This blog post was written by Christina Badaracco, co-author of The Farm Bill: A Citizen's Guide, and Niki Randolph for the Planetary Health Collective blog. Read the full blog post here.
As US farmers prepare for spring planting, they must make decisions based on the challenges of increasingly extreme and unpredictable weather patterns. Reports from the Fourth U.S. National Climate Assessment (NCA4) show the earth’s average surface temperature has increased by approximately 1 degree Celsius from 1901 to 2016, making this period the warmest in the history of modern civilization. Scientists say this warming trajectory can only change with a drastic cut in domestic and global carbon emissions.
A multitude of factors—including food production—contribute to greenhouse gas emissions that negatively impact environmental and human health. Agricultural systems undoubtedly impact climate change, and on the other hand, climate change undoubtedly impacts agriculture.
A closer look at this complex relationship reveals far-reaching implications, including for the resilience of our food systems and the work of nutrition professionals.
Read the full blog post here.