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6 reasons to reject the bad House farm bill Anthony Lacey April 21, 2026

Next week, House lawmakers will vote on the farm bill, which sets food and farm policy. 

The partisan House farm bill proposed by Agriculture Committee Republicans would fail to help family farmers, lock in historic cuts to the nation’s biggest anti-hunger program, cut regenerative agriculture programs, weaken safeguards against pesticides, and roll back animal welfare and other environmental protections. 

It would also do nothing to address food prices or food safety or support healthy diets – priority issues – or protect the people who feed us. No wonder groups fighting to support family farms, hungry people, farm and food workers, public health and farm animals are united in their opposition. 

The farm bill has not been renewed since 2018 and may not be reconsidered until 2032 or later. The upcoming debate over the bill is a rare opportunity to push for resetting policies that currently mostly benefit the largest, most successful farm businesses and do little or nothing for the rest of us. 

A good farm bill would ensure that family farmers are supported and that hungry people have enough to eat, that we invest in regenerative agriculture, protect the people who feed us, and ensure that food is safe, healthy and affordable. 

A bad farm bill, like the House Republicans’ plan, would enshrine the status quo. 

Here are six reasons members of Congress should reject the bad bill that will be considered next week. The bill:

1. Fails to feed hungry people. Last year, the Republican Congress passed the biggest cut ever to anti-hunger programs, but the partisan House farm bill does nothing to help people struggling simply to have enough to eat. 
2. Fails family farms. More than 100,000 family farms have gone out of business in recent years, and President Donald Trump’s tariffs and wars have made farm inputs more expensive, worsening the problem. But the partisan House farm bill will do nothing to help our family farms, including those owned by young farmers.
3. Cuts regenerative agriculture funding. Regenerative agriculture programs help farmers adopt practices like cover crops – popular Agriculture Department programs that are badly oversubscribed. But the partisan House farm bill would cut these programs’ funding for farmers by more than $1 billion.
4. Weakens pesticide protections. Pesticides can threaten our health, especially our children’s health. But the partisan House farm bill would repeal local pesticide protections, especially safeguards near schools and parks. It would also grant legal immunity to pesticide companies.
5. Weakens animal welfare protections. State laws ensure that farm animals are raised humanely. But the partisan House farm bill would repeal state farm animal welfare laws. 
6. Does nothing to address food prices or food safety. The partisan House bill takes no action to address food prices and food safety, support healthy diets or protect the people who feed us. It also fails to fund access to healthy food. 

Areas of Focus Food Farming & Agriculture Pesticides Authors Scott Faber April 21, 2026

View of the sound walls around Chevron’s Bishop well pad from only a mile away at Galeton Elementary’s playground in May 2025.

What do toxic geysers and shiny new playgrounds have in common? The sensible answer is: Nothing. But in the rural community of Galeton, Colorado, both serve as a reminder of the impacts that the oil and gas industry can have on communities.

In August 2025, Galeton Elementary celebrated the opening of a new playground donated by Chevron, which, through its subsidiaries Noble Energy and PDC Energy, owns many of the well pads in the surrounding area. From the promotional video, it would appear that the residents and schoolchildren of Galeton were merely the lucky recipients of an act of corporate benevolence. However, this video lacks some important context:

In April 2025, a well at Chevron’s Bishop well pad located about a mile from Galeton Elementary suffered a critical failure and a blowout occurred. This blowout resulted in plumes of dangerous airborne pollutants like benzene that were detected miles away from the well, and a geyser of well fluids that lasted for days, blanketing homes and the nearby elementary school in toxic compounds. Over one million gallons of fluids spewed over a 1.5 mile radius from the well, contaminating soil and surfaces, including the previous playground at Galeton Elementary. Homes were evacuated, families have been displaced, and cleanup and remediation is predicted to continue through 2030.

Photos of cleanup efforts at a home adjacent to the Bishop well pad in May 2025

In other words, what that video does not tell you is that the new playground at Galeton Elementary is the result of ongoing cleanup efforts from one of the worst “spills” in Colorado’s history. 

It is a good thing that Chevron rebuilt the school’s playground after the disaster. But, it should not be used to excuse or distract from the harm that was done to those whose lives were upended.

$1.5M Fine: a significant sum, a meager penalty

Colorado’s Energy and Carbon Management Commission (ECMC) recently fined Chevron $1.5 million dollars for the incident, much of which will be used to bolster enforcement efforts at ECMC. In addition, Chevron is responsible for covering the costs of ongoing cleanup and remediation efforts. 

This is one of the largest fines the ECMC has ever levied against an operator. It is a significant sum, and ensuring that some of those funds go towards improving state enforcement efforts is an important goal.

However, $1.5 million dollars is still a meager penalty for a multinational corporation that reported $2.8 billion in earnings in the last quarter. To put that in perspective, the fine represents five ten-thousandths of a percent (0.0005%) of those quarterly earnings. At that rate, Chevron could easily afford thousands of such fines without seeing even a dent in their finances.

The fine is not nothing. The fine is a start. Now, the ECMC must ensure that Chevron’s cleanup efforts are conducted properly and must also do everything in its power to ensure that operators take measures to prevent similar incidents from occurring elsewhere. 

More importantly, the fine, the cleanup efforts, and the brand new playground do not diminish the harm done to those displaced, those exposed to harmful pollutants, and to the environment. Companies like Chevron have the money to buy goodwill, but we should not let them cover up the impacts the oil and gas industry has on communities like Galeton.

We must ensure that the oil and gas industry is not allowed to continue to mislead communities. And, in Galeton, this truth remains: 

Even after the cleanup has concluded, schoolchildren at Galeton Elementary will be able to see the Bishop well pad on the horizon from their new playstructure. That is, when the air is not dangerous to breathe and visibility greatly reduced due to persistent smog fueled by Front Range oil and gas activities.

The post A “Good Neighbor” with a Toxic Legacy appeared first on Earthworks.

The fossil fuel crisis triggered by the Iran war should push nations to speed up their shift towards clean energy and break their dependence on volatile sources, energy and climate ministers said on Tuesday.

Murat Kurum, Türkiye’s climate minister and COP31 president, said the crisis was yet another demonstration that fossil fuels cannot guarantee energy security, making it crucial for countries to diversify by investing in renewable energy.

“We know that relying solely on fossil fuels means walking towards volatility, insecurity and climate collapse,” he told fellow ministers at the Petersberg Climate Dialogue, an annual gathering in Berlin that traditionally opens the global climate diplomacy calendar.

Ministers from more than 30 countries, along with United Nations representatives, are meeting until Wednesday to lay the groundwork for a deal to accelerate climate action at COP31 in Antalya, Türkiye.

They will debate how to ramp up efforts to cut greenhouse gas emissions, mobilise climate finance amid shrinking international aid budgets, and leverage a strained multilateral system to deliver results.

