The Global Alliance for Climate-Smart Agriculture made its high-profile launch at the New York Climate Summit. But for a huge coalition of civil society organizations, it's a 'greenwash' initiative designed to promote intensive profit-driven industrial agriculture at the expense of small farmers, environment, and the real solutions.
… greenwash: the Global Alliance on Climate-Smart Agriculture Climate Smart Ag Concerns | 30th September … Comment Food Farming Corporations GMOs Un Climate Change cacao-in-biochar-soil.png What …
High altitude regions near the equator are highly vulnerable to climate change - as are marginalised communities. Sian Cowman reports on how resilience strategies - old and new - are helping one Andean community to survive a changing climate.
… Bolivia: harshening climate meets traditional knowledge Sian … Cowman | 30th December 2013 Comment Bolivia Climate Change Farming Food Community … near the equator are highly vulnerable to climate change - as are marginalised …
Pakistan is already experiencing a pattern of devastating flood and drought brought on by climate change and deforestation, say the country's top climate scientists. Yet the government has failed to either tackle the problems, or prepare for future disasters.
… Saleem Shaikh | 6th August 2014 News Pakistan Climate Change Forests Water … devastating flood and drought brought on by climate change and deforestation, say the country's top climate scientists. Yet the government has …
As Brazil's climate gets drier, caused by deforestation in the Amazon and elsewhere, writes Jan Rocha, a Brazilian climate expert proposes five-point 'battle plan' to save the world's greatest tropical forest, before it's too late.
… | 22nd December 2014 News Brazil Forests Climate Change amazon-oxbow-manaus-cut.jpg As Brazil's climate gets drier, caused by deforestation in … and elsewhere, writes Jan Rocha, a Brazilian climate expert proposes five-point 'battle …
A failure to act to reduce the impacts of climate change could cost Europe almost €200 billion and 200,000 lives a year, writes Tim Radford. These 'conservative estimates' are published in a new European Commission study.
… Climate inaction could cost Europe 200,000 … a year Tim Radford | 16th July 2014 News EU Climate Changes Flooding Forests Health … A failure to act to reduce the impacts of climate change could cost Europe almost €200 …
Meat is already a huge contributor to climate change, write Dora Marinova & Talia Raphaely, and as 'atmospheric space' for greenhouse gas emissions contracts, its importance will only increase. The good news? If rich countries were just to eat less of it, there's a huge climate win there for the taking!
… Meat - the climate opportunity we can seize at every meal … Talia Raphaely | 9th July 2015 Comment Climate Change Food Farming Emissions … Meat is already a huge contributor to climate change, write Dora Marinova & Talia …
The more EU politicians try to look in control of the Mediterranean refugee emergency, the more it's obvious they aren't, writes Assaad W. Razzouk. A key driver of the crisis is climate change, which is causing drought across North Africa. Europe must now tackle the root causes of the crisis, and admit its own culpability in precipitating it.
… Don't mention climate change! Europe's response to the … Assaad W. Razzouk | 24th April 2015 Comment Climate Change Africa Human Rights War Food … W. Razzouk. A key driver of the crisis is climate change, which is causing drought …
You might be forgiven for thinking that climate change is all about fossil fuels, writes Chris Lang. But with livestock farming causing around a sixth of global emissions, there's one quick, cheap way to cut our carbon footprints: go vegetarian, or better still, vegan. So what's taking us so long?
… Worried about climate change? So why aren't you vegan? Chris Lang | 1st July 2015 Comment Climate Change Emissions Food Farming … You might be forgiven for thinking that climate change is all about fossil fuels, …
New combinations of temperature, precipitation and light will drive changes in biodiversity with some unexpected consequences.
… Trees Forests Rainforests Conservation Climate Change Science & Systems … how Scotland’s native species will respond to climate change, according to new research. … are likely to react to these novel future climates.” Most previous studies have relied …
Paris has been awash with hype about 'CO2 recycling' and 'carbon neutral' or even 'carbon negative' technologies based on burning millions of trees, writes Rachel Smolker. But the alchemical notion that waste carbon can be spun into corporate gold is hitting serious reality checks. It's time to ditch the fantasies and progress the real solutions: like caring for land, soils, forests and grasslands.
… COP21's climate technofix: spinning carbon into gold … Rachel Smolker | 3rd December 2015 News COP21 Climate Change Fossil Fuels Biomass Ipcc … When the IPCC (International Panel on Climate Change) published their most recent …
The 'knowns' of climate change are already plenty scary enough, writes Bill Laurance. But far more worrying are the unknowns. And in a system as complex and convoluted as the global climate system there are lots of them, creating scope for many nasty surprises to emerge.
… The scariest part of climate change is what we don't know Bill Laurance | 4th August 2015 Comment Climate Science Forests … xingu-fires-2011-cut.jpg The 'knowns' of climate change are already plenty scary …
As millions join in climate marches and other actions around the world, writes Ronnie Cummins, the 'mainstream' focus on energy is missing the 55% of emissions that come from mismanaged land and destroyed forests. The key is to replace industrial agriculture worldwide with productive, regenerative organic farming that puts carbon back in the soil.
