Both houses of the US Congress passed a compromise on a newly revised Farm Bill this week. This encyclopaedic legislation allocates nearly $100 billion of taxpayer money annually for food assistance, farm subsidies, on-farm conservation incentives and a dozen other programme categories.
When you think of toxic chemicals in the environment, what comes to mind? Perhaps a belching smokestack, or a pipe discharging chemical waste into your local river. You probably don’t think of your living room. But you should.
Maintaining the status quo in the farm bill might feel like a victory to some, but long-time farm bill expert Dan Imhoff says it still won’t support the kinds of agriculture we need most as the climate warms.
A healthier planet requires an overhaul of our economic system, and workers collaborating with climate justice movements would be doubly powerful. But the connections between them aren’t widely known.
It is time for farmers and policy makers to jointly create a legislation that provides both for the survival of the planet and allows them to survive financially with ongoing taxpayer funding. There is no other sane option.
Toxic chemicals with known health impacts have contaminated drinking water in Michigan and across the nation. Government agencies have concealed the dangers. Sound familiar?
The death of George H.W. Bush is cause to honor a man who made it possible for all Americans to breathe cleaner air. It also reminds us that partisan politics need not obstruct progress toward a healthier environment.