Fossil fuels not the answer

The gathering is taking place in the shadow of what some energy analysts have described as the largest oil and gas supply disruption in history. The conflict in the Middle East has sent oil and gas prices soaring, with growing ripple effects on food production and industrial manufacturing.

Australia’s escalating fuel crisis meant the country’s energy minister Chris Bowen, who will also be in charge of COP31 negotiations, cancelled his trip to the Berlin summit. Joining by videolink, he said the crisis is a “unique opportunity” to underline the message that “energy reliability, energy sovereignty and energy security are entirely in keeping with strong decarbonisation”.

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“Doubling down on fossil fuels is not the answer to this crisis,” he added. “Wind cannot be subject to a sanction, the sun cannot be interrupted by a blockade. These are all reliable forms of energy, which must be supported by storage”.

Electrification is a “megatrend”

Echoing Bowen’s remarks, Germany’s climate minister Carsten Schneider said the current crisis will be “an accelerator [of the energy transition] because it will help many people understand and realise how dependent we are on fossil fuels”.

He added that “electrification is turning into a global megatrend” but called for more discussion on how to ensure that industry and transport become less reliant on oil and gas across the world.

At last year’s climate talks, countries failed to agree to start a process to draft a global plan to shift away from oil, coal and gas. But the Brazilian COP30 presidency is taking it upon itself to deliver this roadmap before the summit in Antalya.

Discussions are expected to kick into higher gear at the first-ever conference on transitioning away from fossil fuels due to start at the end of this week in Colombia. COP30 president André Corrêa do Lago has said the roadmap should be published in September.

Clear plans needed

Addressing the Petersberg summit, the head of the United Nations António Guterres said that transition roadmaps can help countries manage urgent choices during the ongoing fuel crisis while advancing a just transition to a clean and secure energy future.

“We must respond to the energy crisis without deepening the climate crisis,” he added. “Short-term measures must not lock in long-term fossil fuel dependence and expansion”.

The ministers argued that, despite the US withdrawal from international climate diplomacy under President Trump, other countries remained committed to working together to tackle the climate crisis.

But Türkiye’s Kurum scolded the more than 40 governments that have not yet published their national climate plans, more than a year after the official UN deadline. These are mostly smaller nations, but the group of laggards also includes Vietnam, Argentina and Egypt.

“We will ensure that countries fulfil the fundamental requirements of the COP,” he said, adding that his team is working intensely with the UN to ensure these plans – known as nationally determined contributions – are submitted.

“Without diagnosis, you can’t treat”, he said.

The post Fossil fuel crisis offers chance to speed up energy transition, ministers say appeared first on Climate Home News.

New research by 350.org shows that on top of soaring energy bills, fossil fuels cost households an additional $12 trillion a year in taxpayer handouts, health impacts and extreme weather damage – equivalent to a $23 million a minute “gift to Big Oil” that costs each person on Earth $1,400 per year.

In the report “Out of Pocket: How Fossil Fuels are Draining Households and Economies,” 350.org recalculated IMF estimates on fossil fuel subsidies, uncovering what fossil fuels actually cost society and what governments spend to keep production flowing. These hidden costs – totalling $12 trillion annually [1] – are “silently siphoning trillions away from household budgets and draining state coffers” while a handful of big corporations make windfall profits from the war in South West Asia.

The report highlights that:

• Fossil fuels cause $9.3 trillion per year in climate damages and air pollution, higher than IMF estimates.[2] These are social costs that the fossil fuel industry should be charged with but pay nothing for, and which the public shoulders through taxes and out of pocket payments.
• The $4.1 trillion annual climate undervaluation [3] could finance more than 5,900 gigawatts of new solar capacity — enough to power every home in Africa, South Asia and Latin America combined.
• The $12 trillion owed by the fossil fuel industry annually in avoided costs is more than 100 times total global climate finance — or the money the world has committed to help countries respond to the climate crisis.
• In the first 50 days of the war, over $150 billion has been siphoned from ordinary people to oil and gas companies due to soaring energy prices alone. [4]

As decision-makers from over 50 countries gather for the first international conference on a fossil fuel phase-out in Santa Marta, Colombia this week, 350.org said that leaders have an unprecedented opportunity to put the world on the right path. “Decades of delay have turned every oil price spike into a household emergency and every climate‑fuelled disaster into another withdrawal from the savings of the world’s poorest communities,” the group said.

350.org is calling on governments to:

• Tax fossil fuel windfall and corporate excess profits to channel the revenues directly into lowering people’s energy bills.
• End fossil fuel subsidies and replace them with targeted household support; and invest public money in cheaper, reliable renewables that bring bills down for good.
• Protect families and businesses from future price shocks by ending fossil fuel expansion and building affordable 100% renewable energy.

Using case studies from Asia, Africa, and the Caribbean, the report also highlights how an alternative energy system is already being shaped. From community‑owned grids, Indigenous‑led wind projects, subnational 100% renewable commitments, and regional subsidy reforms, the great power shift from fossil fuels to people‑centered renewables has already begun.

Bill McKibben, climate activist and 350.org founder said:

“A building El Niño means 2026 and 2027 will set new global temperature records, and that will offer yet more chaos, and yet more reminders that it is the poorest people on earth who must bear most of the cost of this ongoing tragedy. We have a narrow path out of these crises, and that path has been illuminated by the bombs from this misbegotten war. It would be a waste and a sin not to seize this moment.”

Anne Jellema, 350.org Chief Executive said:

“The economic case for fossil fuels has not just weakened, it has collapsed. Climate chaos and volatile oil prices have pushed ordinary people to a breaking point: unable to afford food, transport, housing or healthcare. Leaders must acknowledge the real costs of fossil fuels and redirect public money where it belongs — into making clean energy a right, not a privilege.”

Hala Kilani, Head of Energy Diplomacy, REN21 said:

“Renewables are not controlled by a few fossil fuel exporting countries. It is abundant, distributed, and affordable. It can stabilize costs and be deployed locally, empowering communities rather than concentrating power. It is a peace, development, and justice solution. It’s high time we transition to reliable, affordable renewable energy.”

Hilda Flavia Nakabuye, Founder of Fridays for Future Uganda said:

“African families are paying for fossil fuels three times over: through taxes, through rising living costs, and through worsening climate disasters. The fossil fuel system is not a distant global issue; it is something people experience in their daily lives. Public resources are being drained to support this system, while wealth is extracted and exported. We must ensure that polluters pay for the damage they have caused to our communities over generations. We must shift investment towards a system that reduces costs for households, strengthens resilience, and prioritizes the people.

Jan Rosenow, Professor of Energy and Climate Policy at Oxford University said:

“This crisis is a stark reminder of just how risky it is to rely on fossil fuels, with around 80 percent of global energy still coming from them and driving the instability we see today. We should be focusing on long-term solutions rather than applying short-term sticking plasters to a much deeper problem. Price volatility is not a flaw in the fossil fuel system; it is a built-in feature. The real question is not what the energy transition will cost us, but what it will cost if we fail to act.”

