Dirt, it turns out, isn’t just worm poop. It’s also a humongous receptacle of carbon, some 2.5 trillion tons of it — three times more than all the carbon in the atmosphere.
That’s why if you ask a climate wonk about the U.S. farm bill — the broad, trillion-dollar spending package Congress is supposed to pass this year (after failing to do so last year) — they’ll probably tell you something about the stuff beneath your feet. The bill to fund agricultural and food programs could put a dent in the country’s greenhouse gas emissions, some environmental advocates say, if it does one thing in particular: Help farmers store carbon in their soil.
The problem is, no one really knows how much carbon farmers can store in their soil.
“There’s still a ton of research that’s needed,” said Cristel Zoebisch, who analyzes federal agriculture policy at Carbon180, a nonprofit that promotes carbon removal.
Farmers and ranchers interact with carbon more than you might think. Draining a bog to plant rows of soybeans, for example, unleashes a lot of carbon into the air, while planting rows of shrubs and trees on a farm — a practice called alley cropping — does just the opposite, pulling the element out of the air and putting it into the earth. If America’s growers and herders made sure the carbon on their land stayed underneath their crops and their cows’ hooves, then some scientists say the planet would warm quite a bit less. After all, agriculture accounts for some 10 percent of the United States’ greenhouse gas emissions.
“We’re really good at producing a lot of corn, a lot of soybeans, a lot of agricultural commodities,” Zoebisch said, but farmers’ gains in productivity have come at the expense of soil carbon. “That’s something we can start to fix in the farm bill.”
For more than a year, climate advocates have been eyeing the bill as an opportunity to increase funding and training for farmers who want to adopt “climate-smart” practices. According to the Department of Agriculture, that label can apply to a range of methods, such as planting cover crops like rye or clover after a harvest or limiting how much a field gets tilled. Corn farmers can be carbon farmers, too.
But experts say the reality is a bit more opaque. There’s still a lot that scientists don’t know about how dirt works, and they disagree about the amount of carbon that farmers can realistically remove from the air and lock up in their fields.
Zoebisch and other advocates say that for the farm bill to be a true success, it’ll have to go even further than incentivizing carbon farming. Congress also, they say, should fund researchers to verify that those practices are, in fact, removing carbon from the atmosphere.
Ranchers in New Mexico learn about soil health and “regenerative” grazing, which has been touted as a way to store carbon in the ground. Mario Tama/ Mario Tama / Getty Images
Right now, there’s pretty much no good way for a farmer to know how much carbon they’re storing on their land. Current techniques for sampling soil and measuring carbon levels are really expensive and require equipment that’s hard to use, Zoebisch said. It’s a lot more complicated than sending buckets of dirt to a room full of scientists. Researchers need to drill more than a foot deep into the ground and exhume a ‘core’ that has to be handled with care to avoid compacting or disturbing the soil on its way to a lab.
“There are so many points where errors could be introduced,” Zoebisch said.
Several companies are trying to make the process easier and cheaper, but new technologies haven’t scaled up yet. Beyond taking physical measurements, the USDA uses a model to estimate levels of soil carbon that’s based on severely limited data, and its projections are highly uncertain, so that it’s pretty much useless at the local level, said Jonathan Sanderman, a soil scientist and carbon program director at the Woodwell Climate Research Center in Massachusetts. “You can’t really tell a farmer, ‘This is the exact benefit.’”
Scientists largely agree that cover crops help sequester some amount of carbon, but just how much is up for debate, and it varies by geography, soil type, and numerous other factors. Planting cover crops in fertile Iowa might not have the same effect as planting them in the sandy soils of southern California.
“There is uncertainty in the literature, but from a first principles standpoint it makes sense that cover crops should gain carbon because you’re capturing CO2 out of the atmosphere — a couple tons per hectare — that you wouldn’t have captured” otherwise, Sanderman said. “It’s the nuance we don’t understand.”
Timothy Searchinger, an agriculture and forestry researcher at Princeton University and the World Resources Institute, said he’s a fan of cover crops because they prevent precious topsoil from getting washed or blown away and nitrogen from polluting rivers and streams, but he thinks their potential climate benefits — and those of other practices like reducing tillage — are often exaggerated. Rather than fixate on soil carbon, he said the farm bill should focus on making agriculture more efficient. Helping farmers produce more food on existing farmland could save carbon-rich forests and peatlands from being cleared to meet demand for crops and livestock.
Still, Searchinger acknowledged there might be at least a little potential to store carbon on agricultural lands and said he didn’t want the USDA to stop assisting farmers who want to plant cover crops or try out other “climate-smart” practices.
Congress allocated almost $20 billion through the Inflation Reduction Act in 2022 to programs that do just that. Some $300 million of it is going to the USDA to ramp up efforts over the coming years to measure carbon in the soil. Currently, the agency draws on long-term data from only 50 sites across the country, Sanderman said. The Inflation Reduction Act funding could increase that number to several thousand.
That money was “an incredible first investment,” Zoebisch said. “This is going to be great for the next four years of funding. But then what happens after that?” Zoebisch and others want to see funding for soil carbon research made permanent in the farm bill.
Fulfilling that wish — and the many others held by climate advocates — hinges most of all on a divided Congress’ ability to reach an agreement. The farm bill expired at the end of September, when lawmakers were busy fighting over other things, like how to avoid a government shutdown and who should (or shouldn’t) be Speaker of the House. So instead of agreeing on a new bill, they extended the old one by a year.
The extension kept money temporarily flowing to programs that prop up farmers and assist families in need of food. It didn’t, however, do anything to tackle climate change or advance anyone’s understanding of how much carbon is in the mush of decaying plants, bacteria, fungi, and worm poop beneath your feet.
Vietnamese cuisine is full of bright, fresh flavors that revolve around vegetables and rice. Common ingredients include lemongrass, ginger, mint, cilantro, chili peppers, and limes—and many of the dishes are naturally gluten-free, dairy-free, and vegan. It’s super-easy to make your favorite Vietnamese dishes animal-friendly by choosing vegan fish sauce (or omitting it altogether) and swapping tofu, soy curls, or other vegan proteins for animal flesh.
Tip: While there isn’t a word for “vegan” in Vietnamese, the word “chay” means “vegetarian,” and most “chay” food is also vegan. This can be especially helpful if you’re visiting Vietnam or ordering at a Vietnamese restaurant.
Here are a few of our favorite vegan Vietnamese recipes:
Every culture has some form of dumpling—a soft, doughy pocket filled with goodness. This is a Vietnamese version—a tapioca flour wrapper filled with crunchy jícama, wood ear fungus, and beefless crumbles.
Fresh spring rolls (aka “summer rolls”) are commonly filled with rice noodles, lettuce, herbs, and some type of protein and wrapped in chewy rice paper skin. Tofu is a great option, or you can pick up vegan ham or shrimp—both can be found in the freezer section of many Asian grocery stores.
Marinated tofu, crunchy veggies, and chewy noodles make for a refreshing salad. This recipe features homemade vegan fish sauce—because fish feel pain and have complex social lives that we’re only beginning to understand.
The bánh mì sandwich is a popular street food, easily identified by its crusty French baguette, which is filled with iconic Vietnamese flavors. We love this recipe, which features lemongrass “beef” made from homemade seitan. It’s delicious, savory, and cow-friendly.
One of the most popular Vietnamese dishes in the U.S. is phở, an aromatic soup served with fresh herbs and chewy rice noodles. The broth is key—and this recipe uses a variety of vegetables, shiitake mushrooms, and fragrant spices like cinnamon, star anise, and cloves to create a dish packed full of flavor.
Vietnamese fried spring rolls are typically made with wood ear fungus, glass noodles, various chopped vegetables, and ground meat. These are made with vegan meat crumbles instead of ground pork, a choice that spares the lives of countless playful pigs.
This refreshing dish features bundles of vermicelli rice noodles and marinated grilled “chicken,” topped with green onion oil and served with a dipping sauce. Soy curls are a versatile vegan protein that’s kind to chickens—intelligent and curious individuals who simply want to live in peace.
This week on CounterSpin: CNN host Dana Bash asked a question in the Republican presidential debate (1/10/24) in Des Moines, Iowa:
The rate of inflation is down. Prices, though, are still high, and Americans are struggling to afford food, cars and housing. What is the single most important policy that you would implement as president to make the essentials in Americans’ lives more [affordable]?
Unfortunately, she asked the question of South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, who answered with word salad involving “wasteful spending on a Covid stimulus bill that expanded welfare, that’s now left us with 80 million Americans on Medicaid, 42 million Americans on food stamps.” Haley concluded with the admonition “quit borrowing. Cut up the credit cards.”
“Cut up the credit cards” is interesting advice for people who are having trouble affording diapers, but it’s the sort of advice politicians and pundits dole out, and that corporate news media present as a respectable worldview, worthy of our attention.
There is another view, that acknowledges that the same people who earn wages also buy groceries, and pretending that we’re pitted against one another is not just mis- but disinformation.
Rakeen Mabud is chief economist and managing director of policy and research at Groundwork Collaborative. They have new work on what’s driving grocery prices, that doesn’t involve getting mad at people using food stamps. We’ll hear from her today on the show.
CounterSpin240209Mabud.mp3
Plus Janine Jackson takes a quick look at analogies that encourage genocide.
We love going to Trader Joe’s for the standards—products like soy chorizo, vegan pesto, baked tofu, and vegan tikka masala—but we’re always on the lookout for new animal-friendly items to try. This month, the grocery chain is launching several exciting vegan products and bringing back some old favorites.
Here’s what we’re looking forward to trying at Trader Joe’s this month:
If the winter blues are getting to you, this bright and tropical sorbet will surely lift your spirits. It’s refreshingly tart and tangy because of the calamansi purée and balanced with sweetness from the mango purée.
Head to the frozen aisle for a bag of Garlic Shiitake Green Beans, which pair well with Trader Joe’s Korean Beefless Bulgogi. Serve them with some Vegetable Fried Rice, and you’ll have a super-easy weeknight meal.
These vegan sausage patties are seasoned with sage and fennel for a savory flavor without using any ingredients that harm pigs—because these intelligent, playful animals should be respected, not served on our breakfast plate.
We’ve been adding umami-packed nutritional yeast to our vegan popcorn for years, but we’re still happy that Trader Joe’s is discovering the wonder of this seasoning.
You can find these fresh Vietnamese-inspired spring rolls in the refrigerated section, now served with spicy cashew sauce for dipping. They’re filled with strips of broiled tofu for a protein kick instead of shrimp—fascinating animals who are being fished to the brink of extinction.
Yuba (tofu skin) is a staple in many Asian cuisines. It is protein-packed and has a satisfying texture—and like tofu, it can be seasoned in endless ways. Try making it into vegan bacon or wrapping it around sugarcane sticks to create vegan chicken drumsticks.
Just in time for Valentine’s Day, these sprinkles can be used to decorate a vintage-style heart-shaped cake or to add on top of pancakes. They’re dyed with fruit and vegetable juice, not coated with beeswax or confectioner’s glaze, which is made of insects.
