Climate Food and Agriculture
Climate + Food and Agriculture
EDITOR’S NOTE
Grist has acquired the archive and brand assets of The Counter, a decorated nonprofit food and agriculture publication that we long admired, but that sadly ceased publishing in May of 2022.
The Counter had hit on a rich vein to report on, and we’re excited to not only ensure the work of the staffers and contractors of that publication is available for posterity, but to build on it. So we’re relaunching The Counter as a food and agriculture vertical within Grist, continuing their smart and provocative reporting on food systems, specifically where it intersects with climate and environmental issues. We’ve also hired two amazing new reporters to make our plan a reality.
Being back on the food and agriculture beat in a big way is critical to Grist’s mission to lead the conversation, highlight climate solutions, and uncover environmental injustices. What we eat and how it’s produced is one of the easiest entry points into the wider climate conversation. And from this point of view, climate change literally transforms into a kitchen table issue.
Featured
The people who feed America are going hungry
Climate change is escalating a national crisis, leaving farmworkers with empty plates and mounting costs.
Latest Articles
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Genius shopping cart gizmo helps you eat local
This shopping cart attachment lets you compare the food miles on your purchases in a way that's quick, easy to interpret, and less complicated than the self-checkout. That is cool as hell! Also, this demonstration video, which was made for a conference, is a complete hoot. (I am a sucker for a British accent, though.)
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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.
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Food Studies: The life of an airline chef
Meet the people behind the plastic trays.
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What do you know about GMOs? [Infographic]
October is National Non-GMO Month. Brush up on your GMO knowledge with this handy infographic.
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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.
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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! -
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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.
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Food Studies: the taste-testers' blind spots
Why taste tests conducted in controlled environments don’t tell the whole story.
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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?
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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 […]