Muhammad Mustafa Amjad, Program Manager for Renewables First Pakistan said:

“The system is structured in such a way that fossil fuels continue to benefit, even as cleaner and cheaper alternatives become available. Pakistan has imported less fossil fuel but ended up paying more, which shows how deeply flawed the system is. We learned how to build an energy system around fossil fuels, and now we must learn how to build one around renewables. This transition is no longer just about economic growth; it is about human survival.Solar energy is not only a source of clean power, but also a driver of economic stability.”

Executive summary of the report

Full report

Notes to Editor:

[1] (a) ~$11.4 trillion in underpriced fossil fuel costs — including explicit government subsidies, climate damages, air pollution, and road externalities — recalculated from IMF data using peer-reviewed US EPA damage models; plus (b) ~$700 billion in production-side support to fossil fuel producers tracked by the OECD across 52 countries.

[2] The IMF’s climate damage figure rests on a carbon price — US$85 per tonne of CO2 — that represents the cheapest possible price to keep warming below 2°C, not the actual damage fossil fuels cause. Using the peer-reviewed damage models that now underpin the US Environmental Protection Agency’s official social cost of carbon, 350.org recalculated those figures for 186 countries.

[3] Social costs of fossil fuels not accounted for by IMF estimates, as calculated by 350.org

[4] This 350.org analysis calculates the losses from price spikes using weighted oil and gas price averages for the period, combined with global consumption levels. It does not yet include wider knock-on effects such as inflation, decline in economic outputs and unemployment.

The Environmental Working Group today filed a lawsuit in federal court claiming the Environmental Protection Agency is unlawfully delaying a response to the group’s petition seeking stricter limits in oats on the notorious herbicide glyphosate.

The petition also asks for a ban on use of glyphosate as a pre-harvest drying agent.

In its suit, EWG urges the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit to compel the EPA to respond to the petition, which has languished at the agency for seven years.

EWG argues the agency’s inaction violates federal law, which requires a timely response to petitions. The delay leaves millions of Americans – especially infants and young children – potentially exposed to unsafe levels of the weedkiller in many foods marketed to kids.

“The EPA has a clear legal duty to act on this petition, and it has simply refused to do so,” said Caroline Leary, EWG’s general counsel and COO.

“This kind of delay has real consequences for families who rely on the agency to ensure children are not exposed to toxic farm chemical residues like glyphosate,” she added.

The suit comes ahead of oral arguments in the Supreme Court on April 27 in a case centered on allegations that Monsanto – which sold the glyphosate-based herbicide Roundup – failed to warn consumers about the health risks linked to exposure to the product.

That case could have sweeping implications for whether farmers and consumers can keep pursuing lawsuits for harms linked to glyphosate, and whether states can require warning labels on glyphosate products.

History of EWG’s request

EWG first filed its petition in 2018, under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, later amending it in 2019.

The petition presents scientific evidence that the EPA’s current “tolerances” – or allowable levels – of glyphosate on oats do not adequately protect children’s health.

It also calls for an end to the practice of spraying glyphosate shortly before harvest, known as pre-harvest dessication, which greatly increases residue levels in final food products.

In 2018, two rounds of EWG-commissioned laboratory tests found widespread glyphosate contamination of oat-based foods. In the first round of tests, glyphosate was detected in nearly all non-organic oat products tested, with most samples exceeding EWG’s health benchmark of 160 parts per billion for children.

The second round of tests focused on popular kids’ cereals and found glyphosate in 100% of samples, again with the majority above EWG’s health benchmark.

Together the findings point to pervasive low-level exposure in everyday foods and raise concerns about current federal safety standards.

Glyphosate is the active ingredient in Roundup, the most widely used herbicide in the U.S. and around the world. While commonly applied to control weeds in farm fields, it is also used late in the growing season on crops like oats to accelerate drying before harvest. This practice leaves little time for the chemical to break down, resulting in higher residues in foods such as oat cereals, granola bars and snacks kids often eat.

Cancer risk

EWG’s petition and supporting data say oat-based foods are a major source of dietary exposure to glyphosate, particularly for infants and toddlers. Because young children eat more food relative to their body weight than adults, they can face disproportionately higher exposure levels.

“Parents shouldn’t have to second-guess whether everyday foods like cereal and snack bars are putting their children at risk of cancer,” said EWG President and co-Founder Ken Cook. “The EPA’s silence leaves families in the dark and falls far short of its responsibility to protect public health.”

Under the 1996 Food Quality Protection Act, the EPA must ensure that pesticide residue limits in food are “safe” – that there’s a reasonable certainty of no harm, with special protections for infants and children.

The Administrative Procedure Act also guarantees the public the right to petition the agency and receive a timely, reasoned response. EWG contends that the EPA’s prolonged inaction violates both requirements.

The EPA avoiding responsibility

EWG further argues that the agency’s delay prevents judicial review of a final decision on the group’s requests, and undermines accountability. By failing to issue a final decision, the agency is falling short of its legal obligations while also blocking courts from evaluating whether those obligations have been satisfied.

“This is exactly the kind of situation where courts are meant to step in,” said Leary. “The EPA cannot avoid its responsibilities simply by doing nothing.”

EWG’s petition also raises concerns about how current glyphosate tolerance levels were established. The allowable limit for glyphosate on oats has increased dramatically over time, from 0.1 parts per million, or ppm, in the early 1990s, to 30 ppm today.

According to the petition, those increases were driven not by new safety data but by efforts to align U.S. standards with international trade standards.

At the same time as the EPA has increased the tolerance levels, scientific debate over glyphosate health effects has persisted.

In 2015, the International Agency for Research on Cancer classified glyphosate as “probably carcinogenic to humans,” citing evidence from animal studies and limited human data. While the EPA has reached different conclusions in some assessments, it has acknowledged data gaps and internal disagreements about the chemical’s potential risks.

‘Stop stalling’

EWG’s lawsuit does not ask the court to determine whether glyphosate is safe or unsafe.

But it does seek a court order requiring the EPA to respond to the petition by a firm deadline, make the safety determination and explain its reasoning, as the law requires.

EWG argues that further delay would continue to expose families to potential risks. More inaction would also deny them transparency and accountability from an agency whose purpose is to protect the public from toxic chemicals like glyphosate.

“For seven years, the EPA has left this critical issue unresolved,” Cook said. “It’s time for the agency to stop stalling and do its job.”

New info bolsters need for NC Governor Josh Stein and the legislature to stop the climate- and rate-wrecking corporate polluter from building unneeded power plants

Why is a monopoly corporate utility allowed to recruit more and more power-hungry businesses into its territory? And why is it allowed to spend millions of customer dollars every year doing so?

