Climate Change Contributes to Another Year of Record Crop Production in India

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One of the largest agricultural countries in the world, India, expects its highest summer crop production for 2021–2022. This comes at a critical juncture when energy shortage crippled food production in China. The record numbers will play a critical role in maintaining global food security. The record harvest also challenges claims that climate change will […]

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Can Green Energy Cause a Global Food Shortage?

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China is one of the world’s largest food producers. Recently an acute power shortage there reduced food output. This sent markets into panic. Severe global food shortages and increased prices could follow. What caused China’s power shortage? Over-reliance on renewable energy. It led to insufficient and unreliable electricity generation. That harmed domestic food production and

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The Perils of Idolizing Organic Farming in Sri Lanka

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Sri Lanka is on a path to agricultural collapse. Its president, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, declared an economic emergency on August 31, 2021. Why? One reason is a bizarre agricultural policy. In April, Sri Lanka’s cabinet “approved a ban on importation of chemical fertilizers and other agrochemicals in the bid to become the first country ever to

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Beyond Industries: Why Half a Billion Other Indians Need Fossil Fuels

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India’s population is nearing 1.4 billion and plays an important role in the global economy. Industry, employing about three-fifths of the Indian workforce, and agriculture, employing the other two-fifths, are the twin engines of India’s soaring economy. Both sectors depend on fossil fuels, and the demand for fossil fuels in India is unlikely to diminish

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The Good and the Bad of Netflix Documentary “Seaspiracy”

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Ali Tabrizi’s Seaspiracy is a popular and controversial new Netflix documentary which details overfishing and what to do about it. Tabrizi brings many important points to light. However, he draws several questionable conclusions. In particular, his “final solution” to overfishing — a real problem — is mistaken. And, like most environmental films, Seaspiracy misses the real “whale in the

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The Gates of Hell (or Heaven) in Africa?

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Agribusiness, Small Family Farms, or Both? According to many critics, Western billionaires do not make the best farmers. Perhaps it is their inability (or unwillingness) to downsize grandiose plans from a Western-style agribusiness model to merely helping millions of subsistence farmers that dot the African landscape succeed in providing nutritious diets for their families and

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Climate Change No Threat to India’s Agricultural Triumph

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I meet a lot of farmers in India. Two-thirds of India’s 1.3 billion people depend on farming. When they learn that I do research in environmental sciences, the first question they ask is, “How is climate change going to impact agriculture in India?” Unpredictable Monsoon The answer is not clear. Indian rainfall seasons have shown no specific trend

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GM Crops: More Important to Africa’s Food Security Than Ever

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The economic situation in Africa has improved a lot since the 1990s. Yet, rampant poverty and food insecurity still impact millions of lives there. Currently, there is a huge demand/supply gap in the agricultural sector. At least three hundred million are malnourished. The United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization defines food security as “a situation

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New Climate Summary: Meat, Livestock Have Little Climate Impact

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American ranchers and U.S. meat consumption have virtually no impact on greenhouse gas emissions or climate, reports a compelling new climate summary. The new climate summary, “Climate at a Glance: Livestock and Methane,” documents that cattle and beef account for just 2% of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions. All livestock combined account for less than 4%

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