Growing On The Climate Crisis Front Lines

Scientists say farmers could grow their way out of the climate crisis

Bill Weir, August 8, 2019 (CNN)

“…[Farmers are struggling with trade wars, the climate crisis] and the worst income-to-debt ratio in a generation…[Now, a new report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) finds] that growing food around the world will only get harder as weather gets harsher and more unpredictable…[But every plant] moves heat-trapping carbon dioxide out of the air and into the ground…[With innovation, conservation and financial motivation, modern farmers can fight the climate crisis] while still making a living and feeding the world…[The IPCC found] almost three-quarters of the Earth's ice-free surface has been paved, plowed or deforested…[This supercharged global economies and lifted millions out of poverty and starvation in just a few generations, but] humanity is at risk of losing all those gains…

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…[As temperatures rise at a speed unprecedented in human history, vegetation] loss, fire damage, coastal degradation, soil erosion, water instability and lower crop yields are among the Industrial Revolution side effects already being felt from India to Iowa…[T]he number of days above 90 degrees Fahrenheit in Des Moines could jump from 17 to 70 by mid-century…[But] farmers could be key allies in the climate crisis fight…[A]lmost a quarter of greenhouse gas pollution comes from agriculture, deforestation and land use…But there seems to be a quiet agriculture revolution going on, even among conservative farmers…[They are embracing] wind energy, Earth-friendly cover crops and soil conservation…” click here for more

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