Last week, Duke Energy filed a cleverly worded report to regulators about its anticipated influx of data centers to North Carolina. The filing isn’t transparent about the utility’s role in recruiting those industrial customers, but Duke has long had a well-resourced economic development department that coaxes hundreds of power-using industries into the state.

Now, as always, Duke’s eye-popping projection of massive growth in electricity usage is  designed to bolster its bogus case for building unneeded power plants with customers’ dollars.

Enticing data centers to the state and offering tax breaks on their power usage runs counter to the overall interest of the people of North Carolina. Such developments are facing well-aimed backlash due to the multiple negative community impacts and creation of very few jobs. 

“Duke Energy is committed to supporting economic vitality in the Carolinas by collaborating with current and prospective customers and communities to understand and plan for future energy needs,” the filing says.

Duke leaders plan to drive up power bills and keep gouging customers by adding an unprecedented $60 billion to the rate system in just the next 4 years in the Carolinas. 

We appreciate Governor Stein for challenging the sales tax incentive. But he must stop the monopoly’s recruiting of new business to pad its investors’ pockets while abusing the people of North Carolina and blocking climate solutions.

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Now in its 38th year, NC WARN is building people power in the climate and energy justice movement to persuade or require Charlotte-based Duke Energy – one of the world’s largest climate polluters – to make a quick transition to renewable, affordable power generation and energy efficiency in order to avert climate tipping points and ongoing rate hikes. 

The post Duke Energy Recruits Data Centers to NC Using Millions of Customer Dollars Each Year — NC WARN News Release appeared first on NC WARN.

Rachel Rose Jackson is a climate researcher and international policy expert whose work involves monitoring polluter interference at the UNFCCC and advancing pathways to protect against it.

Next week, dozens of governments will gather in the Colombian city of Santa Marta for a conference on transitioning away from fossil fuels. 

The conference is a first of its kind, in name and in practice. It’s a welcome change to see a platform for global climate action actually acknowledge the primary cause of the climate crisis – fossil fuels. This sends a clear message about what needs to be done to avoid tumbling off the climate cliff edge we are precariously balancing on.

The agenda set for governments to hash out goes further than any other multilateral space has managed to date. Over the week, participants will discuss how to overcome the economic dependence on fossil fuels, transform supply and demand, and advance international cooperation to transition away from fossil fuels. 

Alongside the conference, academics, civil society, movements and others are convening to put forward their visions of a just and forever fossil fuel phase out. The conference can help shape pathways and tools governments can use to achieve a fossil-fuel-free future, particularly if the dialogue begins with an honest assessment of “fair shares.” 

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This means assessing who is most responsible for emissions and exploring truer means of international collaboration that can unlock the technology, resources and finances necessary for a just transition.  

Fossil fuel-driven violence is spiraling in places like Palestine, Iran, and Venezuela. Climate disasters are causing billions and billions of dollars in damage annually with no climate reparations in sight. All of this remains recklessly unaddressed on account of corporate-funded fascism. 

We know the world’s addiction to fossil fuels must end. Is it surprising that a global governmental convening chooses now to try to tackle fossil fuels? It shouldn’t be, but it is.

COP failures

By contrast, meetings of governments signed up to the longest-standing multilateral forum for climate action—the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) – took nearly three decades before it officially responded to the power built by movements and acknowledged the need to address fossil fuel use at COP28 in 2023. 

Even then, this recognition came riddled with loopholes. It may seem illogical that a forum established by governments in 1992 to coordinate a response to climate change should take decades to acknowledge the root of the problem. Yet there are clear reasons why arenas like the UNFCCC have consistently failed to curb fossil fuels decade after decade. 

What would the outcome be when a fossil fuel executive literally oversaw COP28 and when Coca-Cola was one of the sponsors for COP27?

How can strong action take hold when, year after year, the UNFCCC’s COPs are inundated with thousands of fossil fuel lobbyists? 

And how can justice be achieved when there are zero safeguards in place to protect against the conflicts of interest these polluters have? 

Colombia pledges to exit investment protection system after fossil fuel lawsuits

Justly transitioning off fossil fuels cannot be charted when the very actors that have knowingly caused the climate crisis are at the helm—the same actors that consistently spend billions to spread denial and delay. 

Unless platforms like the UNFCCC take concerted action to protect climate policymaking from the profit-at-all-costs agenda of polluters, the world will not deliver the climate action people and the planet deserve. 

The impacts of climate action failure are now endured on a daily basis in some way by each of us – and especially by frontline communities, Indigenous Peoples, youth, women, and communities in the Global South. We must be closing gaps and unlocking pathways for advancing the strongest, fairest and fastest action possible. 

Learn from mistakes

Yet, as we chase a fossil-fuel-free horizon, it’s essential that we learn from the mistakes of the past. We do not have the luxury or time to repeat them. History shows us we must protect against the polluting interests that want the world addicted to fossil fuels for as long as humanly possible.

We must also reject their schemes that undermine a just transition—dangerous distractions like carbon markets and Carbon Capture Utilisation and Storage (CCUS) that are highly risky and spur vast harm, all while allowing for polluters to continue polluting. 

Fossil Free Zones can be on-ramps to the clean energy transition

We get to a fossil-fuel-free future by following the leadership of the movements, communities and independent experts who hold the knowledge and lived experience to guide us there. 

We succeed by protecting against those who have a track record of prioritising greed over the sacredness of life. 

And we arrive at a world liberated from fossil fuels by doing all of these things from day one, before the toxicity of the fossil fuel industry’s poison takes hold. 

If this gathering in Santa Marta can do this, then it can help set a new precedent for what people-centered and planet-saving climate action looks like. When everything hangs in the balance, there can be no if’s, and’s, or but’s. There’s only here and now, what history shows us must be done, and what we know is lost if we do not. 

The post To avoid COP mistakes, Santa Marta conference must be shielded from fossil fuel influence appeared first on Climate Home News.

The first time I was asked to explain why a forest was dying, I expected to face the most difficulty in diagnosing the problem. Instead I experienced an even more complex challenge — one my training had not prepared me to expect.

It happened during a field excursion in Denmark as part of my master’s program, where my cohort of forestry students and I were brought to a small-scale, family-owned forest. Denmark has experienced a steady increase in forest cover since the introduction of the Danish Forest Act in 1805, from roughly 2% to 15% over the past two centuries. Many landowners — like the ones we visited — have an incentive to convert agricultural lands into forests for harvesting timber, often growing North American conifer species that are in global demand.

I didn’t fully grasp it at the time, but having this historical, social, and economic insight would have been extremely valuable.

As we gathered amongst the uniform rows of declining, exotic trees, our professor stood beside the two landowners, an elderly father and son. He then addressed our small but eager group of graduate students and asked us a question, which in hindsight was far more consequential than intended: “Can you explain why their forest is not thriving?”

