Growing Returns

New Report: How high-quality carbon offsets can lower livestock methane emissions

Authors: Erin Leonard and Maggie Monast

With more than 80 times the warming power of carbon dioxide over the first 20 years after its release, methane is one of the most potent greenhouse gasses. One major contributor to global methane is livestock operations — 32% of methane emissions from human activity come from livestock and animal agriculture.

The good news is that methane’s massive warming potential also creates an opportunity for a big and rapid impact if we can mitigate those emissions. To avoid the worst effects of climate change, we need to rapidly lower livestock methane emissions, a process that requires support and incentives to help farmers and ranchers adopt changes in their businesses.

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How a producer-led movement to diversify food production can strengthen global food supply

As the world faces growing climate impacts and shocks, the need for a more sustainable and resilient food system has never been more urgent. Last year, the Kansas wheat harvest, known as a bellwether for global agriculture, hit a 60-year low due to severe drought. Record-breaking floods decimated European harvests in the same year.  

Climate-driven impacts, such as prolonged droughts, severe floods and unprecedented temperature shifts are already creating lasting repercussions for global agricultural and fishing communities. This instability affects local communities, jeopardizing livelihoods and food security. One strategy to enhance the resilience of aquatic and terrestrial food systems is food production diversification.  Read More »

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Why food companies must act now to protect public funding for climate-smart agriculture

A low sun shining over a brown farm field.

The reauthorization of the farm bill, which offers critical funding to support farmers and food businesses, is currently being debated in Congress. This is a crucial moment to support farmers and businesses—and major food companies need to make sure they take advantage of it.

What is at stake? Billions of dollars in funding intended to help American farmers adopt innovative practices and protect their businesses from climate-related disasters. If done right, food companies will see increased farmer engagement in climate-smart agriculture, supporting farmers in remaining competitive and in participating in new markets as consumer trends shift to more sustainably produced products.

Food companies can use their voice in Washington to safeguard this essential funding for mitigating agricultural emissions and protecting food supply chains. Contact us to learn more.

How this impacts companies

The farm bill has advanced emissions mitigation and landscape resilience through voluntary on-farm conservation programs like the Environmental Quality Incentive Program and Conservation Stewardship Program. Boosted significantly by the IRA, which allocated nearly $20 billion specifically for adopting climate-smart agricultural practices, these widely embraced and oversubscribed programs are garnering even more interest from farmers.

While USDA conservation programs largely provide resources and assistance directly to farmers, these investments can be felt by food companies as they:

  • Enhance supply chain resilience: As farmers and ranchers already grapple with extreme heat, drought, and other extreme weather events, conservation programs that increase the resilience of U.S. farms will help stabilize supplies of agricultural ingredients that serve as the base of the food supply chain.
  • Create public-private partnership opportunities: USDA provides funding opportunities for food companies and other stakeholders to partner with them to address resource concerns in local supply sheds through the Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP). The IRA provided an additional $4.95 billion for RCPP.
  • Establish standardized climate-focused agriculture supplier practices: USDA’s work on climate-smart agricultural practices sets a credible baseline for companies to start from when working within their supply chain. This gives consumers confidence about claims made by companies and creates more predictable supplier standards for businesses.

What’s at risk

This injection of funds into popular conservation initiatives has the potential to significantly enhance the resilience of farms, rural communities, and food companies’ supply chains, while also mitigating the impacts of extreme weather events and protecting critical natural resources.

However, some lawmakers are contemplating removing the requirements that funding be spent on climate-specific conservation practices within the farm bill. Such a move threatens crucial programs that support farmers in corporate supply chains who are reducing emissions and improving resilience, which is why it’s important for companies to speak up now.

For more information on how your company can work with EDF to protect this funding, please contact Katie Anderson, EDF’s Senior Director of Business, Food and Forests.

 

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Three ways to make home buyouts more efficient

By: Gabrielle Rosario, EDF Intern

Each year, flood risk increases from sea level rise and storms, raising major concerns among millions of homeowners. Flooding can inundate homes, damage property and cause safety and health concerns, as well as isolate residents from essential government services like trash pickup or emergency vehicle access. In fact, by 2030, over 20 million Americans will be at risk of inundation due to sea level rise, and many will be unable to afford to move.  

