Some Comments from Michael Pollan

From an interview with Michael Pollan:

* At least 20 percent of all fossil fuels go to agriculture, much of that in the form of synthetic fertilizer, Pollan noted. The nitrous oxide given off by such fertilizer “is 300 times more heat-trapping than carbon dioxide,” the greenhouse gas that gets the most press.

* President Obama “has shown that he gets it,” but “there’s a long way from a leader you elect getting it and him doing anything about it.” Obama needs to realize that he’s “not going to get anywhere” on his energy or health care initiatives without addressing the problems of the food system and the American diet.

* Michelle Obama, with her organic garden at the White House and her public pronouncements on food, could potentially “change the conversation at the Good Housekeeping level.” She is “building a consensus for reform” that could be enacted “maybe in a second term.”

* Noting the influence of the food lobby on the government, he noted a recent Youtube video of a hearing on the federal School Lunch Program that was “packed with industry lobbyists.” Indeed, there were many more industry lobbyists than anyone else at the hearing.

* Farmland, particularly that near urban areas, should be considered “as precious as wetlands” if we have any hope of developing local food systems.

* Building such local systems is “not that hard to do.” One solution: legislation to compel government buyers of food (for schools, prisons, food programs, etc.) to buy locally, even if only at the margins. A 2 percent or 3 percent mandate would cause “an instant revival of local agriculture.”

* Decentralization of the food system would prevent many national or global outbreaks of food-borne diseases. When single meat-grinding operations, or single lettuce-washing operations, feed millions of people, outbreaks become global fast.

The Agriculture Lobby

It is not unusual for me to read journalistic articles and come away wondering ‘who the h…. are they talking about’. I’ve attached one of those articles from The Washington Post.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/06/25/AR2009062504133.html?sub=AR

I also read some polling this morning that says 75 percent of the American public thinks we need to act on climate change legislation and over 50 percent are in favor of the legislation even if it adds $10 per month to their energy bill.

It also seems obvious that lobbying -in the case of the energy bill…. agricultural lobbying – potentially troubles the legislative process. What could be a sincere debate between legislators, between legislators and their constituents (informing the process) becomes a ‘paid’ debate between legislators and ‘constituent representatives’. In the case of the energy bill, we end up with compromises that are not only ineffective but do not even represent ‘the will of the people’.

The Wall Street Journal

Below is a link to a recent Wall Street Journal article on climate change science. From their perspective, significantly more scientists are becoming skeptical of climate change.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124597505076157449.html

USDA to Oversee Carbon Offset Program in Energy Bill

The House Ag Committee has won a major argument on who is to administer the offset program in the new energy bill.

http://www.nytimes.com/cwire/2009/06/24/24climatewire-farm-groups-prevail-as-house-climate-bill-pu-24287.html

Global Climate Change Impacts in the U. S.

http://downloads.globalchange.gov/usimpacts/pdfs/climate-impacts-report.pdf

Knowledge Creation in EcoServices Markets

I was in Annapolis last Friday in an interesting meeting with Eric Sprague. He was helping me catch up with the Bay Bank, Chesapeake Fund, etc.  During the conversation we began to discuss the various ecosystem service efforts/projects/markets that are evolving. Both Eric and I realize that there is a significant amount of activity going on in various regions with varying degress of interaction/communication. This naturally leads to differences in approach as well as certain evolving questions.

As we spoke, it occurred to me we were discussing a very common behavior in the process of creating knowledge. Thomas Kuhn has written extensively on the evolution of scientific thought, creation, and knowledge. What we are doing as ‘workers in a nascent vision’ is critically important to developing sound, sustainable knowledge about ecosystem services and ecosystem service economies. The regional ‘nodes’, the interaction, the arguments, and the chaos are all profoundly valuable. Particularly given the ecological complexity and diversity we all encounter in our various regions, those differences create perspectives that inspire creativity.

The next time a conference call makes you question your sanity, think of it as a step to new knowledge.

Geography, Ecology, and Economy

A valuable article by Peter Ziehan titled The Geography of Recession.

http://www.stratfor.com/weekly/20090602_geography_recession

A Potential Mess

This is an interesting article that hints at the international problems that arise in developing countries when industrialized countries begin to purchase carbon offset credits from forests -an international version of carpetbaggers combined with little regulation and financial management in the developing countries. 

Think of what this implies to a U.S. energy bill that allows for international REDD offsets.

http://www.reuters.com/article/latestCrisis/idUSL171901

Why the Ethanol Debate Isn’t Helping Anyone

An article by our friend Noam Ross.

http://www.greenbiz.com/blog/2009/06/03/why-ethanol-debate-isnt-helping-anyone

Exacting Change

An interesting article on the “Politics” of change.

http://www.thenation.com/doc/20090615/borosage_kvh