Our classes had armed us with silvicultural theory and ecological knowledge, so it felt obvious that the forest — recently established on former agricultural land using nonnative species — had become heavily infested with Heterobasidion root rot that would render the site severely compromised for at least this first generation of trees. Unbeknownst to the father and son, their forest had become unhealthy and would not be profitable within their lifetimes.

The science was very clear to us students. However, it was unclear how we were supposed to convey and contextualize this while standing across from the people who were suffering the inevitable consequences.

Within minutes the atmosphere shifted. What was meant to be an engaging and cooperative experience across landowners and scholars quickly became tense and uncomfortable as some of us quietly blamed the owners for making management choices that were irreparably harmful, not just for themselves but for the environment as a whole.

Other students sympathized with the owners, who had simply acted in accordance with generous subsidies provided by their government. As the tone of the conversation devolved further, I felt painfully conflicted and equally understanding of the two opposing sides. Still, no one asked the most important question: What did the landowners need from us?

I had hoped that a later discussion, or even a formal lecture, would follow this excursion, so that we could be equipped for similar situations in the future. My peers and I were left with many questions about what could be learned from that day, and how we might act in the future to support both forests and forest owners. Unfortunately, this dialogue never took place.

A Rift Between Science and Society

This story is not unique to one educational excursion. Across the globe, scientists must explain complex environmental realities to the people whose livelihoods, identities, cultures, and futures are tied to forests. Climate change, invasive species, and land exploitation all coincide with management approaches that have deeply social, political, and economic implications.

Despite our collective need to address each of these problems and their drivers, institutions frequently fail at translating decades of research into meaningful action. We have seemingly neglected a crucial step of the scientific method: dissemination and implementation.

At its core, this is a communication breakdown, and as a result public opinion suffers from distrust and misinformation.

Arguably, scientists and academics bear the immense responsibility of situating their knowledge within societal contexts and applications — especially in the forestry sector, where our actions (or inactions) today will materialize centuries into the future.

This rift reflects a deeper systemic issue in the natural and “hard” sciences. While it is apparent that environmental experts must approach today’s wicked problems through interdisciplinary thinking, universities lag behind these circumstances. Social sciences in particular are often treated as peripheral, rather than complementary, to empirical science.

As an advocate and student of science, I ask: Where policy is created and decision-making occurs, for either the betterment or destruction of the planet, is it in our best interest as a scientific community to avoid the human dimensions of our work?

Lessons Learned

After the field excursion, I began writing my thesis on bridging the youth-nature divide through forest education. Through my research, I came to understand how environmental progress requires us to connect scientific information with societal needs and values.

Much of this work can be advanced in universities, and even primary education, by equipping upcoming generations with both technical and soft skills for problem-solving. Practice in navigating conflict, training in creative thinking, and a learned appreciation for diverse knowledge systems must be mandatory learning outcomes for any student. As one person I interviewed articulated: “It’s about making the students empowered and resilient.”

From this perspective, my fellow forestry students would have benefitted from an educational approach that included social, political, and historical awareness alongside ecological knowledge.

To move beyond this knowledge-action gap, scientists must recognize integrated and iterative communication as essential to the research process. In practice, this means engaging nonscientists and adapting research outputs and public education in response to their feedback. For practitioners and citizens who care about our forests and a sustainable future, demanding accessible and sustained communication across sectors provides a promising pathway forward.

In hindsight, I wish I had invited the forest owners to share their personal goals, understanding, and challenges to provide a relational context for my technical diagnosis. I wish I’d had the foundation in social sciences that I do now. Maybe that more holistic toolkit would have allowed for a constructive dialogue centered around solutions.

The post The World’s Forests Won’t Be Saved by Science Alone: We Need Better Communication appeared first on The Revelator.

National Nurses United, has placed Hennepin County Medical Center in Minneapolis, MN on “RED ALERT” status, warning policymakers and the public that this potential hospital closure would have a drastic, irreversible impact on patients and healthcare workers across Minnesota and the Midwest.

The Federal Reserve released its April 2026 Beige Book, which provides economic commentary from each of the 12 Federal Reserve Districts. In this month’s report, the first since the start of Trump’s war in Iran, regional contacts reported painful price increases tied directly to the conflict, sustained consumer strain, and instability in the labor market.

Groundwork’s Chief of Policy and Advocacy, Alex Jacquez, offered his reaction:

“The Fed last week confirmed what working families already know to be true. Trump’s illegal war in Iran is driving up prices and squeezing wallets across the country, while businesses struggle to keep up with market instability. The Beige Book’s message couldn’t be clearer – as long as the president continues on this destructive path, workers and consumers will pay the price.”

Background:

The Federal Reserve’s Beige Book contains critical economic indicators, including the risk of recession. It is compiled with firsthand reports from contacts at businesses, banks, and community organizations across each of the 12 Federal Reserve Districts to report regional economic conditions. April’s Beige Book reveals the following.

Trump’s war in Iran is directly responsible for driving up prices across the economy. Increased input costs for producers and tightened oil supply ballooned prices on everything from fertilizer to plastic products.

• Volunteers may have to cut back on delivering meals to homebound seniors due to exorbitant gas prices, according to a contact in Dallas.
• Business leaders in Atlanta admitted that should the war in Iran continue, they’ll be forced to reevaluate their pricing.
• Contacts at Richmond ports forecast that the longer Trump pursues the war in Iran, the greater impact the conflict will have across supply chains.
• Businesses are holding off on long-term hiring, instead turning to temporary and contract workers, according to a temporary employment agency in Chicago that has seen a surge in demand amidst the uncertainty, as well as contacts in Cleveland and Boston.
• A Chicago manufacturer said they have instituted a hiring freeze in anticipation of higher input costs related to the Iran war.

Energy costs are hitting everyone, everywhere. Higher freight and shipping costs hit producers and families face budget-shattering utility bills.

• In Cleveland, contacts reported that their fuel costs are ‘skyrocketing,’ and attributed the spike directly to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
• Atlanta energy contacts anticipate that crude oil prices will remain elevated or increase further into the summer due to infrastructure destruction in the Middle East.
• In New York, a contact reported that Trump’s war is pushing up utility prices for working and middle class families.

Low-income households are struggling while high earners pull away. The K-shaped economy is on display as high earners splurge and working families scrimp.

• A Kansas City report says that working families’ budgets don’t stand a chance against low wages, tariff fallout, and elevated inflation.
• Food bank lines are getting longer thanks to price increases at the grocery store and an uncertain economic outlook in the wake of the Trump administration’s attacks on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, according to contacts in Dallas and Atlanta.
• In St. Louis, a contact noted that increased overdraft fees reflect that budgets are strained and working families have been forced to make difficult choices to reduce discretionary spending.

