualitative features in food. There ...
Viewpoint: ‘The fight to save America’s iconic chestnut tree has become a civil war’
For the past two decades, Sara Fern Fitzsimmons has raised seedlings of the American chestnut in research orchards along the ...
Here is how genetically engineered crops can aid in the quest for food security amid a changing climate
Many food crops can only grow under certain climate conditions, which means too little or too much heat or rainfall ...
GMOs and gene-edited foods: Can these fast-evolving technologies help make crops more climate-change resilient while boosting food security?
In this Q&A, Carbon Brief looks at the difference between GMOs and gene-edited foods and whether these technologies can help ...
Divide emerges between supporters of organic labels vs regenerative ag claims in battle for ‘sustainably-conscious’ consumers
USDA Certified Organic has taken a defensive position in recent years against the proliferation of eco-claims, many of which are ...
‘Heightened alert’: Avian flu detected in water supplies, virus found in the meat of one cow, and flu-tainted milk has infected mice and cats
Since the beginning of the year, the highly pathogenic H5N1 bird flu strain that previously had killed tens of millions ...
Let’s review the (faux) claims of a pesticide-caused insect collapse
If you keep up with the news in the mainstream media, you might think it’s time to ditch the flyswatter ...