… Association | 21st September 2014 Activism Climate Change Farming Forests feedlot-cut.jpg As millions join in climate marches and other actions around the … not by pinning our hopes for survival and climate stability on hi-tech, unproven and …
The Drax power station in North Yorkshire is among Britain's greatest greenhouse gas emitters, writes Almuth Ernsting. Not only is it burning some 6 million tonnes of coal every year, it is also burning its way through forests in the USA and other countries as it converts to biomass-fired units, rewarded by £1.3 million a day in subsidies. Join the #AxeDrax protest this weekend!
… #AxeDrax: campaigners unite for climate justice against coal and biofueled … Almuth Ernsting | 18th October 2016 Activism Climate Change Emissions Energy Biofuels … forest destruction for bioenergy, and for climate justice will be protesting outside the …
Despite massive clearance of carbon-rich forests for palm oil, cattle ranching, soybeans and other cash crops, writes Tim Radford, a new study finds that the net volume of carbon stored in trees is increasing thanks to their growing numbers on grasslands, on abandoned farmland, and in China.
… Tim Radford | 18th May 2015 News Forests Climate Change woodland-australia-cut.jpg … Australian scientists, who report in Nature Climate Change that they used a new technique … by remote sensing scientist Yi Liu, of the Climate Change Research Centre at the …
Oxfam's report 'Standing on the Sidelines' lays down a challenge to the 'Big 10' of the global food industry, writes Julia Wright. They must cut their huge carbon emissions, campaign to protect global climate, and rethink their entire mission to encompass health and wellbeing.
… The Big Ten food companies must join the climate fight Julia Wright | 20th June 2014 Comment Food Farming Climate Change Health palm-oil-ran-cut.jpg … carbon emissions, campaign to protect global climate, and rethink their entire mission to …
Global food production may need to double over the next century to feed a growing world population, writes Tim Radford - just as yields crops in major crop-growing areas fall due to higher temperatures. But there is another way: to build sustainability into our food production and consumption.
… Climate food crunch demands sustainable food … | 27th September 2016 News Food Farming Climate Change Population farm-sa-cut.jpg … rice will be grown in regions vulnerable to climate change in the next 50 to 100 years, …
'Climate Smart Agriculture' advocates were out in force at the just concluded climate talks in Bonn, writes Pavlos Georgiadis. But their finely crafted corporate message presents a real threat to genuine agroecological solutions to the interlinked food, farming and climate crises.
… | 24th October 2015 Comment Food Farming Climate Change Forests Unfccc COP21 oil-palm-borneo-cut.jpg 'Climate Smart Agriculture' advocates were out in force at the just concluded climate talks in Bonn, writes Pavlos …
Fish from the high seas are too valuable to be eaten, as they lessen climate change through the carbon they carry down to the ocean depths. The carbon benefits are worth $150 billion every year - almost ten times the value of high seas fish landings.
… fishing the high seas, say scientists, for climate and ecology Climate News Network | 21st June 2014 News Oceans Fishing Carbon Climate Change Food new_fish-cut.jpg How long …
The destruction of the world's wilderness is accelerating with a new clutch of mega projects from dams, roads and mines to large scale agriculture, write James Watson, Bill Laurance, Brendan Mackey & James Allan. It's cost-effective to put a stop to it right now for the carbon value of wilderness alone - never mind the biodiversity and indigenous peoples it safeguards.
… Wilderness needs immediate protection for climate - and much more James Watson Bill … James Allan | 16th September 2016 Comment Climate Change Forests Wilderness Conservation … of carbon. If we're to meet our international climate commitments, it is essential that we …
At least a third of the food the world grows each year goes to waste, writes John Mandyck, most of it in fields, transport and storage. The result is poor farmers, hungry people, and a massive 3.3 billion tonnes of needless CO2 emissions. It should be a key topic for action at COP21 in Paris - but so far it's not even on the agenda.
… For climate's sake, let's cut food waste! John … September 2015 Comment Waste Food Technology Climate Change milk-bicycles-cut.jpg At least … the agenda. Reducing food waste is the only climate action that reduces greenhouse gas …
Scientists have found that the world's second greatest rainforest, the Congo, is losing its green, writes Tim Radford. As temperatures rise and rainfall reduces, the forest canopy is taking on a browner hue, and this could be an early signal of worse damage to come.
… 2014 News Forests Africa Amazon Congo Water Climate Change Ecology congo-forest-tree.jpg … it could reflect the forest's response to climate change. Scientists from Australia, … to understand these changes because most climate models predict tropical forests may be …
The growing popularity of olive oil has driven more intensive systems of olive tree cultivation, writes Kieran Cooke. But they are vulnerable to the kind of extreme weather that has brought pests and disease to olive crops across southern Europe, damaging crops and pushing up prices.
… Climate turbulence deals costly blow to olive … Cooke | 2nd December 2014 News Food Farming Climate Change Italy Spain … fast - driven in large part by changes in climate. Spain accounts for nearly 50% of … In its latest assessment report on global climate, the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on …