As the Kentucky General Assembly winds down for the year, new legislation could reshape childcare access across Eastern Kentucky. What began in January as a growing recognition that childcare is essential workforce infrastructure has now taken shape as a package of bipartisan bills that mostly passed the finish line.

Additional details on HB6 from our affiliate KyPolicy.

House Bill 6, the comprehensive childcare reform package, decisively passed the House and Senate during the 2026 General Assembly. The bill makes permanent the popular program that provides free childcare for childcare workers themselves. It also shifts how the state pays providers through the Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP), moving toward a cost-estimation model that better reflects the real expenses of running a center.

House Joint Resolution 50, a companion measure, unanimously passed the House and Senate. It directs a full review of childcare regulations to identify barriers that make it difficult to open or operate a program.

Senate Bill 160, sponsored by Senate Families and Children Chair Danny Carroll, aims to give new childcare centers more flexibility during their first months of operation, acknowledging that regulatory support helps providers succeed. It was amended into the passed version of HB6.

Kids at the after-school program of Little Owl’s Treehouse in Owsley County recently made a “jar of affirmations”

Legislative progress is important while understanding lasting change requires ongoing engagement from families, providers, and community members. As Sue Christian of Partners for Rural Impact reminds us, childcare is both an economic driver and a community investment:

“Childcare isn’t just a service; it’s economic infrastructure. When families have reliable care, they can work, advance, and contribute to growing local economies—and communities prosper because of it. It must reflect the realities of the families it serves. Many Kentuckians need more than a few hours of care each day, and licensed childcare centers meet that need—while also preparing children for kindergarten through proven, standards‑based practices.”

This isn’t just about meeting a need. It’s about recognizing the assets already in place across Kentucky. Christian believes part of the solution are those assets that are ready to be activated.

“Kentucky has hundreds of qualified, shovel‑ready childcare centers that could immediately support Pre‑K for All and drive economic development. The infrastructure already exists—we simply need to activate it. Transforming Kentucky’s vacant, usable buildings into childcare centers is one of the most cost‑effective ways to create new businesses, generate local revenue, and revitalize small‑town main streets.”

The path ahead requires not just legislative wins, but ongoing collaboration with the people who live this work every day. As Christian notes, “Childcare centers are businesses that help entire communities prosper. When we make plans to support families and shape a stronger future for our children, Kentucky’s childcare industry deserves a role in the discussion.”

The post Childcare Solutions Marked into Kentucky Law appeared first on Mountain Association.

Read the English version of this post. / Baca versi bahasa Inggris dari postingan ini.

Kegagalan fasilitas limbah tambang di Meksiko yang baru-baru ini terjadi kembali menggaris-bawahi betapa berbahayanya limbah tambang, atau tailing, bagi para pekerja serta menyoroti pentingnya perlindungan terhadap hak dan keselamatan pekerja di lokasi pertambangan di seluruh dunia.

Kegiatan pertambangan menghasilkan limbah beracun dalam jumlah yang sangat besar dan limbah itu akan tetap ada di area pertambangan tersebut secara permanen. Penyimpanan limbah yang aman sangatlah penting bagi masyarakat di sekitar lokasi tambang dan bagi lingkungan – serta bagi para pekerja yang berada di dalam maupun di sekitar fasilitas penyimpanan tailing. Konsekuensi dari setiap kegagalan bisa berakibat fatal, seperti menimbun manusia dalam lumpur beracun, serta mencemari tanah dan sumber air.

Pekerja terjebak di terowongan di Meksiko

Pada tanggal 25 Maret, kegagalan tailing di tambang Santa Fe di Sinaloa, Meksiko, menyebabkan terowongan bawah tanah dari tambang tersebut tergenang, sehingga para pekerja terjebak di dalam tambang. Pada saat kejadian, sebanyak dua puluh lima pekerja berada di dalam terowongan, dan hanya dua puluh satu dari mereka berhasil diselamatkan dengan cepat.

Dari empat pekerja yang terjebak, satu orang dari antaranya berhasil diselamatkan setelah 100 jam berada di bawah tanah. Satu orang lagi ditemukan dalam keadaan masih hidup setelah 13 hari upaya penyelamatan. Sangat disayangkan, pekerja ketiga ditemukan dalam keadaan meninggal dunia ketika tim penyelamat memasuki minggu kedua proses penggalian, dan meskipun upaya pencarian terus dilakukan, jenazah pekerja keempat belum berhasil ditemukan.

Tambang emas-perak tersebut adalah milik perusahaan pertambangan Meksiko bernama Industrial Minera Sinaloa S.A. de C.V. (IMSSA). Menurut laporan media di Meksiko, genangan air tersebut diduga disebabkan oleh kegagalan lapisan pelindung (liner) pada bendungan tailing, yang mengakibatkan lubang amblas (sinkhole) yang ditengarai menyebabkan “material lumpur merembes masuk ke dalam tambang, yang kemudian memicu proses erosi internal yang merapuhkan struktur terowongan dan menghalangi jalur akses utama.”

Secara tragis, para pekerja seringkali harus menanggung risiko akibat bendungan tailing yang berbahaya.

Ratusan korban meninggal saat jam makan siang di Brasil

Dari 272 orang yang tewas ketika bendungan tailing Brumadinho di Brasil runtuh pada tahun 2019, sebanyak 250 orang merupakan pekerja tambang. Peristiwa tersebut tercatat sebagai kecelakaan industri terburuk dalam sejarah negara tersebut. Perusahaan pertambangan Vale membangun sebuah kantin di bawah bendungan tailing, dan bendungan tersebut runtuh pada jam makan siang, sehingga menimbun para pekerja yang berada tepat di jalur longsoran tailing. Sebuah studi pada tahun 2023 menemukan bahwa tingkat kerusakan fisik pada pekerja tambang adalah 3,4 kali lebih parah dibandingkan korban dari masyarakat sekitar. Laporan tersebut juga menyebutkan bahwa “jumlah korban jiwa lebih besar serta tingkat kerusakan fisik yang juga lebih parah dialami para pekerja dibandingkan penduduk setempat. Hal ini menegaskan betapa besarnya bahaya pekerjaan di industri pertambangan, dan hasil studi ini membantu menjelaskan dinamika bencana tersebut.”

Sejumlah kecelakaan merenggut korban jiwa di Indonesia

Serangkaian kecelakaan industri yang terimbas dari pesatnya pertumbuhan industri pertambangan dan pengolahan nikel di Indonesia menggambarkan besarnya risiko yang dihadapi para pekerja ketika kegiatan pertambangan berkembang tanpa disertai pertimbangan keselamatan yang memadai. Dari tahun 2015 hingga 2024, produksi tambang nikel tahunan Indonesia meningkat dari 5,7% menjadi 62,2% dari total produksi tambang nikel dunia. Seiring peningkatan tersebut, kegiatan pertambangan ini menghasilkan limbah dalam jumlah yang sangat besar. Tragisnya, lonjakan produksi tersebut juga diwarnai oleh berbagai tragedi.