Pick up a carton of this thick and creamy whipping cream, which can be used in savory or sweet recipes. We’ll be adding it to a vodka sauce and whipping up some to top our vegan hot chocolate.
With the launch of this new plant-based pepperoni, you can pick up everything you need to make a delicious vegan pizza at home. Trader Joe’s sells premade pizza dough in the refrigerated section, along with sauce and dairy-free mozzarella-style cheese shreds.
Going vegan is the best thing you can do for animals, the planet, and your own health. Learn how you can make the transition today by ordering a free vegan starter kit:
China’s State Council has ordered local governments and rural communities to ensure grain production never dips below minimum levels, to “safeguard food security and ensure there is no large-scale relapse into poverty.”
To achieve this, national grain output must remain above 1.3 trillion jin (650 million tons) in 2024, the annual agricultural and rural policy document, known as “Document No. 1,” says.
The Feb. 3 directive also calls on local authorities to learn from ruling Chinese Communist Party leader Xi Jinping’s poverty alleviation project in rural Zhejiang in 2003, by “storing food in the land,” a slogan referring to a system of fallow agricultural land that can be quickly sown with food crops if grain stores are running low.
The paper also calls for “strengthening the leadership of the Chinese Communist Party on work regarding agriculture, rural areas, and farmers,” state news agency Xinhua reported.
Current affairs commentator Guo Min said food security is once more cropping up as a major preoccupation for China’s leadership, citing the large-scale abandonment of agricultural land by farmers in recent years.
He said the fact that this year’s Document No. 1 once more mentions food security shows that securing rural grain production levels remains a big headache for the authorities.
Farmers harvest vegetables at a field in Cengong, in China’s southwestern Guizhou province on Nov. 15, 2023.
While Xi’s government declared in November 2020 that it had eliminated extreme poverty due to the mass and often enforced relocation of younger migrant workers to cities, it has also stepped up its day-to-day controls over farming activities, deploying controversial “agricultural management” enforcement officials to tighten state control over the supply of grain and to facilitate the transfer of rural land away from farmers if needed.
Guo said the mention of “a return to poverty” highlights something that has already happened.
“My understanding of the phrase ‘preventing a large-scale return to poverty’ is that the Chinese people are on the road to extreme poverty, and that this is inevitable,” he said.
“China now doesn’t even have the money for the government to take care of its own people,” Guo said, in a reference to empty local government coffers in the wake of the three-year zero-COVID policy, and unpaid civil service wages.
Storehouses running low
Yang Haiying, a professor at Japan’s Shizuoka University, said the authorities likely fear food shortages could lead to widespread social unrest.
“Chen Yun, a friend of Deng Xiaoping, the [late] former leader of … the Communist Party of China, once said that the Chinese people are easy to manage,” Yang said. “As long as they have enough to eat, they will be fine, and won’t rebel.”
“Since Xi Jinping came to power, they have [supposedly] solved the problem of poverty, [but] I think they know that there isn’t much food in the granaries.”
“They expect food shortages around the world following the Russia-Ukraine war, and they have a sense that there could be a crisis both at home and internationally,” Yang said.
Faced with rising living costs, residents of China’s rural areas have typically turned to factory or construction work in cities to supplement their incomes in recent decades, and have even been spotted asking for unofficial “tolls” on rural roads in recent months.
A cargo ship loaded with grain is seen berthed at a state grain storage facility in Taizhou, in China’s eastern Jiangsu province on June 13, 2023.
Now, the government is trying to revitalize rural areas through business partnership initiatives, according to state media reports on Document No. 1, in the hope of attracting entrepreneurs and farmers alike to settle in rural areas.
“I sometimes go to rural areas, and most of it is unused wasteland,” Guo said. “Farmers can’t make money growing crops, so, unless they just grow food for themselves, who will do the farming?”
“They can only farm with government support,” he said. “If they want to ensure food security, they will need to introduce a series of policies, for example, raising purchase prices for grain.”
Translated by Luisetta Mudie.
This content originally appeared on Radio Free Asia and was authored by By Gu Ting for RFA Mandarin.
When we think about Las Vegas, we tend to think of gambling, showgirls … and vegan food. That’s right: The party capital of the world has so many delicious, plant-based options that you can let your hair down without letting your compassion go. Here are some of the best spots to satisfy your taste buds between hitting the casino and that Cirque du Soleil show. You’re welcome.
This Los Angeles–based staple is bringing vegan fine dining to the Strip with its house-made pastas, stuffed zucchini blossoms, and artichoke “oysters.” It also has a quick-service option, which allows you to grab sausages, burgers, milkshakes, and more.
For big burgers, breakfast sammies, and old-fashioned shakes, head to vegan chain Plant Power Fast Food. This drive-through spot is the chain’s first location outside California.
Many of the offerings at Ronald’s Donuts are vegan, including apple fritters and cream-filled doughnuts. It also offers savory breakfast options, like vegan Ham & Cheese Bagels.
Fremont Street’s Flippin’ Good has a juicy, crispy vegan chicken sandwich option, which can be tossed in a spicy ghost pepper sauce for adventurous eaters. Don’t forget to add a side of fried pickles, onion rings, or hand-cut French fries to complete your meal.
Another favorite in downtown Las Vegas is Phyto’s Vegan Eats, which makes pig-free hot dogs loaded with tasty toppings, like kimchi, pico de gallo, and vegan bacon.
Chef Kenny’s opened in 2021 and has been a favorite of locals and visitors alike since, with a delicious assortment of Asian-inspired dishes, from steamed buns to sushi rolls.
The vegan menu at Nacho Daddy has something for everyone, including our personal favorite, the Vegan Chick’n Chimichanga—a deep-fried burrito filled with grilled vegan chicken, veggies, salsa, and wild rice.
Las Vegas’ first vegan butcher shop, NoButcher, offers a wide selection of vegan meats and cheeses. In addition to the classic deli options, they also serve freshly made sandwiches and salads. Swing by to enjoy a sandwich in-house or hit the drive-through for a quick fix.
If you’re near Mandalay Bay or the Luxor, Slice of Vegas is a must-try. Located in The Shoppes at Mandalay Place, it offers an impressive vegan menu featuring pizzas, pastas, and sandwiches, including a vegan meatball sub and even a vegan Philly cheesesteak.
This Mexican-style restaurant also located in the Shoppes at Mandalay Place boasts a vegan menu. We recommend starting with some guacamole and one of Hussong’s signature margaritas. Follow it up with any of the delicious entrée options, including classics like chile relleno, enchiladas, and vegan fish tacos.
As one of the most vegan-friendly places in Vegas, the Wynn offers delicious plant-based options everywhere you turn. All of its restaurants feature vegan options, and the menus were created by renowned vegan chef Tal Ronnen. Enjoy Vegan Chick’n and Waffles for breakfast at Terrace Pointe Café or a vegan cheeseburger from Jardin for dinner.
Just a 2-mile trek from the Strip, The Modern Vegan’s entire menu will fulfill any foodie’s wildest dreams. Its marquee menu specializes in comfort food, and some of the show-stopping dishes include vegan fried chicken, baked mac ‘n’ cheese, and burgers, along with a ton of breakfast favorites.
If you are staying downtown and have a pizza craving, look no further than Pop Up Pizza. It’s located in the beautiful Plaza Hotel and delivers in the area. Pop Up’s vegan pizza, The Vegan, is piled high with vegan cheese goodness and lots of artichokes, sautéed spinach, roasted mushrooms, and roasted bell pepper. It’s available by the slice in the casino. You can also create your own and choose vegan cheese to make your perfect plant-based pie.
A staple at Vegas farmer’s markets since 2013, the Garden Grill opened its brick-and-mortar location in July 2019. Its all-vegan, organic, comfort-food menu boasts a variety of tacos as well as classic savory sandwiches, such as the delicious Philly Cheeze Steak.
This Valentine’s Day, couples from Kalamazoo to Key West have a world of choices at their fingertips when it comes to decadent vegan sweet treats that show some love to animals, too. From Kirsch-marinated cherries to sumptuous red velvet cake, PETA’s picks are all approved by Cupid—and chickens and cows. That’s because they’re made with vegan butter and dairy-free milk instead of cow’s milk meant for baby cows and vegan egg replacements instead of eggs from hens who are killed once they’re no longer useful to the industry.
Here are our top treats to surprise your sweetheart this Valentine’s Day, available for shipping nationwide:
This vegan and gluten-free red velvet wonder features a decadent custard filling with a vanilla bean frosting covered with red, white, and pink Valentine’s sprinkles.
We heart this elegant two-layer cake, which has a light, sugar-free vegan buttercream and is garnished with fresh berries, chocolates, and egg-free macarons. Order the small size to share with your love, or opt for the larger size if you’re throwing a Galentine’s celebration.
With flavors like Salted Caramel, Pistachio-White Chocolate, and Strawberry-Rose, this assortment of French macarons is sure to impress. And since they’re made without eggs, you know they’re chicken-friendly.
Maya’s Cookies makes great gifts for any celebration, and its Valentine’s Collection is no exception. This box includes three flavors of vegan cookies: Chocolate Covered Strawberry, Double Chocolate Sweetheart, and Classic Chocolate Chip.
Each single-serve “minikin” is filled with layers of rose-tinted vanilla cake and homemade strawberry filling and topped with a vegan cream cheese frosting.
These Vegan Cordial Cherries are the classic Valentine’s choice, with Kirsh-marinated cherries draped in a rich dark chocolate. They’re classy and simple, and they come wrapped in a gift box tied with a ribbon.
If your lover can’t get enough chocolate, this box is for them. It features five varieties of rich vegan chocolate truffles, including “milk” fudge, raspberry, coffee, Grand Marnier, and salted caramel.
For the ultimate variety, choose this box from Divine Treasures Chocolates, which features 30 artisan chocolate creations, from caramels to dark ganache.
This box of 25 bite-size cupcakes features six sweet vegan flavors: Vegan Strawberry, Vegan Dark Chocolate Coconut, Vegan Triple Chocolate Chip, Vegan Vanilla Chocolate Cup, Vegan Maple Cinnamon Bun, and Vegan Peanut Butter.
With eight cookie flavors to choose from, you can’t go wrong with Uncle Eddie’s. Plus, $2 of every bag is donated to help PETA’s vital work for animals.
What’s the sweetest thing you can do this Valentine’s Day? Go vegan, of course! Learn more about how you can make the change and spare the lives of many animals:
Below the red-tile roofs of the Catalina Foothills, an affluent area on the north end of Tucson, Arizona, lays a blanket of desert green: spiky cacti, sword-shaped yucca leaves, and the spindly limbs of palo verde and mesquite trees. Head south into the city, and the vegetation thins. Trees are especially scarce on the south side of town, where shops and schools and housing complexes sprawl across a land encrusted in concrete.
On hot summer days, you don’t just see but feel the difference. Tucson’s shadeless neighborhoods, which are predominantly low-income and Latino, soak up the heat. They swelter at summer temperatures that eclipse the city average by 8 degrees Fahrenheit and the Catalina Foothills by 12 degrees. That disparity can be deadly in a city that experienced 40 straight days above 100 degrees last year — heat that’s sure to get worse with climate change.
