Climate Food and Agriculture

Critical List: Leaking New Zealand oil tanker could break apart; EPA to speed Great Lakes cleanup

Eeek. A huge crack has opened up in the hull of the ship leaking oil off the coast of New Zealand, and the ship could break up apart "at any point," according to Maritime New Zealand.

In the U.S., the Justice Department had to sue Transocean to force the company to answer government subpoenas related to the Macondo well spill.

Can we feed people without killing the planet? Yes, says a new study, but it’ll take money, planning, and eating less meat.

Food Studies: The life of an airline chef

Meet the people behind the plastic trays.

What do you know about GMOs? [Infographic]

October is National Non-GMO Month. Brush up on your GMO knowledge with this handy infographic.

Ocean of trouble: Report warns of offshore fish farming dangers

In light of the FDA's recent approval of genetically engineered salmon, the latest Food & Water Watch report on open-ocean aquaculture might leave some advocates feeling a little clammy.

America uses more corn for fuel than for food

In America, most corn is no longer meant for eating, at least by humans. Only 20 percent of all the gazillions of ears of corn the United States grows make it into a person's mouth as corn.

The rest goes to feed animals (which do make it into people's mouth as beef and other meats) and to brew corn ethanol. In one year, we used more than 5 billion bushels of corn for ethanol, which we don't even use that much of!

To till or not to till

In farming circles, the debate about whether or not to till soil has been going on for years. Now the latest information from the Rodale Institute kicks up more dirt.

Food Studies: the taste-testers' blind spots

Why taste tests conducted in controlled environments don’t tell the whole story.

Welcoming invasive species, while keeping terrorists out

Since Sept. 11, the Department of Homeland Security has scaled back efforts to protect the nation from destructive, invasive pests. How secure do you feel now?

USDA pushes veggies, but subsidizes meat

The Washington Post reports that the USDA's nutrition guidelines are seriously out of step with food subsidies. The government recommends people eat fruits and veggies as nearly half their daily intake, and protein as less than a quarter — but they subsidize meat in totally different proportions. We whipped up this little graphic to compare […]

This is where your plants will come from after the Ecopocalypse

Wired has posted a series of photos of seed vaults, storage units that bank tens of thousands of seeds in an attempt to preserve biodiversity against threats of extinction and climate change, and we can safely say they're the creepiest way of ensuring that species survive. This is some mad-science stuff!