Alex Smith
Analysis: Climate activists issue scare-warnings of impending starvation, but they ignore technology’s future role in scaling productivity
In 1968, the American scientists Paul and Anne Ehrlich published The Population Bomb. In it, The Ehrlichs foresaw widespread death and ...
Viewpoint: ‘Think globally, act locally’? It’s a buzzy environmentalist catchphrase, but it may not be the best way to address climate change and conservation challenges
Few bumper stickers have made as large of an impression as “Think Globally, Act Locally.” Plastered on the back of ...
Analysis: We can’t limit climate change impact in agriculture unless we embrace biological solutions and move away from outdated farming techniques
In many circles, “biotechnology” is a four-letter word. Whether you’re a Jurassic Park truther, an anti-Monsanto activist, or an anti-Vaxxer, the ...
Viewpoint: Why Washington should sharply increase funding for intensive agricultural to address climate change, spur sustainability
The 20th century was a time of massive changes in US agriculture. From farmers scraping a living out of the ...
Viewpoint: Sustainability challenges require us to rethink the role of meat in our world — How we raise livestock and process chicken and beef
Meat is a touchy topic. At the beginning of 2021, right-wing media jumped on a rumor that President Joe Biden ...
Breakthrough technologies reduce the carbon footprint of US beef production
In 2019, the United States produced approximately $111 billion worth of beef, exporting about 3 billion pounds and employing hundreds ...
How can we produce more food with less environmental impact: Book review of ‘The Economics of Sustainable Food’
Aimed at the army of advocates, activists, and policymakers engaged with food and agricultural politics, [Nicoletta] Batini hopes that The ...
Viewpoint: ‘Slow food’ movement remains an aesthetic model for the elite — and doesn’t produce a sustainable food system
There is something especially sinister about telling people that the way to eat healthfully, morally, and sustainably requires more work — especially ...
Does the Democrats’ ‘Build Back Better’ plan adequately address agriculture and climate change challenges?
With the $27 billion directed towards agricultural conservation, combined with about $2 billion for agricultural research, the current Build Back ...
Viewpoint: Why the federal government should subsidize high risk, early stage research into alternative meats and other proteins
A record-breaking $3.1 billion was invested in alternative proteins — plant-based and cultivated meat — in 2020. However, we and other ...
How important is soil quality to addressing climate change? It’s critical, and here’s a blueprint for refocusing American R&D
COVID-19 and the resulting economic crisis have highlighted and exacerbated the plight of American farmers, while also threatening already dwindling ...
Viewpoint: As meat consumption reaches record highs, it’s clear that substituting plants for meat won’t help address climate concerns. Here’s what will
[G]lobal emissions from food production are expected to rise 60% by 2050, in large part because of increased livestock production ...
The case for public investment in alternative proteins
The United States currently consumes more meat per capita than any other country. In the past decade, however, the US ...
Want fewer pandemics? Intensify agriculture to combat hunger—the root cause of disease spread
A number of activists and opinion writers have recently argued that SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, can be traced ...
Viewpoint: Regenerative agriculture—An oversold sustainability solution to climate change?
Over the past six months, major food companies, like General Mills, Danone North America, Kellogg, and others, have launched efforts ...
Viewpoint: Intensive ‘industrial’ agriculture boosts farm productivity, promotes environmental sustainability
It's important to be honest about the benefits of farm consolidation if we value keeping food prices low, combating climate ...
What can ‘selfish genes’ found in kombucha tea tell us about how humanity has evolved?
For all of kombucha’s peace and love image, research at the Stowers Institute in Kansas City shows some rather sinister ...