Di Indonesia Morowali Industrial Park, pengelolaan fasilitas tailing yang tidak memadai telah mengakibatkan sejumlah kematian pekerja. “Tempat pembuangan tailing mengancam kesehatan dan keselamatan pekerja. Bendungan-bendungan tersebut berpotensi runtuh, yang dapat mengakibatkan korban jiwa, pekerja tertimbun lumpur, serta terpapar bahan kimia beracun,” ujar Tesar Anggrian, seorang aktivis dari serikat pekerja yang mewakili pekerja tambang di kawasan industri tersebut, FSPIM-KPBI.

Pada bulan Januari 2025, dua pekerja tertimbun hidup-hidup akibat longsor yang dipicu oleh kegiatan pertambangan; kemudian pada bulan Maret di tahun yang sama, kegagalan tailing kembali menewaskan tiga pekerja. Pada bulan Februari 2026, kegagalan lainnya merenggut nyawa seorang pekerja ketika limbah menimbun alat berat yang sedang dioperasikannya.

Sebuah laporan Earthworks tahun 2026, yang berjudul Tailing yang Difilter di Indonesia: Kegagalan Katastropik dari Sebuah Teknologi Disruptif menyoroti bahaya-bahaya yang mungkin terjadi karena penerapan suatu jenis teknologi penyimpanan limbah di banyak fasilitas nikel baru di Indonesia. Ukuran fasilitas tailing yang sangat besar serta perluasan yang berlangsung sedemikian cepat telah meningkatkan risiko. Curah hujan yang tinggi serta aktivitas gempa di Indonesia juga dapat meningkatkan kemungkinan terjadinya kegagalan.

Perlindungan bagi pelapor pelanggaran dapat meningkatkan keselamatan semua pihak

Para pekerja sering kali menyadari ketika fasilitas tailing sudah tidak aman lagi. Dalam sebuah wawancara dari rumah sakit, dengan seorang pekerja tambang Meksiko yang berhasil diselamatkan didapatkan keterangan, “Saya sudah lama punya firasat buruk karena posisi bendungan tailing berada tepat di atas tambang, dan saya tahu bendungan itu suatu saat pasti jebol.” Para pekerja tambang di Afrika Selatan juga telah memperingatkan manajemen perihal kondisi bendungan tailing di Jagersfontein yang berbahaya. Peringatan tersebut diabaikan, dan benar saja, bendungan itu runtuh dan menewaskan lima orang.

Standar keselamatan pekerja sudah ada dan harus dipatuhi

Keselamatan pekerja tidak boleh diabaikan demi memenuhi kebutuhan akan mineral dan logam. Perusahaan pertambangan tidak boleh mencari keuntungan sementara mereka mengorbankan keselamatan. Pemerintah daerah maupun nasional bersama dengan perusahaan pertambangan sering mengerahkan sumber daya dan waktu yang sangat besar untuk menyelamatkan pekerja ketika kegagalan terjadi, namun sama pentingnya – bahkan lebih penting – untuk menginvestasikan sumber daya serta waktu dalam upaya menjaga keselamatan pekerja sejak dari awal.

Perusahaan pertambangan perlu mendengarkan dan melibatkan para pekerja, mengambil semua tindakan yang diperlukan untuk melindungi keselamatan mereka, serta menciptakan suatu mekanisme dimana pekerja dapat menyampaikan peringatan jika mereka mengetahui adanya kondisi berbahaya tanpa rasa takut kehilangan pekerjaan. Safety First: Guidelines for Responsible Mine Tailings Management memuat pedoman-pedoman yang dapat diterapkan untuk melindungi pekerja, lingkungan, serta masyarakat dari risiko besar yang ditimbulkan oleh limbah tambang. Pedoman-pedoman tersebut telah didukung oleh serikat pekerja tambang dunia terbesar, yakni IndustriALL Global Union.

The post Pekerja Menanggung Risiko Dari Bendungan Tailing Yang Berbahaya appeared first on Earthworks.

Will Mark Carney protect Ontario from rising electricity bills?

The post Will Mark Carney protect Ontario from rising electricity bills? appeared first on Ontario Clean Air Alliance.

A recent failure at a mine waste facility in Mexico highlights how dangerous mine waste, or tailings, can be for workers and the importance of protecting workers’ rights and safety at mines around the globe.

Mining creates huge amounts of toxic waste that remains permanently in the environment. Storing that waste safely is important for nearby communities and the environment — and for the workers who work in and around tailings facilities. The consequences of failure can be deadly, burying people in toxic mud and polluting land and water.

Workers trapped in tunnels in Mexico

On March 25th, a tailings failure at the Santa Fe mine in Sinaloa, Mexico flooded the mine’s underground shafts, trapping workers in the depths of the mine. A crew of 25 workers were in the shafts at the time of the failure, and twenty-one were rescued quickly. 

Of the four trapped miners, one was rescued after 100 hours underground. A second worker was found alive after 13 days of rescue efforts. Sadly, a third worker’s body was found as rescue crews entered the second week of excavation, and despite continued efforts, the fourth worker’s body has not been recovered.

The silver-gold mine is owned by a Mexican mining company called Industrial Minera Sinaloa S.A. de C.V. (IMSSA). According to Mexican media reports, the flooding appears to have been caused by a failure in the liner of a tailings dam, which created a sinkhole and seemed to have allowed “muddy material to seep into the mine, generating an internal erosion process that weakened the structure of the tunnels and blocked the main access ramps.”

Tragically, workers often pay the price for dangerous tailings dams. 

Hundreds killed at lunch hour in Brazil

Of the 272 people killed when the Brumadinho tailings dam failed in Brazil in 2019, 250 were workers. The failure holds the place of the worst industrial accident in the history of the country. The mining company, Vale, built a cafeteria below the tailings dam, and the dam failed over the lunch hour, placing workers directly in the path of the tailings landslide. A 2023 study found that body dismemberment was 3.4 times greater among mine workers than among community victims, and stated that, “the higher number of fatalities and greater dismemberment among employees than with community residents underlines the occupational dangers in the mining industry and clarifies the dynamics of the disaster.”

The names and faces of people who lost their lives in the Brumadinho tailings failure on display on the fourth anniversary of the disaster.  Multiple accidents cost lives in Indonesia

A series of industrial accidents tied to Indonesia’s booming nickel mining and processing industry underscore the risks to workers when mining expands without the necessary considerations for safety. From 2015 to 2024, annual mine production of nickel in Indonesia rose from 5.7% to 62.2% of world mine production. This mining creates a huge amount of waste. However, this expansion has been tainted by tragedies. 