The good news is there’s a simple way to cool things down: plant trees. “You’re easily 10 degrees cooler stepping under the shade of a tree,” said Brad Lancaster, an urban forester in Tucson. “It’s dramatically cooler.”
A movement is underway to populate the city’s street corners and vacant lots with groves of trees. Tucson’s city government, which has pledged to plant one million trees by 2030, recently got $5 million from the Biden administration to spur the effort — a portion of the $1 billion that the U.S. Forest Service committed last fall to urban and small-scale forestry projects across the United States, aiming to make communities more resilient to climate change and extreme heat.
But in Tucson and many other cities, tree-planting initiatives can tackle a lot more than scorching temperatures. What if Tucson’s million new trees—and the rest of the country’s—didn’t just keep sidewalks cool? What if they helped feed people, too?
That’s what Brandon Merchant hopes will happen on the shadeless south side of Tucson, a city where about one-fifth of the population lives more than a mile from a grocery store. He’s working on a project to plant velvet mesquite trees that thrive in the dry Sonoran Desert, and have been used for centuries as a food source. The mesquite trees’ seed pods can be ground into a sweet, protein-rich flour used to make bread, cookies, and pancakes. Merchant, who works at the Community Food Bank of Southern Arizona, sees cultivating mesquite around the city and surrounding areas as an opportunity to ease both heat and hunger. The outcome could be a network of “food forests,” community spaces where volunteers tend fruit trees and other edible plants for neighbors to forage.
“Thinking about the root causes of hunger and the root causes of health issues, there are all these things that tie together: lack of green spaces, lack of biodiversity,” Merchant said. (The food bank received half a million dollars from the Biden administration through the Inflation Reduction Act.)
Saplings soak up the Tucson sun before getting planted around the city.
City of Tucson
Merchant’s initiative fits into a national trend of combining forestry — and Forest Service funding — with efforts to feed people. Volunteers, school teachers, and urban farmers in cities across the country are planting fruit and nut trees, berry bushes, and other edible plants in public spaces to create shade, provide access to green space, and supply neighbors with free and healthy food. These food forests, forest gardens, and edible parks have sprouted up at churches, schools, empty lots, and street corners in numerous cities, including Boston, Philadelphia, Atlanta, Seattle, and Miami.
“It’s definitely growing in popularity,” said Cara Rockwell, who researches agroforestry and sustainable food systems at Florida International University. “Food security is one of the huge benefits.”
There are also numerous environmental benefits: Trees improve air quality, suck carbon from the atmosphere, and create habitat for wildlife, said Mikaela Schmitt-Harsh, an urban forestry expert at James Madison University in Virginia. “I think food forests are gaining popularity alongside other urban green space efforts, community gardens, green rooftops,” she added. “All of those efforts I think are moving us in a positive direction.”
Researchers say food forests are unlikely to produce enough food to feed everyone in need of it. But Schmitt-Harsh said they could help supplement diets, especially in neighborhoods that are far from grocery stores. “A lot has to go into the planning of where the food forest is, when the fruits are harvestable, and whether the harvestable fruits are equitably distributed.”
She pointed to the Philadelphia Orchard Project as an emblem of success. That nonprofit has partnered with schools, churches, public recreation centers, and urban farms to oversee some 68 community orchards across the city. Their network of orchards and food forests generated more than 11,000 pounds of fresh produce last year, according to Phil Forsyth, co-executive director of the nonprofit.
Volunteers plant fruit trees at a food forest in Philadelphia. Philadelphia Orchard Project
Some of the sites in Philadelphia have only three or four trees. Others have over 100, said Kim Jordan, the organization’s other executive director. “We’re doing a variety of fruit and nut trees, berry bushes and vines, pollinator plants, ground cover, perennial vegetables—a whole range of things,” Jordan said.
The community food bank in Tucson started its project in 2021, when it bought six shade huts to shelter saplings. Each hut can house dozens of baby trees, which are grown in bags and irrigated until they become sturdy enough to be planted in the ground. Over the past three years, Merchant has partnered with a high school, a community farm, and the Tohono O’odham tribal nation to nurse, plant, and maintain the trees. So far they’ve only put a few dozen saplings in the ground, and Merchant aims to ramp up efforts with a few hundred more plantings this year. His initial goal, which he described as “lofty and ambitious,” is to plant 20,000 trees by 2030.
The food bank is also organizing workshops on growing, pruning, and harvesting, as well as courses on cooking with mesquite flour. And they’ve hosted community events, where people bring seed pods to pound into flour — a process that requires a big hammermill that isn’t easy to use on your own, Merchant said. Those events feature a mesquite pancake cookoff, using the fresh flour.
Merchant is drawing on a model of tree-planting that Lancaster, the urban forester, has been pioneering for 30 years in a downtown neighborhood called Dunbar Spring. That area was once as barren as much of southern Tucson, but a group of volunteers led by Lancaster — who started planting velvet mesquite and other native trees in 1996 — has built up an impressive canopy. Over three decades, neighborhood foresters have transformed Dunbar Spring’s bald curbsides into lush forests of mesquite, hackberry, cholla and prickly pear cactus, and more—all plants that have edible parts.
“There are over 400 native food plants in the Sonoran Desert, so we tapped into that,” Lancaster said. “That’s what we focused our planting on.”
The Dunbar Spring food forest is now what Lancaster calls a “living pantry.” He told Grist that up to a quarter of the food he eats — and half of what he feeds his Nigerian dwarf goats — is harvested from plants in the neighborhood’s forest. “Those percentages could be much more if I were putting more time into the harvests.” The more than 1,700 trees and shrubs planted by Lancaster’s group have also stored a ton of water — a precious commodity in the Sonoran Desert — by slurping up an estimated 1 million gallons of rainwater that otherwise would have flowed off the pavement into storm drains.
Another well-established food forest skirts the Old West Church in Boston, where volunteers have spent a decade transforming a city lawn into a grove of apple, pear, and cherry trees hovering over vegetable, pollinator, and herb gardens. Their produce — ranging from tomatoes and eggplants to winter melons — gets donated to Women’s Lunch Place, a local shelter for women without permanent housing, according to Karen Spiller, a professor of sustainable food systems at the University of New Hampshire and a member of Old West Church who helps with the project.
“It’s open for harvest at any time,” Spiller said. “It’s not ‘Leave a dollar, and pick an apple.’ You can pick your apple and eat your apple.”
Merchant wants to apply the same ethic in Tucson: mesquite pods for all to pick — and free pancakes after a day staying cool in the shade.
People experiencing menopause and perimenopause may benefit from taking a holistic approach to their health, including examining what they eat and how it may affect their bodies. Going vegan, eating a low-fat diet, and getting regular exercise can help manage hot flashes, mood swings, unexpected weight gain, and a variety of other symptoms.
Here are three ways going vegan can help you manage menopause.
1. Low-Fat Vegan Meals Are the Secret to Minimizing Hot Flashes and Other Symptoms
According to Neal Barnard, M.D., president of the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, women in Asia are less likely to suffer from hot flashes, likely because they consume much less meat and animal-derived fat than women who eat standard American diets.
Barnard says that women who eat high-fat foods have more estrogen activity than those who consume low-fat foods. During menopause, when the ovaries’ production of estrogen comes to a halt, women who eat high-fat foods experience a sudden and extreme drop in estrogen levels. This drop seems to be less dramatic—and the resulting symptoms are much milder or nonexistent—for women with lower estrogen levels.
Barnard believes that nonsmokers who eat plenty of fruits and vegetables, limit their salt and caffeine consumption, and get enough vitamin D are less likely to suffer from hot flashes, broken bones, vaginal dryness, and other symptoms of menopause.
Actors Gabrielle Union and Drew Barrymore shared how their bodies were affected by the onset of perimenopause symptoms, including unexpected and rapid weight gain in the stomach caused by the stress hormone cortisol. One solution: ditching dairy and other animal-derived foods.
Going vegan has helped countless people shed excess fat, especially around the midsection, where it can cause the most health problems. The American Heart Association recommends a diet rich in vegetables for managing the increased risk of heart disease that comes with menopause-related abdominal weight gain.
3. You Can Keep Your Bones Healthier With Calcium From Plants
Calcium is a key nutrient for maintaining bone health during and after menopause, when bone density begins to decrease due to lower levels of estrogen. While cow’s milk, cheese, and yogurts have previously been touted as calcium-rich options, studies have shown that dairy may do more harm than good.
A Harvard Nurses’ Health Study found that consuming two or more glasses of cow’s milk daily put people at higher risk for broken hips and arms than those who drank one glass or less per day. If you want to retain the calcium that you consume and keep baby cows with their mothers, try these vegan sources of calcium, which will strengthen your bones, not weaken them the way dairy does.
In addition to the many health benefits of a plant-based diet, going vegan also spares the lives of nearly 200 animals a year. Learn just how easy it is to make the transition by ordering a free vegan starter kit:
Carvel is bringing Oatly vegan ice cream to more than 300 of its stores across the U.S. The new oat milk–based options are available in Carvel’s classic soft serve, iconic Flying Saucer Sandwiches, creamy shakes, ice cream scoops, and frozen dessert cakes.
Flavors include Oatly Strawberry, Chocolate, Mint, and Cold Brew soft serve and Cookies & Cream and Chocolate Peanut Butter scoops. Varieties and availability vary. Check with your local store to see which options are offered near you.
This exciting news follows Carvel’s 2022 launch of oat milk–based ice cream cakes in Publix grocery stores. We’re thrilled that the iconic brand has made additional nondairy options available to its compassionate customers.
Choosing nondairy treats helps spare loving, playful cows, who are used for their milk. Instead of allowing cows to nurse their own babies, the dairy industry tears calves away from their mothers shortly after birth. Then, workers steal their milk so that it can be sold. Leave the milk to the cows, and choose treats that don’t hurt animals.
Going vegan is the best thing you can do for animals, the planet, and your own health. Order a free vegan starter kit to start making the change today:
More than a quarter of the wild seafood that the world eats comes from the seafloor. Shrimp, skate, sole, cod and other creatures – mostly flat ones – that roam the bottom of the ocean get scooped up in huge nets. These nets, called bottom trawls, wrangle millions of tons of fish worth billions of dollars each year. But they also damage coral, sponges, starfish, worms and other sand-dwellers as the nets scrape against the ocean bed. Environmentalists sometimes liken the practice to strip-mining or clearcutting forests.
According to a new study in the journal Frontiers in Marine Science, bottom trawling may be even worse than many people had thought. Dragging nets through the sand – which occurs over some 5 million square kilometers, a little over 1 percent of the ocean floor — isn’t just a threat to marine life. The study found that stirring up carbon-rich sediment on the seafloor releases some 370 million metric tons of planet-warming carbon dioxide every year, roughly the same as running 100 coal-fired power plants.
“I was pretty surprised,” said Trisha Atwood, a watershed scientist at Utah State University and the paper’s lead author. The findings, Atwood added, suggest that restricting bottom trawling could have “almost instantaneous benefits” for the climate.