Managed retreat policies, such as voluntary home buyouts, can facilitate the relocation of residents out of increasingly flood-prone communities. But unfortunately, existing federal programs are slow and require local governments to meet complex and challenging guidelines. 

Innovative approaches are needed to make buyouts more efficient. Here are three strategies that can help: 

1. Establish state-level buyout programs

States can establish state-level flood buyout programs in which a state department funds, organizes and manages home acquisitions in local governments. On average, these programs are faster, less complex and provide more flexibility compared to federal programs. 

A great example is New Jersey’s Blue Acres program, a state buyout program under the Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP). Since its founding in 1995, the NJDEP has spent $190 million to acquire more than 1,000 properties with an average processing time of six to 12 months to complete, compared to an average five years for buyouts funded by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). And in 2022, the state allocated another $50 million to continue to grow this impactful program.

Blue Acres also builds strong relationships with localities by inviting them into the decision-making process through comprehensive community engagement and outreach. Additionally, NJDEP employs staffers with diverse backgrounds, including human ecologists, planners and social workers that have the capacity and technical expertise to help localities through each step of the process.

2. Develop state or local funding mechanisms to finance buyouts

States can help fund local buyout programs and reduce the cost-share requirements of federal programs, which can be a burden for local governments with limited budgets. 

For instance, state bonds can shorten a buyout process from 18 months to as little as three. States may also use revolving loan funds, which provide low-interest loans to localities and are funded by interest and principal payments from older loans so the program can operate cyclically. Finally, states can use grant programs, which provide debt-free funding to localities for flood buyouts.  

Local governments can also choose to fund buyouts with their own budgets, which are on average quicker and allow for greater control over the process, which can lessen burdens to meet complex federal requirements.  

Charlotte-Mecklenburg, North Carolina serves as an example of a successful locally-funded buyout program. As the area was unable to meet the complex requirements laid out by FEMA, the county created its own funding mechanism. The program now utilizes funding from local stormwater utility fees, allowing the county to streamline its process and quickly purchase homes after floods. Since 1999, the program has purchased more than 400 properties, and the buyouts take an average of six months to complete. 

3. Build capacity for local buyout programs

Many local communities lack the expertise and capacity to apply for federal funding and are unable to implement buyouts on their own. An effective strategy is for federal and state agencies to provide technical assistance or training to local governments on buyout applications.  

At the federal level, FEMA and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development should develop buyout training modules for communities, including grant application workshops or cost-benefit analysis training. They can also increase funding for staffing at the state level, which would assist communities applying to federal grants. 

Increasing state agency staffing across multiple departments can also provide support for local governments, including training, templates, technical advice and interim reviews to localities, which in turn builds local governments’ capacity to implement buyouts. Greater staffing could also improve transparency of government actions during buyouts, as there are more staff dedicated to communicating with residents to explain the process. This can thereby build residents’ trust in government, leading to smoother implementation. 

With flood risks increasing across the country in coastal and inland areas alike, we need more tools in the toolbox to make our communities more resilient to climate change. Improving access to and the effectiveness of voluntary flood buyouts will help Americans adapt to a climate-driven future. 

 

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New research could help resource managers improve the health and resilience of the Mississippi River Basin

Spanning across 31 states, from Minnesota down to the Gulf Coast of Louisiana, the Mississippi River Basin is one of the most significant waterways in the world. Not only is it important for commercial purposes, but it also provides critical wildlife habitat, fresh water and recreational opportunities for communities.  