At the Indonesia Morowali Industrial Park, mismanagement of tailings facilities has led to numerous worker deaths. “The tailings dump threatens the health and safety of workers. The dams have the potential to collapse, which can result in fatalities and workers being buried in mud and exposed to toxic chemicals,” said Tesar Anggrian, a campaigner for the union representing mineworkers at the industrial park, FSPIM-KPBI.

In January 2025, two workers were buried alive by a landslide caused by mining activities; then in March of the same year a tailings failure killed three more workers. In February of 2026, yet another failure killed a worker when waste buried the heavy machinery he was operating.  

A landslide at a tailings storage facility at Indonesia Morowali Industrial Park in February of 2026 buried heavy machinery and killed a worker. Photo by workers at IMIP.

A 2026 Earthworks report, Filtered Tailings: The Catastrophic Failure of a Disruptive Technology, highlights the specific dangers associated with a certain type of waste storage technology being used at many newer nickel facilities in Indonesia. The massive size and rapid expansion of these tailings facilities is leading to increased risk. Indonesia’s heavy rains and earthquakes could also make failures more likely.

Whistleblower protections make everyone safer

Workers often know when tailings facilities are unsafe. In an interview from his hospital bed, the first rescued Mexican miner said, “I’d been thinking for quite some time that the tailings dam was right above the mine, and I knew it was bound to burst at any moment.” Mineworkers in South Africa warned management of dangerous conditions at a tailings dam in Jagersfontein. Their concerns were ignored, and the dam later collapsed and killed five people. 

Workers safety standards exist and must be followed

Workers’ lives must never be expendable in the push for minerals and metals. Mining companies should not be allowed to prioritize their profits at the expense of safety. Local and national governments together with mining companies often expend vast resources and time to rescue workers when a failure occurs, but it is equally, if not more, important that they invest the same resources and time on keeping workers safe in the first place.

Mining companies need to listen to and engage with workers, take all the necessary measures to protect their lives, and create mechanisms for workers to sound the alarm on dangerous conditions, without fear of losing their jobs. Safety First: Guidelines for Responsible Mine Tailings Management, lays out a series of guidelines to protect workers, the environment and communities from the significant risks posed by mine waste. The guidelines have been endorsed by the largest global mineworkers union, IndustriALL Global Union. 

The post Workers Pay the Price for Dangerous Tailings Dams  appeared first on Earthworks.

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Field Notes: Chile: Land, Power and the Mapuche Struggle (Season 2 Episode1) Note: We released this episode of Field Notes during Earth Week to highlight the critical work being done by indigenous land defenders – one of the most dangerous jobs in the world. https://youtu.be/RcvABK3NF4A?si=in5LBPbS6XSbGjPG In southern Chile, the Mapuche people continue a centuries-long struggle […]

Mending Modernity’s Split from Reality Through Corrective Thought and Action

The post Daily Kos Community: From Public Trust to Trust the Public Doctrine appeared first on CELDF - Community Rights Pioneers - Protecting Nature and Communities.

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Earth Day is this week, on Wednesday, April 22. From my vantage point, two of the most impactful forces shaping the health of our planet are converging—the climate crisis and urbanization—and it’s up to us whether it’ll be a cataclysmic collision or a chance to collaborate on change.

We’ve just lived through the three hottest years ever on record: 2023, ‘24, and ‘25. Ocean temps were higher than ever last year. And the global population is not only growing but getting more dense: According to United Nations data, close to 70 percent of the world’s population will live in cities by 2030.

What does this mean? In my view, this cements the power—and the responsibility!—of local food and ag systems to lead the charge toward more sustainability and climate resilience on a global scale.

“With bold investments and good planning and design, cities offer immense opportunities to slash greenhouse gas emissions, adapt to the effects of climate change, and sustainably support urban populations,” says António Guterres, Secretary-General of the U.N.

Through efforts like the Milan Urban Food Policy Pact (MUFPP)—signed by more than 330 cities worldwide—local leaders can share knowledge and experiences in strengthening equitable food systems. Earlier this year, I had the honor of emceeing a MUFPP Regional Forum, and the collective food system power we have in each of our communities is electric and unbelievably inspiring.

Already, so many municipalities and local governments and advocates are stepping up to the plate, which is amazing to see and learn from. This Earth Day, I want to highlight some success stories that are turning cities into sites of big-picture transformation:

On the subject of procurement: Last year, Seoul, South Korea launched a new Climate-Friendly Meal Service initiative to expand nutrition education for students and improve the sustainability of food grown for the country’s universal school meals.

“Because school meals are universal and publicly funded, they embody social equity, while simultaneously shaping demand for eco-friendly and local agricultural products,” says Seulgi Son, a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at Yonsei University.

New York City is prioritizing plant-based meals in public institutions such as schools, where students participate in Meatless Mondays and have “plant-powered” options, and hospitals, where vegetarian options are default. In just the first year of this transition, the city reported a 36 percent reduction in carbon emissions!

When it comes to fighting food waste: Milan, Italy, has launched an award-winning food waste hub model to help the country halve food waste by 2030 by facilitating food recovery and distribution, and each of five hubs within the model have recovered the equivalent of over 260,000 meals per year.

Or, take Baltimore, where the Baltimore Zero Waste Coalition is dedicated to promoting waste diversion practices that minimize landfill or incineration use and maximize recovery work through education, collaboration, and advocacy. Meanwhile, the city is also focusing on better managing the waste that does occur. The city’s Department of Public Works adopted a 10-Year Solid Waste Management Plan in 2024, aimed at increasing organics recycling and promoting backyard and community composting.

And cities can also vitally support farmers and food production: In Brazil, São Paulo’s Connect the Dots program brings together urban buyers for organic produce, helps train the family farms growing those crops in more sustainable practices, and safeguards farms and forests from urban development.

In Xochimilco, in Mexico City, researchers, farmers, and government entities have partnered to create a sustainable certification program that has helped to restore 40+ floating farms, protect endangered axolotls, and connect producers to premium markets while improving local livelihoods.

And across the world in Kenya, we’re seeing action on the county level, too. Several Kenyan counties have adopted policies to expand agroecological production and help farmers access markets.

As U.N. Habitat analysts write, “While the overlapping challenges of environmental stress and rapid urbanization are uniquely daunting, it is precisely this intersection that makes urban climate action so opportune.”

If cities or other local governments where you live are taking bold action on food systems and climate, share their stories. And if your city is not doing its part, then it’s time for us as citizen eaters to use Earth Day as an opportunity to push for change! Reach out to your local elected officials and community advocates this week to share these success stories from other cities. And do reach out to me via email too, to let me know how Food Tank can use our resources to help.

Articles like the one you just read are made possible through the generosity of Food Tank members. Can we please count on you to be part of our growing movement? Become a member today by clicking here.

Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

The post Earth Day Is Global—But We Know Food and Climate Solutions Start Locally appeared first on Food Tank.