The paper follows a study by some of the same scientists published in the journal Nature in 2021 – one that drew a lot of media attention as well as criticism from other researchers who thought its results were way off. In 2021, Atwood’s team found that bottom trawling unlocks more carbon from the seafloor than all of the world’s airplanes emit each year. But they couldn’t say how much of that carbon ended up in the atmosphere heating the earth and how much of it stayed in the water.
So that’s what they set out to do in the latest study. The team used fishing vessel data to map regions where trawlers have disturbed the seabed — like the North Sea off the coast of Europe — and applied ocean circulation models to estimate how much carbon dioxide flows from the sea into the air. They found that more than half of the carbon set loose by trawling makes its way into the atmosphere – and does so relatively quickly, within less than a decade.
“The most important finding here is that these emissions are not negligible,” said Juan Mayorgas, a marine data scientist at the National Geographic Society and co-author of the paper. “They are not small. They cannot be ignored.”
The world’s oceans are sponge-like in their ability to absorb carbon, soaking up a quarter of all the carbon dioxide that humans spew into the air. In fact, a lot more carbon is stored in the sea than in all the soil and plants on Earth. But until recently, little attention had been given to how much the oceans emit. “We know the oceans aren’t a closed system,” Mayorgas said. “At the same time the ocean is absorbing CO2, it’s emitting it.”
Most climate goals and policies don’t take emissions from sea-based activities like trawling into account. Atwood and Mayorgas said their study could help change that. “Now,” Mayorgas said, “countries can put all the information on the table and say, ‘Here’s how many jobs trawling produces, here’s how much food it produces, here’s how much carbon it’s emitting.’”
But there’s one big caveat: Not everyone agrees with their research. The 2021 paper — which provided data for the new study — has drawn considerable backlash from scientists who called the results “wildly overestimated.”
“I’m very skeptical about their estimates,” said Jan Geert Hiddink, a marine biologist at Bangor University in the Netherlands, in an email. The team’s emissions estimates are off by “several orders of magnitudes,” he said, and “are likely to lead to misdirected management actions.”
Hiddink, who co-authored a comment in Nature criticizing the 2021 paper, argues that carbon stored in the seabed is a lot less likely to be converted into carbon dioxide than Atwood’s team assumes in their models. He said that trawling in some locations — like shallow coastal areas that have muddy sediment and hold more carbon than deeper, sandier areas — is likely to spew some carbon dioxide into the water and atmosphere but that more detailed research is needed to understand exactly how much gets unleashed. Hiddink suggested that some of the carbon dioxide that Atwood’s team claims to be released by rustling up the ocean floor is actually emitted naturally by microbes that break down decaying fish skeletons and other organic matter.
“There’s no way the kinds of numbers they’re talking about are anywhere realistic,” said Ray Hilborn, a fisheries scientist at the University of Washington. (Hilborn has been criticized for getting financial support from the fishing industry for his research. In response, Hilborn said he’s been open about funding sources and pointed out that he has also received support from environmental groups like The Nature Conservancy and Environmental Defense Fund.)
Atwood said Hiddink’s critique is “entirely theoretical” and doesn’t align with empirical studies as closely as her team’s models. Enric Sala, a researcher with the National Geographic Society and lead author of the 2021 paper, also pushed back against Hiddink’s points, saying in a prepared statement that they “lack quantitative support.”
Still, Atwood and her colleagues acknowledge that it’s not entirely clear how easily the sediment churned up by trawling releases carbon dioxide. Studies on that issue are “extremely limited,” the authors wrote. She said the latest paper is valuable for figuring out the proportion of carbon dioxide that winds up in the air after trawlers unleash it into the water.
“All of us agree,” Atwood said, “that this is an area that we need more research in.”
Tyson Foods has always been eager to slaughter animals, but now, several of the company’s own facilities are on the chopping block. To cut costs amid plummeting profits and slowing demand, Tyson—a long-time subject at the center of damning undercover cruelty investigations, federal probes, and a child labor scandal—is resorting to a string of slaughterhouse closures and corporate layoffs.
Since spring 2023, the company has announced the closure of eight of its plants, including ones in Jacksonville, Florida, and Columbia, South Carolina, which were shut down in January 2024. The announcement came in the days after consumers reported finding pieces of metal in Tyson products. Four other plants—in Arkansas, Indiana, and Missouri—will be closed in early 2024.
Will Tyson Foods Get Its Comeuppance?
Tyson Foods’ steady drop in profits may be a result of compassionate consumers who don’t want to support the abuse and cruel slaughter of sensitive animals. The company kills more than 2 billion animals every year, holding a grim track record of egregious slaughterhouse violations.
In 2021, federal officials reported that chickens drowned in scalding-hot water at multiple Tyson slaughterhouses. At one facility, an inspector saw shackled chickens with broken necks. At another, inspectors found a bird who had been crushed and suffocated in a wire cage. In 2022, equipment mutilated pigs at a Tyson Foods facility in Waterloo, Iowa. The machinery caught one pig’s snout, killing the animal, and severely broke the others’ back legs. And in July 2023, approximately 3,200 chickens died when a trailer crashed at a Tyson Foods slaughterhouse in Wilkesboro, North Carolina.
Tyson is reportedly under investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor following reports that migrant children as young as 13 have been working in hazardous occupations at the company’s plants.
PETA Memorializes Birds Who Have Suffered at Tyson Foods’ Facilities
Following the closure of a Tyson meat-processing plant in Jacksonville, Florida, PETA applied to place a statue of an injured chicken in the area, memorializing the countless chickens and other animals who are killed for their flesh every day. The thought-provoking piece serves as a reminder that our fellow animals feel pain and fear just as humans do and don’t belong on our plates.
Send a Message to Tyson by Going Vegan
If you want to help chickens and other animals suffering on farms and at slaughterhouses, put your money where your mouth is and go vegan, which spares nearly 200 animals per year and sends a message to companies like Tyson that consumers want delicious veganfood—not flesh.
It’s time for Tyson to stop slaughtering our fellow animals and to focus exclusively on producing vegan foods—like the plant-powered nuggets, burgers, sausages, and other products offered through its vegan brand, Raised & Rooted.
Last year, climate change came into sharp relief for much of the world: The planet experienced its hottest 12-month period in 125,000 years. Flooding events inundated communities from California to East Africa to India. A heat wave in South America caused temperatures to spike above 100 degrees Fahrenheit in the middle of winter, and a heat dome across much of the southern United States spurred a 31-day streak in Phoenix of 110 degree-plus temperatures. The formation of an El Niño, the natural phenomenon that raises temperatures globally, intensified extreme weather already strengthened by climate change. The U.S. alone counted 25 billion-dollar weather disasters in 2023 — more than any other year.
Yet this devastation was met by some of the largest gains in climate action to date. World leaders agreed for the first time to “transition away” from oil and gas at the annual United Nations climate summit, hosted last month by the United Arab Emirates. Funds and incentives from President Joe Biden’s signature climate law, the Inflation Reduction Act, started to roll out to companies and municipalities. Electric vehicle sales skyrocketed, thousands of young people signed up for the first-ever American Climate Corps, and companies agreed to pay billions of dollars to remove harmful chemicals called PFAS from drinking water supplies.
As we enter a new year, we asked Grist reporters what big stories they’re watching on their beats, 24 predictions for 2024. Their forecasts depict a world on the cusp of change in regard to climate — both good and bad, and often in tandem. Here’s what we’re keeping an eye on, from hard-won international financial commitments, to battles over mining in-demand minerals like lithium, to the expansion of renewable energy.
Protesters hold placards during a climate march in New York City last September.
Photo by Ryan Rahman/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images
Politics & Policy
A new climate corps will turn young people’s anxiety into action
The American Climate Corps will officially kick off in the summer of 2024, sending 20,000 18- to 26-year-olds across the country to install solar projects, mitigate wildfire risk, and make homes more energy-efficient. President Biden’s New Deal-inspired program is modeled after Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Climate Conservation Corps and attracted 100,000 applicants. As it rolls out, the climate corps will continue to draw criticism from the left for low wages and ageism, and from the right for being a “made-up government work program … for young liberal activists.” Yet the program will remain popular with the public, bolstering towns’ resilience to weather disasters and training thousands of young people to help fill the country’s shortage of skilled workers needed for decarbonization.
Kate Yoder
Staff writer examining the intersections of climate, language, history, culture, and accountability
Despite rising temperatures, climate change takes a backseat during the 2024 election
Although more than a decade of surveys and polls show that a growing proportion of Americans are concerned about climate change, it has never been a defining issue in a general election — and will likely remain that way in 2024, at least on the main stage. Put simply, there are too many immediate concerns that will dominate the campaign trail as President Joe Biden faces off against the Republican nominee — most likely former President Donald Trump: Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine, Israel’s war against Hamas, the overturning of Roe v. Wade and the fight for abortion rights, new charges against Biden’s son, Hunter, and, of course, the numerous criminal charges against Trump. Biden may herald his signature climate law, the Inflation Reduction Act, in his own messaging, but climate change is unlikely to cross party lines.
Zoya Teirstein
Staff writer covering politics and the intersection between climate change and health
A climate reparations fund gets off the ground
During COP28, the U.N. climate conference that took place in Dubai last year, countries agreed to set up a climate reparations fund on an interim basis at the World Bank. The fund was a longtime priority of developing countries and climate justice advocates who argued that nations that had contributed negligibly to a warming planet were facing the consequences. This year, the World Bank is expected to set up the fund and begin disbursing money to poor nations. Board members will be selected, an executive director will be appointed, decisions about how countries can access the money will be made, and money will begin flowing to those in need. During COP28, wealthy countries chipped in more than $650 million to the fund. More money will also fill the coffers this year.
Naveena Sadasivam
Senior staff writer covering environmental justice and accountability
‘Greenhushing’ spreads as companies seek to dodge lawsuits
Just a few years ago, splashy corporate climate promises were everywhere. Even oil companies promised to cut their emissions. But there won’t be as many misleading advertisements touting companies’ climate progress in 2024. Amid new regulations against false environmental marketing and a pileup of greenwashing lawsuits, more corporations will join in hiding their climate commitments to avoid scrutiny. This trend of “greenhushing” ramped up in 2023, when 1 in 5 companies declined to publicly release their sustainability targets, a threefold increase from the prior year. While this makes it harder to see what companies are doing, California’s new “anti-greenwashing” law, which went into effect on January 1, will tackle the transparency problem by requiring companies to disclose their carbon emissions.
Kate Yoder
Staff writer examining the intersections of climate, language, history, culture, and accountability
A global treaty to end plastic pollution faces delays
Delegates from around the world have been working to finalize a U.N. treaty by the end of 2024 that will “end plastic pollution.” They’ve had three negotiating sessions so far, and two more are scheduled for later this year. Despite signs of progress, petrochemical industry interests have resisted the most ambitious proposals to limit plastic production — they’d prefer a treaty focused on cleaning up plastic litter and improving plastic recycling rates. After countries failed to make significant headway at the most recent round of talks, it’s now possible that an extended deadline will be needed to deliver the final treaty. To some involved in the talks, that’s OK if it’ll mean a stronger agreement. But the pressure is still on, as every year without a treaty means more unchecked plastic pollution.