Given the river’s complex alterations and increasing climate impacts, it is more important than ever to take actions that will protect and nurture this treasured basin. Earlier this year, Environmental Defense Fund and co-authors* released new research that may prove beneficial to resource managers, aimed at evaluating and implementing actions to improve the Mississippi River Basin’s overall health and resilience. Based on this research, we are sharing a comprehensive framework that can be used to effectively manage the Mississippi River Basin as part of a whole basin governance structure that includes monitoring, modeling and adaptive management.  Read More »

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Closing the enteric methane emissions innovation gap: A call for funding high-quality research

By Peri Rosenstein and Nicole Jenkins

Methane emissions are a potent greenhouse gas, warming the climate more than 80 times faster than carbon dioxide on a 20-year timescale. Rapidly and significantly reducing methane is the most effective way to reduce the rate of warming, especially over the next few decades. 

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One year ago, the U.S. Supreme Court rolled back federal wetland protections. Here are the impacts so far.

One year ago, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a decision that significantly reduced federal wetlands protections, leaving America’s wetlands at greater risk of development and degradation. The case of Sackett v. EPA was decided 9-0 in favor of the Sacketts, a couple from Idaho that filled in wetlands to build on their property near Priest Lake. The Court ruled unanimously that the wetlands on the Sackett’s property were not regulated under the Clean Water Act, but a narrow majority of justices went further to issue a controversial 5/4 opinion that scaled back federal protections that have provided for the thoughtful conservation of America’s wetlands for decades.  Of note, Justice Kavanaugh, siding with the minority, expressed concern about the decision’s “significant repercussions for water quality and flood control throughout the United States.”   

The impacts of the decision are still unfolding, and there remains a lot of uncertainty on how the unclear language of the Court will be interpreted in the long term. But what we do know is that this decision will have a significant impact. Here’s where things stand one year later. 

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Good manure management must involve ammonia emissions, too

When it comes to livestock and environmental impacts, methane emission reductions are often top of mind — and for good reason. Lowering methane emissions from animal agriculture is one of the fastest ways to slow down climate change. However, important local air pollutants like ammonia are seldom discussed with the same frequency or urgency.

Agriculture needs a path forward that jointly addresses its global climate impacts and its local environmental and public health impacts in an equitable way. Methane and ammonia must be managed in tandem. Read More »

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Two ways to improve soil carbon measurement

Farmer checking soil health with their hands.

Carbon markets and carbon monitoring programs track changes in cropland soil carbon stock over time to determine how agricultural management practices impact carbon storage in soil.

Soil carbon stock is typically measured by taking soil samples prior to the adoption of a new farming practice, followed by additional sampling after the practice has been in effect for several years.

However, commonly used methods to measure soil carbon stocks may not accurately capture how that carbon is changing over time, potentially undermining important mitigation efforts.

We need scientifically robust and accessible ways to measure soil carbon to ensure that different practice changes deliver reliable results. New research from Environmental Defense Fund highlights two best practices for measuring carbon in soil.

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EU must act to protect farms and food production from climate risk

Farms like the German wheat field depicted must manage climate change risks.

Wheat field near Oberaudorf in Bavaria, Germany by Uwe Schwarzbach.

At the same time as farmers were protesting in European capitals to demand more certainty for their future, the European Environment Agency published a report highlighting serious climate risk to food security. The European Climate Risk Assessment identified 36 major climate risks for Europe related to food, ecosystems, health, infrastructure, the economy and finance. The assessment mapped the direct and cascading effects of these risks and the hotspot areas for the most serious impacts. 

The stark conclusion for food is that “climate impacts on food production (particularly in southern Europe) can cascade to rural and coastal livelihoods, land use, the health of socially vulnerable populations and the wider economy.” The report also warns that while climate-driven food shortages are unlikely because production decreases in some areas may be offset by robust production in other areas, food price increases and volatility are likely.  

For Europe overall, drought, heat and overly wet conditions will hurt regional production. Southern Europe already faces critical levels of climate risk. Successive years of prolonged drought and excessive heat have resulted in crop failures and reduced yields to the tune of 60% reductions for corn yields in some southern European countries.  

EU policymakers and farmers’ business partners must act urgently to support EU farmers in building resilience to climate risk and adopting climate-friendly farming solutions. This is essential to keep the agriculture sector profitable and productive in a climate-changed world.  Read More »

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