Joseph Winters
Staff writer covering plastics, pollution, and the circular economy
Employees of NY State Solar, a residential and commercial photovoltaic-systems company, install solar panels on a roof in Massapequa, New York, in 2022. AP Photo/John Minchillo
Energy
Expect a deluge of new household electrification and efficiency rebates
When the Inflation Reduction Act passed in 2022, some decarbonization incentives were quickly accessible — such as tax credits for solar and heat pump installation — but others have taken longer to kick in. The wait, however, is almost over, and 2024 is set to see a slew of new, or expanded, opportunities come online. The Inflation Reduction Act earmarked $8.8 billion for residential electrification and energy-use reduction, especially in low-income households.Think things like induction cooktops and energy-efficient clothes dryers, which don’t currently have federally funded rebates. The Department of Energy is in the process of allocating funding to participating states, which will be in charge of getting the money into Americans’ pockets.
Tik Root
Senior staff writer focusing on the clean energy transition
A push for public power takes root in communities nationwide
Across the country, close to a dozen communities are exploring ways to replace their investor-owned electric utilities with publicly owned ones. Advocates say they want to lower electricity costs, improve reliability, and speed up a clean energy transition. While a referendum in Maine to create a statewide publicly owned utility failed this past November, supporters elsewhere are just getting started. Next year, a group in San Diego could succeed in getting a vote for a municipal utility on the ballot. Decorah, Iowa, is contemplating a similar vote, and ongoing efforts could gain traction in San Francisco, the South San Joaquin Irrigation District in California, New Mexico, and Rochester, New York.
Akielly Hu
News and politics reporting fellow
Puerto Rico becomes be a U.S. leader in residential-solar energy adoption
While the nationwide rate of residential-solar installations is expected to shrink by more than 10 percent next year, due to interest rates and changes in California’s net-metering rules, installations show no sign of slowing down in Puerto Rico. The archipelago of 1.2 million households already installs 3,400 residential rooftop solar and battery-storage systems per month. In spring 2024, the Energy Department will begin deploying $440 million in residential-solar funding, which they say will be enough for about 30,000 homes. Analysts predict that by 2030, one-quarter of Puerto Rico households will have photovoltaic systems, though that depends in part on whether Puerto Rico passes a pending bill that would protect net metering until then.
Gabriela Aoun Angueira
Climate solutions reporter who helms The Beacon, Grist’s solutions-oriented newsletter
Workers walk the assembly line of Model Y electric vehicles at Tesla’s factory in Berlin in 2022. Patrick Pleul/picture alliance via Getty Images
Business & Technology
Changes to the federal tax credit will improve EV access for lower-income drivers
As of January 1, consumers can redeem the Inflation Reduction Act’s clean-vehicle tax credit directly at car dealerships. Last year, the $7,500 incentive for new electric vehicles and $4,000 for previously owned ones were only available as a credit, meaning that car buyers had to wait until they filed their taxes to get any benefit. The point-of-sale rebate will make getting a clean vehicle more accessible to buyers who can’t afford a hefty down payment, or whose income is too low to owe taxes. But their model options will also shrink — the Treasury Department just proposed rules disqualifying cars with battery components or minerals that come from countries deemed hostile to the U.S.
Gabriela Aoun Angueira
Climate solutions reporter who helms The Beacon, Grist’s solutions-oriented newsletter
Carbon-capture tech will continue to boom (and be controversial)
In some ways, it was a mixed year for carbon capture. While the world’s largest carbon-capture plant broke ground in Texas, the builders of a major carbon dioxide pipeline — which would be used to transport captive emissions to their final destination underground — canceled the project in the face of regulatory pushback. Climate activists have also long been skeptical of carbon capture as an industry ruse to keep burning fossil fuels. Overall, though, the carbon-capture market is surging on the tailwinds of largely favorable government policies in recent years. The use of the technology is also spreading beyond traditional sectors, such as natural gas facilities, into other industrial arenas, including cement, steel, and iron manufacturing. Next year will bring some continued hiccups but, overwhelmingly, continued growth.
Tik Root
Senior staff writer focusing on the clean energy transition
Republicans ramp up their war on “woke” ESG investing
An ongoing Republican crusade against ESG investing — shorthand for the environmental, social, and governance criteria investors use to evaluate companies — could end up costing retirees and insurers millions in lost returns next year. GOP lawmakers claim that considering climate risks while making investments imposes “woke” values and limits investment returns. Yet anti-ESG laws passed in Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas last year were estimated to have cost taxpayers up to hundreds of millions of dollars. That’s partly because most Wall Street banks and businesses still employ ESG strategies. The backlash could continue through next year’s election — presidential candidates Ron DeSantis and Vivek Ramaswamy have both taken strong anti-ESG positions.
Akielly Hu
News and politics reporting fellow
Unions expand their fight for electric vehicle worker protections
United Auto Workers recently won provisions for electric vehicle employees after a sweeping strike at Detroit’s Big Three carmakers — Ford, Stellantis, and General Motors. Now, the union has launched organizing campaigns at 13 non-union shops, including at EV leaders like Tesla and at other companies just getting into the EV space, such as Volkswagen and Hyundai. Next year, these campaigns will begin to go public, with resulting walkouts, negotiations, and expected union-busting tactics. Such efforts have failed in the past, and some companies have announced wage increases to entice workers away from a potential union drive, but UAW has already announced thousands of new member sign-ups and filed labor grievances against several companies, signaling a hard-headed approach that may win new contracts to protect workers as the auto industry increasingly shifts toward EVs.
Katie Myers
Climate solutions reporting fellow
A ConocoPhillips refinery abuts a residential area in the Wilmington neighborhood of Los Angeles in 2022. Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
Environmental Justice
The EPA will back away from using civil rights law to protect residents
In 2020, a federal judge ordered the Environmental Protection Agency to start investigating the complaints it receives under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of race or national origin in any program that gets funding from the federal government. Since then, communities around the country have attempted to use the law to achieve environmental justice in their backyards. But after the agency dropped its highest profile civil rights case in Louisiana’s “Cancer Alley” following a lawsuit from the state attorney general, advocates worry that the legal avenue won’t fulfill its promise. In 2024, it’s likely that the EPA will pursue Title VI complaints in states with cooperative environment agencies, but shy away from pressuring industry-friendly states like Louisiana and Texas to make big changes based on the law.
Lylla Younes
Senior staff writer covering chemical pollution, regulation, and frontline communities
Additional testing will reveal the true scope of “forever chemical” pollution
Major chemical manufacturers like 3M, DuPont, and Chemours were forced to strike multibillion-dollar settlements last year with coalitions of states, cities, and townships over PFAS — the deadly “forever chemicals” these companies knowingly spewed into the environment for decades. 2024 will be a big year for determining just how pervasive this problem is in U.S. water supplies. New hotspots are likely to emerge as the EPA conducts additional testing across the country, particularly in areas where little data on the chemicals currently exists. New fights over forever chemicals will also unfold in places like Minnesota, where lawmakers have introduced a bill that would require 3M and other large chemical corporations to pay for medical testing for PFAS-exposed communities, and in North Carolina, where the United Nations just declared PFAS pollution a human rights violation.
Zoya Teirstein
Staff writer covering politics and the intersection between climate change and health
A booming liquefied natural gas industry goes bust … maybe
The liquefied natural gas industry is booming on the U.S. Gulf Coast as companies export huge amounts of fracked gas to Europe and Asia, but the buildout of liquefaction facilities in the South has stumbled in recent months. A federal court revoked one facility’s permit in Texas, and the federal Department of Energy denied another company seeking an extension to build a facility in Louisiana. The coming year will be a big test for the nascent business: If courts and regulators delay more of these expensive projects, the companies behind them may abandon them and instead try building smaller, cheaper terminals elsewhere in the United States or even offshore.
Jake Bittle
Staff writer focusing on climate impacts and adaptation
Polluting countries could be legally liable to vulnerable ones
At COP28, negotiators from small island states sought to hold larger countries financially accountable for their outsize role in fueling carbon emissions. In 2024, that issue could be decided in international courts: As soon as March, the International Court of Justice will weigh arguments regarding countries’ obligations under international law to protect current and future generations from the harmful effects of climate change. The case brought by Vanuatu raises the question of how much big polluters owe island nations, with Vanuatu and other Pacific island communities particularly affected by rising sea levels and worsening storms.
Anita Hofschneider
Senior staff writer focusing on Indigenous affairs
An aerial view of Thacker Pass in northern Nevada. A proposed lithium mine on the site has drawn impassioned protest from the local Indigenous population, ranchers, and environmentalists. Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
Land Use
Mining for rare earths takes off, as new discoveries and investments are made
Discoveries of major new deposits of rare earth minerals will continue to explode in the western and southeastern U.S. — places like the Salton Sea in California and a lithium belt in North Carolina — as well as in Alaska. These developments, alongside incentives from the Inflation Reduction Act, will bolster domestic mining and renewable energy industries in 2024. Many of these discoveries are being made in coalfields and oil fields by fossil fuel companies looking to diversify their portfolios. In response, expect a boom in the efforts to reform laws around the poorly regulated mining industry as well as community-driven activism against places like the Thacker Pass lithium mine in Nevada.
Katie Myers
Climate solutions reporting fellow
Congress doles out funds for unproven “climate-smart” agriculture
2024 could be the biggest year yet for “climate-smart” agriculture. Billions of dollars that Congress earmarked a year and a half ago in the Inflation Reduction Act are starting to flow to farmers planting trees and cover crops that sequester carbon. Lawmakers will have the chance to carve out even more funds in the farm bill, the sprawling legislative package that will be up for renewal next year. But climate advocates won’t be satisfied with all of the results: The fight over what counts as “climate smart” will heat up as subsidies go to tools like methane digesters, which some advocates blame for propping up big polluters.
Max Graham
Food and agriculture reporting fellow
More renewable energy comes to public lands
The Bureau of Land Management controls a tenth of the land base in the U.S. — some 245 millions acres. The Biden administration has been trying to utilize that public land for renewable energy projects and infrastructure, with the Department of Interior recently announcing 15 such initiatives. The department is also aiming to reduce fees to promote solar and wind development. These efforts have run into roadblocks in the past, including from Indigenous nations. For example, the Tohono O’odham Nation and San Carlos Apache Tribe challenged a transmission line in southern Arizona because of its potential to harm cultural sites. But with the goal of permitting 25 gigawatts of renewable energy on BLM land by 2025, expect the federal government to continue pushing its buildout next year.
Tik Root
Senior staff writer focusing on the clean energy transition
Residents in Houston look out at flooding from Hurricane Harvey in August 2017. Scott Olson/Getty Images
Climate Impacts
El Niño peaks, bringing a preview of life in the 2030s
Last year brought the onset of the latest cycle of El Niño, a natural phenomenon that spurs the formation of a band of warm water in the Pacific Ocean and fuels above-average temperatures globally. In fact, the cycle has already nudged the world over 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) of warming for the first time.
Because these systems tend to peak from December to April, the worst impacts will likely hit in the first half of 2024. Scientists predict the world will experience its hottest summer on record, giving us a preview of what life will look like in the 2030s. El Niño has already spurred an onslaught of knock-on effects, including heat waves in South America, flooding in East Africa, and infectious disease outbreaks in the Americas and the Caribbean. This year, researchers expect El Niño will lead to an unusually strong hurricane season in the Pacific, impact agricultural production and food security, lead to more explosions of vector-borne diseases, and depress the global economy. In some places, this is already happening.
Zoya Teirstein
Staff writer covering politics and the intersection between climate change and health
To migrate or not: Pacific islanders weigh their options
Last year, a proposed treaty between Australia and Tuvalu made international headlines for a unique provision: migration rights for climate refugees from the Pacific island country, which is at particular risk of rising seas. Now, Tuvalu’s general election, set for later this month, may serve as a de facto referendum on the agreement. But the country’s voters aren’t the only ones weighing their options as their islands slowly sink. The coming year will bring more attention to the plight of Pacific Islanders who are confronting a future of forced migration and grappling with the question of where their communities will go, what rights they’ll have, and how their sovereignty will persist.
Anita Hofschneider
Senior staff writer focusing on Indigenous affairs
Insurers flee more disaster-prone states
California. Louisiana. Florida. Who’s next? The insurance markets in these hurricane- and fire-prone states have descended into turmoil over the past few years as private companies drop policyholders and flee local markets after expensive disasters. State regulators are stepping in to stop this downward spiral, but stable insurance markets will mean higher prices for homeowners, especially in places like low-lying Miami, where the average insurance premium is already around $300 a month. The next year will see the same kind of insurance crisis pop up in other states such as Hawaiʻi, Oregon, and South Carolina, as private carriers try to stem their climate-induced losses.
Jake Bittle
Staff writer focusing on climate impacts and adaptation
Despite barriers, workplace heat standards make slow progress
Earlier this year, Miami-Dade County in Florida — where the region’s humidity makes outdoor workers especially vulnerable to extreme heat — was poised to pass one of the most comprehensive and thoughtful workplace heat standards in the country. Instead, county commissioners bowed to pressure from industry groups, and the vote was deferred. On the national level, OSHA, the agency responsible for workplace safety, has been in the process of creating a federal heat standard for over two years. That work is far from over, and it seems unlikely that the agency will announce a finalized rule next year, despite record-breaking heat. That leaves states and municipalities to lead the way in 2024 for worker-heat protections, but as was the case in Miami-Dade, local officials will likely face obstacles from powerful industry groups as they do so.
Siri Chilukuri
Environmental justice reporting fellow
“Heatflation” comes for desserts
Heatflation came for condiments like olive oil and sriracha in 2023. This year, it’ll strike desserts. Unusually dry weather and a poor sugar cane harvest in India and Thailand — two of the world’s biggest producers — have driven global sugar prices to their highest level in more than a decade. Heavy rainfall in West Africa has led to widespread rot on the region’s prolific cocoa farms, causing chocolate prices to soar and snack companies like Mondelēz, which makes Oreos, to warn of more expensive products in 2024. And an extra-hot year fueled by a strong El Niño could be a rough one for wheat growers and flour prices. So now’s the time to indulge in chocolate cake — before it’s too late.
Iowa’s Republican-led government sparked outrage late last week by declining to participate in a federal program that would have provided low-income residents with $40 a month in additional food assistance during the coming summer. Created by the U.S. Congress late last year, the Summer Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) for Children program aims to boost nutrition benefits for families with…
Parents, beware: What you put in your kids’ cereal—or on their plate—could be a matter of life and death. A new study has identified cow’s milk as the leading culprit of food-related fatal allergic reactions in children under 16 in the U.K.
This finding comes from a study published in the British Medical Journal, which examined hospital admissions for food-induced anaphylaxis—a life-threatening allergic reaction—from 1998 to 2018. Over two decades, deaths from peanut or tree nut allergies decreased while fatalities linked to cow’s milk increased, accounting for 26% of food anaphylaxis-related deaths.
Even less severe allergies to cow-based milk and cheese can cause serious, sometimes long-term health issues for children. Cow’s milk is among the most common allergens for children and can lead to gastrointestinal, skin, and respiratory problems. According to a study published by a leading journal in children’s healthcare, a startling 47% of children allergic to cow’s milk have had at least one emergency room visit due to exposure.
Childhood food allergies are among the many other reasons to steer clear of dairy milk and cheese, which have been linked to an increased risk of developing prostate cancer, ovarian cancer, and heart disease.
The Cruelty of the Dairy Industry
The dairy industry tears calves away from their loving mothers when they’re just a day old—an extremely traumatic experience for these emotional, sensitive animals. Mother cows are often heard frantically crying out for their young for several days after they’ve been separated. Dairy farms exploit female cows like they’re merely milk machines, subjecting them to abusive, grueling milking regimens that often lead to painful udder infections.
Ditch Milk and Cheese Made From Cows—Go Vegan!
Cows produce milk for the same reason that humans do—to nourish their young. They don’t want to endure a lifetime of exploitation in the dairy industry. The best thing you can do for our fellow animals, your health, and the planet is to go vegan. Check out PETA’s ultimate guide to vegan milks and order our free vegan starter kit to make the compassionate switch today:
If helping animals is your 2024 resolution, you may want to pick up a new cookbook to help you enlighten your taste buds and end the exploitation of animals used for food. There are a lot of cookbooks to look forward to, from those focused on simple time-saving recipes to ones with inspiring dishes that will help you get your creative juices flowing in the kitchen. Whatever you prefer, there’s a vegan cookbook for you in the new year.
Save animals in 2024 by trying some of these new vegan cookbooks:
George Lee, the creator of vegan recipe blog Chez Jorge, is launching a long-awaited cookbook this year featuring traditional Taiwanese recipes inspired by his childhood and family. A-Gong’s Table is dedicated to Lee’s grandfather and is an intimate story of life in Taiwan told through food and photographs.
Become an expert in baking everything from artisan challah loaves to sweet breakfast muffins with Shane Martin’s guide to baking with animal-friendly ingredients—because you don’t need eggs or cow’s milk in order to make delicious baked goods.
Nourishing your body is important for your health and satisfaction, and Radhi Devlukia-Shetty’s new cookbook is all about how to create flavorful meals that will help you feel your best. JoyFull features recipes like Veggie Frittata Muffins, Tandoori Tacos, and the Tahini Matcha Latte.
Madeleine Olivia’s simple, no-fuss recipes are packed full of flavor while being budget-friendly and free of ingredients that harm animals. Make It Vegan walks you through recipes for Pain au Chocolat, 10-Minute Mac and Cheese, Vegan Paella, and other dishes.
We loved Carleigh Bodrug’s first bestselling cookbook, so we’re excited to see what’s in store for this one, which focuses on “scrappy” cooking—tips for limiting food waste by using every part of a fruit or vegetable. Learn what to do with radish tops, broccoli stems, wilting greens, and other scraps.
Remy Morimoto Park—aka “Veggiekins” on Instagram and TikTok—shares pan-Asian, gluten-free vegan recipes in Sesame, Soy, Spice. We can’t wait to try her takes on Spicy Peanut Ramen, Miso Caramel Crème Brulée, and Thai Basil Tempeh.
British Instagram content creator Calum Harris’ new cookbook is chock-full of delicious, animal-friendly recipes that are quick and easy to prepare. Recipes include hearty dishes like Miso Greens & Gnocchi, breakfast favorites like Fluffy Blueberry Pancakes, and others.
Learn how to make nutritious vegan food that babies and toddlers will love with this cookbook by Ashley Nsonwu. It includes shopping lists, nutrition guides, tips for raising compassionate vegan children, and more than 100 tasty family-friendly recipes.
If you’re into the scratch-made kitchen trend, you’ll want to pick up Marleen Visser’s cookbook. It includes recipes for homemade vegan cheeses that don’t exploit cows, mayo made from aquafaba instead of eggs stolen from chickens, nut milks, and more.
Oakland, California, barbecue joint Vegan Mob is known for chef Toriano Gordon’s soul-food creations, and now he’s sharing his secrets to recreating these nostalgic flavors without harming animals. Try your hand at vegan brisket, La La Lumpia, and Mobby Fried Chicken—because cows, pigs, and chickens are individuals who deserve respect and don’t want to end up on your plate.
Christine Wong (@conscious_cooking) creates delicious and unique recipes inspired by Hong Kong’s cuisine, and she’s sharing some of these dishes in her cookbook The Vibrant Hong Kong Table. Sampan Congee, Snow Skin Mooncakes, and Curry “Fishballs” are a few examples of recipes featured in this book.
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When salmon all but vanished from western Alaska in 2021, thousands of people in the region faced disaster. Rural families lost a critical food source. Commercial fisherfolk found themselves without a major stream of income. And Alaska Native children stopped learning how to catch, cut, dry, and smoke fish — a tradition passed down since the time of their ancestors.
Behind the scenes, the salmon shortage has also inflamed a long-simmering legal fight among Native stakeholders, the Biden administration, and the state over who gets to fish on Alaska’s vast federal lands.
At the heart of the dispute is a provision in a 1980 federal law called the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act, which gives rural Alaskans priority over urban residents to fish and hunt on federal lands. Most rural families are Indigenous, so the law is considered by some lawyers and advocates as key to protecting the rights of Alaska Natives. State officials, however, believe the law has been misconstrued to infringe on the state’s rights by giving federal regulators authority over fisheries that belong to Alaskans.
Now, a lawsuit alleges the state has overstepped its reach. Federal officials argue that state regulators tried to usurp control of fishing along the Kuskokwim River in western Alaska, where salmon make up about half of all food produced in the region. The suit, originally filed in 2022 by the Biden administration against the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, escalated this fall when the state’s lawyers effectively called for the end of federal oversight of fishing across much of Alaska. Indigenous leaders say the state’s actions threaten Alaska Native people statewide.
“What’s at stake is our future,” said Vivian Korthuis, chief executive officer of the Association of Village Council Presidents, a consortium of more than 50 Indigenous nations in western Alaska that’s one of four Alaska Native groups backing the Biden administration in the case. “What’s at stake is our children. What’s at stake is our families, our communities, our tribes.”
The lawsuit is a microcosm of how climate change is raising the stakes of fishing disputes around the world. While tensions over salmon management in Alaska aren’t new, they’ve been exacerbated by recent marine heat waves in the Bering Sea and Gulf of Alaska and rising temperatures in rivers like the Yukon and Kuskokwim, where king, chum, and coho salmon populations have plummeted. In warmer waters, salmon burn more calories. They’re more likely to become malnourished and less likely to make it to their freshwater spawning grounds. With fewer fish in places like western Alaska, the question of who should manage them — and who gets access to them — has become even more urgent.
The Alaska dispute erupted in 2021, when state regulators on the Kuskokwim issued fishing restrictions that conflicted with regulations set by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. People along the river, who are predominantly Yup’ik, were forced to navigate contradictory rules about whether and when they could fish legally — adding to the pain and frustration of an already disastrous season shaped by the coronavirus pandemic and historic salmon shortages.
“We can face large penalties and fines if we make mistakes,” Ivan M. Ivan, an elder in the Yup’ik village of Akiak, said in an affidavit.
The conflict spilled into 2022, another year of abysmal salmon returns, when state and federal regulators again issued contradictory restrictions. Alaska officials blamed the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for opening up fishing prematurely, before salmon had begun their migration upstream, and with an “apparent lack of concern” for the species’ conservation. The Biden administration sued, arguing that the state illegally imposed its own rules in the Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge, a federal reserve of wetlands and spruce and birch forest that encircles more than 30 Indigenous communities.
The fight played out quietly for more than a year — until September, when the state’s attorneys filed a brief that explicitly asked the court to undo legal precedent widely viewed as a safeguard for rural, mostly Indigenous families who depend on salmon. That move caused Alaska’s biggest Indigenous organization, the Alaska Federation of Natives, to join three smaller Native groups that had intervened on behalf of the federal government.
Those organizations are concerned that the state wants to reverse a string of court decisions, known as the Katie John cases, which held that rural Alaskans have priority to fish for food in rivers that flow through federal conservation areas, including long sections of the Yukon, Kuskokwim, and Copper rivers. Alaska Native leaders fear that doing away with that priority would endanger salmon populations and limit access for locals by opening fishing up to more people.
“It really will put a lot of pressure on stocks,” said Erin Lynch, an Anchorage-based attorney at the Native American Rights Fund, which is representing the Association of Village Council Presidents.
That concern isn’t limited to western Alaska. Ahtna Inc., a corporation owned by Indigenous shareholders in the Copper River region — some 500 miles east of the Kuskokwim — has also sided with the Biden administration. Without federal protections on the Copper River, Ahtna anglers would risk getting “pushed out,” according to John Sky Starkey, a lawyer representing Ahtna.
“There are only so many fish. There are only so many places [to fish],” Starkey said. “It’s a significant danger.”
State officials see the issue differently. They say there would be no threat of overfishing or competition between urban and rural residents, partly because rivers like the Yukon and Kuskokwim are so hard to reach from cities like Anchorage. They note that state law explicitly protects the subsistence rights of all Alaskans, including Alaska Natives. And they blame the feds for picking the fight by taking the issue to court.
“We did not initiate this lawsuit,” said Doug Vincent-Lang, commissioner of the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. “We provide for subsistence priority, and we take that seriously.”
The state’s lawyers also claim that federal policy is unfair for Alaska Natives who have moved to cities because it bars them from fishing with relatives in rural areas. Some Indigenous leaders see it as flawed, too, but they disagree with the state about the solution. Rather than do away with federal management, they have called on Congress to strengthen protections for Alaska Natives.
The case, now before the U.S. District Court for Alaska, is likely to heat up even more in the coming months. A ruling is expected in the spring.
The first-ever day devoted to food and agriculture at the United Nations’ annual climate conference was expected to be momentous. But some of the buzz fizzled at the gathering in Dubai on Sunday after the U.N. released the first part of its much-anticipated “roadmap” to easing hunger and reducing climate pollution from food and agriculture, a source of about a third of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions. It was far from the groundbreaking proposal that climate advocates hoped for. They say it lacks a vision to move away from chemical fertilizers and an industrial livestock industry that emits an astonishing amount of methane.
“The roadmap fails to name the fact that industrial agriculture is the second largest cause of emissions on the planet,” said Teresa Anderson, who leads the global climate justice program at ActionAid International, a humanitarian organization. “It sort of dances around the elephant in the room by refusing to name the real problem. It’s a ‘trying to please people’ sort of report, without calling anyone out.”
The first-of-its-kind roadmap aims to reform how food is produced around the world to keep global warming below 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit). It’s essentially a guidebook drafted by the U.N.’s Food and Agriculture Organization in the hope that member countries will eventually follow the recommendations. The document outlines goals for cutting a quarter of methane emissions from livestock by 2030, feeding the world in a way that’s carbon-neutral by 2035, and turning agriculture into an industry that soaks up more carbon than it emits by 2050. Addressing not only crops but also fisheries, food waste, forestry, and more, the FAO advocates for a “global rebalancing” of meat consumption and access to nutritious foods and calls for “improved efficiencies,” like shifting to livestock feed that cuts down on methane pollution.
Advocates have lauded world leaders for finally talking about food and agriculture at this year’s conference. But some think the roadmap falls short. In particular, critics say, it prioritizes incremental change over wholesale shifts in agriculture, such as moving away from industrialized farming and toward an approach that promotes biodiversity and carbon storage by integrating crops with surrounding ecosystems.
The roadmap also barely mentions fossil fuels. By one estimate, 15 percent of global oil, gas, and coal use is tied to food and agriculture. The FAO’s proposal has a section on clean energy, but it focuses on making biofuels more sustainable and on controversial technologies such as carbon capture rather than tackling the pervasiveness of oil and gas across agricultural supply chains.
“Industrial food systems are locked into fossil-fuel dependency,” said Patty Fong, who directs a climate program at the Global Alliance for the Future of Food. “They’re not actually calling for decoupling food systems from fossil fuels.”
The FAO document highlights 120 actions, such as curbing methane emissions from rice farming (a source of 8 percent of human-generated methane) and improving soil health by, for example, tilling less land and planting more cover crops like clover. The organization plans to release two more “volumes” of the roadmap at the next two U.N. climate conferences. The second installment will include regional analyses, and the third will have specific country action plans.
Before the organization published the document, climate advocates and critics had anticipated that it would call on wealthy countries like the United States, where the average person eats more than their body weight in meat each year, to consume less and help reduce the vast amount of methane generated by livestock, especially cows. But beyond saying that the world needs to “readjust consumption patterns,” the report doesn’t give details or call out specific countries for consuming too much.
The roadmap also says next to nothing about alternatives to meat — a solution that the UN’s own environmental program, in its first-ever report on alternative proteins, described as “important” just a few days before the roadmap came out.
Shayna Fertig, a co-author of that report and an adviser at the Good Food Institute, an international think tank based in Washington, D.C. that promotes alternative proteins, said efforts to improve animal agriculture are necessary but shouldn’t come at the “expense” of developing substitutes for meat and dairy.
Fong said she wasn’t surprised that the roadmap didn’t harp on meat consumption, a “highly political” issue.
One thing the report does advocate for is making livestock farming more productive by breeding climate-resilient cows and developing animal feed that’s more digestible — so that cattle belch less methane. Some researchers consider these reforms to be necessary as demand for meat rises, but others see them as distractions from the broader need to make the world less dependent on industrialized animal agriculture.
Despite what she considers drawbacks and omissions, Fong said the roadmap wasn’t a total letdown. She praised it for being “comprehensive” — because it touches on a lot more than agriculture — and for taking on often-overlooked problems like land use. The destruction of carbon-rich forests and wetlands by expanding animal agriculture is one reason farming accounts for so much of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions, and among the FAO’s more ambitious goals is one to end all deforestation by 2035.
This coverage is made possible through a partnership with WABE andGrist, a nonprofit, independent media organization dedicated to telling stories of climate solutions and a just future.
On a sunny day this fall, two Georgia Southern University grad students stood waist-deep in the North Newport River near St. Catherine’s Island on Georgia’s coast, while their professor and a team from the Georgia Department of Natural Resources used a winch to lower pallets full of oyster shells into the water.
The students guided the pallets into place on the muddy river bank. Those pallets, piled with shells, will provide a hard surface for baby oysters to latch onto.
“We are creating a foundation which wild oysters can populate and grow into a independent reef,” said Cameron Brinton, a marine biologist with DNR.
Oysters used to be abundant here: Georgia led the nation in oyster harvesting in the early 20th century, according to the University of Georgia. But by the 1930s, they’d been overharvested. A similar story has played out in other formerly thriving oyster grounds.
Scientists all along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts are trying to bring oyster populations back, and not just because they’re a popular food. Oysters are also important for healthy coastal ecosystems. And researchers are now studying how creating new oyster reefs could help fight climate change by sequestering carbon.
Oysters, Brinton explained, are a keystone species. That means they create habitat for other critters, from small shrimp and crabs to fish like red drum and spotted sea trout that are popular for fishing.
“The majority of commercially and recreationally important species of fish and shellfish will spend a portion of their life associated with oyster reefs,” Brinton said.
And scientists are studying two ways that oyster reefs suck up and store carbon. First, they keep the sediment in the river from washing away.
“There’s lots of organic matter in this sediment in the rivers here,” said John Carroll, a professor of biology at Georgia Southern. “So some of that organic matter gets buried behind the reefs.”
Organic matter has carbon in it, so the oyster reefs can store that carbon and keep it from warming the planet.
Second, by stabilizing the shoreline, oyster reefs also help marshes expand — and marshes themselves are very good at storing carbon.
“As the marsh grasses grow toward the reefs, they’ll also trap a lot of carbon,” Carroll said.
Graduate students and members of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources used pallets of oyster shells to help create a new reef in the North Newport River on Georgia’s coastline.
Grist / Emily Jones
So Carroll and his students are helping the Georgia DNR build these reefs. Then, they’ll track how the shoreline changes and how much carbon it’s storing.
The project is funded by the environmental arm of Yamaha, the boat engine maker. The company, with manufacturing headquarters for the United States located in the Atlanta area, is looking for ways to offset its carbon impact, and a project on Georgia’s coast made sense, said sustainability program manager Josh Grier.
“It’s something that our customers who are out using our products can see,” he said. “Not only are we investigating how we could potentially sequester CO2, but also providing habitat for fish, you know, kind of giving back into the communities where our customers are using our products.”
Marine combustion – that is, ship and boat engines – produced 23.7 million metric tons of CO2 equivalent emissions in 2020, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. That accounts for a tiny fraction of overall transportation emissions, which were more than 1,500 MMT CO2 equivalent in 2020, mostly from roads.
Yamaha is funding similar research into oyster reefs and carbon sequestration in the Gulf of Mexico through Texas A&M University. The two projects could make for an interesting comparison, Grier said, because the Atlantic coast of Georgia and the Gulf coast of Texas differ a lot in their tides, salinity, and other factors that can influence oyster growth.
“They’re such different environments that we’re very curious to see kind of how the CO2 sequestration manifests itself over time,” Grier said.
Once researchers are able to quantify the carbon storage, Carroll said, he’s hopeful Yamaha and other companies will want to fund more oyster reefs.
“There’s lots of need,” he said. “It just boils down to having enough of the materials.”
Fossil fuels usually suck up everyone’s attention at the annual United Nations’ climate summit. But at this year’s gathering in Dubai, COP28, another topic is generating headlines: food.
More than 130 countries signed a declaration on Friday saying that the world must transform its food systems, the source of one-third of all greenhouse gas emissions, “to respond to the imperatives of climate change.” On Saturday at the conference, the Biden administration announced a national strategy to reduce food waste, a huge emitter of methane. And on December 10,the U.N. is expected to call on countries that consume a lot of meat to eat less of it.
All this news comes after years of prodding from scientists and environmental advocates who say the only path to keep global warming below the Paris Agreement’s goal of 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) is to do things like limit how much meat we eat in the U.S. and other beef-loving countries. (Livestock alone are responsible for about 15 percent of global climate pollution.)
The problem is that meat consumption is as politically polarizing as ever. Fox Business recently ran a headline saying world leaders planned to “declare a war on meat” at COP28. “They don’t want solutions, they want a sick, depressed populace,” television chef Andrew Gruel said on the social media platform X.
The political right is also taking aim at climate-friendly alternatives to meat, like cultivated chicken and beef, made from cells grown in labs. State legislators in Florida recently proposed a bill that would make selling cultivated meat a second-degree misdemeanor. In Europe the issue has been just as partisan. Italy’s right-wing government just banned the production and sale of cultivated meat, ostensibly to protect the country’s culinary heritage. And Germany’s far-right Alternative for Deutschland party has been drumming up fears that the left is coming for their fried cutlets. “They will not take away my schnitzel,” a party co-chair said at a campaign event this fall.
Some of the backlash is likely a result of lobbying by the meat and dairy industries and the proliferation of misinformation on social media. But no matter how good it might be for the planet to end factory farming and to stop converting forests into pastures, researchers say meat is inherently political.
“It’s a political relationship between our species and other species,” said Sparsha Saha, a political scientist who studies meat politics at Harvard University. “That’s what makes it a lot different. It’s not a technology.”
Technological solutions tend to be more popular than lifestyle ones, even though some researchers say both may be necessary to avert environmental catastrophe. According to a survey across 23 countries, people in every one but France showed more support for solving the climate crisis through technology and innovation than by changing how they live.
Saha’s research suggests that meat is even more polarizing than gas-guzzling cars. In a recent study published in the journal Frontiers, she found that voters are more likely to oppose candidates who advocate for curbing emissions by eating less meat than those who talk about the need to limit emissions from transportation.
“It’s like asking us to be a different kind of human,” Saha said. “I think that’s why people are so reticent about it. It is kind of a costly thing to bring up. Even as an academic, I have to be really thoughtful about how I’m framing things.”
To Saha, the solution isn’t to keep meat out of political conversation; it’s to talk about it differently and focus on building consensus. Rather than avoid the issue or pretend like it doesn’t have to be political, she thinks the meat-reduction movement would benefit from messaging supported by a broader coalition, including religious leaders, hunters, and even ranchers who oppose factory farming.
“If we had put more thought into how it could be communicated well to people ahead of time we might not be in this position,” Saha said. “It feels like it was sprung on people.”
Saha advises against “quiet meat politics,” an idea articulated in a piece published in 2021 by the Breakthrough Institute, an environmental research center in Berkeley, California. The author of the article, a researcher named Alex Smith, argued for an approach that “avoids political partisanship and culture warring in favor of creating a technological and infrastructural environment that can achieve long-term sustainable change.”
Smith wrote that plant-based burgers, like those made by Impossible Foods and Beyond Meat, have a lot of potential to replace animal products, and he predicted that more people would shift their diets if those alternatives — as well as “more futuristic” lab-grown meat — got cheaper.
Today, Smith is less optimistic. He told Grist he’s “wary of the possibility” that plant-based meat will ever meaningfully displace poultry and beef, and he noted that “we’re still so far from actually knowing the scalability, the actual potential of cultivated meat.” In his view, efforts to lower greenhouse gas emissions from farming can’t only focus on replacing beef. They have to include improving animal agriculture, like developing feed additives that reduce methane. Smith pushed back against the idea that making meat more central in our politics would convince people to eat less of it.
“There’s pleasure involved. There’s culture involved,” Smith said. “I’m relatively skeptical of the idea that we can divert people and push them ideologically, culturally talking-wise towards anything other than that.”
Saha’s paper offers some evidence for a different perspective. To her surprise, she found that voters were more receptive to a theoretical candidate who talked about animal rights than one who talked about the environmental costs of meat eating. That might signal that meat itself isn’t as divisive as some think. Perhaps it’s made more partisan through its connection to another polarizing issue: climate change.
What are we looking forward to most in 2024? It has to be the chance to try all the new animal-friendly products that will be hitting store shelves. Companies are always experimenting with new ways to make flavorsome new vegan foods that are free of meat, eggs, dairy, and honey. These items will help spare the lives of countless cows, chickens, fish, bees, and other animals—all of whom deserve our respect.
Here are some of the new vegan food products we’re looking forward to trying in 2024.
For sweet and sour lovers, Better Sour’s better-for-you gummy candies are made without gelatin, which is made from the boiled bones, ligaments, and skin of cows, pigs, or fish.
Everyone’s talking about Climax Foods’ vegan brie, feta, chèvre, and blue cheeses. That’s because the brand is using science to mimic animal-based ingredients like casein, which gives cheese its stretchiness. You can already find Climax Foods’ cheese at several restaurants—including three Michelin–star Atelier Crenn—but it will also be popping up at specialty retailers.
Instead of stealing honey from hardworking bees, we’ll be using Mellody Golden Clover vegan honey, which is as sweet and thick as the stuff that bees make.
Crunchy snacks are always crowd-pleasing, and we can’t wait to bite into these Outstanding Stuffins, available in three flavors: Chedda, Nacho Cheese, and Pizza Partay. All of them are deliciously dairy-free—a choice that helps keep mother cows with their babies.
These hemp- and pumpkin seed–based cheeses are packed with heart-healthy omega-3s and vegan protein and fermented with a blend of vegan lactic bacteria, which gives them a gut-healthy tang. We’re particularly excited to try the Marinated Feta.
This vegan, gluten-free, and flavor-packed snack is great for grabbing on the go and will satisfy your urge to eat instant ramen straight out of the pack.
Oat milk won’t be going anywhere, but we’re always up for trying new nut milks. Atlanta-based brand Treehouse Naturals’ Pecanmilk is creamy, rich, and sold in a chocolate version, too.
We already love WunderEggs’ Plant-Based Hard Boiled eggs. Now the brand is launching vegan egg white patties (which are perfect for breakfast sandwiches) and, for a limited time, Deviled WunderEggs.
In the caviar industry, workers often cut open female sturgeons and remove their eggs from their ovaries while they’re still alive. That’s the real cost of this “luxury” food. Knowing this, Zeroe makes vegan caviar from seaweed for a product that’s kind to animals and the oceans.
TikTok is an amazing place for people to share information, build communities, and promote positive change. We have our own TikTok page for all things PETA, vegan, and animal rights. And there are so many other vegan content creators to discover.
From scrumptious recipes to animal sanctuary stories, here are 14 creators to follow on #VeganTok.
Charlise Rookwood shares mouthwatering recipes and ideas. Check out this breakfast featuring vegan bacon. Intelligent, outgoing, and sensitive pigs spend their entire lives in intense confinement inside cramped, filthy warehouses. When you choose vegan bacon, you refuse to bankroll pigs’ suffering.
I’m at a loss for words …. I couldn’t even do a voiceover! @tfbakonstrips bacon is the WINNER You know I love @justegg waffle this bacon took it too another level! Don’t ask me a million questions about ingredients just follow @thrillingfoods on IG and check em out thank me later Have a blessed Saturday @luthervandross my king Keep pushing against the flow
Dan McKernan, the owner of Barn Sanctuary, has dedicated his life to providing a haven for rescued animals. He has nearly a million followers, and his friendships with animals will warm your heart.
Dan allows us to look behind the scenes and meet some animals he cares for, like Cora and Henry. He also offers interesting facts, such as the natural lifespan of cows—which is 20 years.
Bianca encourages others to be healthy by being vegan. Leading health experts agree that going vegan is the best thing we can do for our families and for ourselves. And vegan eating supports a lifetime of good health and protects against numerous diseases, including some of our country’s biggest killers: heart disease, cancer, and strokes.
What’s for dinner? Brad’s got you covered. This fantastic chef has amassed a staggering 2.7 million followers by turning vegan cooking into an art form. His recipes inspire cooks of all levels to whip up delectable vegan dishes. And he does it all with a gigantic smile.
These charismatic twin sisters don’t just share DNA—they also share a passion for being vegan. Their dynamic content showcases the joys of being kind to animals in style.
One example is their delicious vegan lasagna roll recipe. You help cows when you swap dairy for vegan cheese. To force cows to produce milk, farm operators typically impregnate them using artificial insemination every year. And shortly after birth, farmers separate mother and calf, causing them both distress. So don’t be tricked by “humane” labels.
The best dish for a dinner party Ingredients ⁃ 1 onion ⁃ Lasagna noodles ⁃ 1 cup vegan ricotta ⁃ 3 garlic cloves ⁃ mushrooms diced (as much as you like) ⁃ fresh spinach (as much as you like) ⁃ 1 jar of marinara sauce (half for the bottom half for the top) ⁃ Salt and black pepper to taste Vegan cheese sauce ⁃ 3 cups of any plant based milk ⁃ 3 tbsp nutritional yeast ⁃ 2 tbsp tapioca flour ⁃ 1/2 tsp onion flour ⁃ 1/2 tsp garlic powder
Jonathan Roehm’s witty take on life has earned him a following of 2.6 million. He uses his platform to advocate for animals, like when he showed his viewers the grim reality of glue traps—one of the cruelest methods of killing animals.
A glue trap can ensnare any small animal wandering across or landing on its surface. Animals trapped in the glue panic and struggle as the glue tears off their fur, feathers, or skin. Some break bones or even chew off their limbs as they desperately try to escape.
In the heart of Hawaii, Andrea Hannemann prepares tasty vegan meals for her five children—showing that compassionate meals make for a thriving family. On this page, caretakers can find recipes that kids love.
According to the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, carefully structured vegan meals suit all stages of life, including pregnancy, breastfeeding, infancy, childhood, and adolescence.
Zacchary Bird’s upbeat approach to vegan cooking sets him apart on TikTok. His culinary skills and relationship with PETA showcase his commitment to making vegan living accessible and enjoyable.
Hannah Weseloh’s TikTok profile is a hub for cruelty-free makeup and vegan product reviews. Her focus on ethical beauty and delicious plant-centered cuisine provides valuable content for her followers.
For more cruelty-free products, check out our searchable database of companies that do and don’t test their products on animals. We list over 6,300 companies that don’t test on animals, including grocery store staples like Dove, e.l.f, and Herbal Essences.
ShantayeP (@guesswhosvegan)—Vegan Living Rock Star
Shantaye’s TikTok content revolves around being vegan. Check out her tips on how she stays vegan—which is easy-peasy. Grocery stores are stocked with delicious fruits and vegetables, and they now carry plenty of meatless options, too—including veggie burgers.
Orim’s TikTok account is dedicated to sharing creative vegan recipes. She also gives excellent pointers on nutrition, like when she discussed amino acids in vegan foods.
Dietitians confirm that plant-based foods contain a variety of nutrient profiles, and most vegans get their daily dose of complete proteins without even trying.
Joanne L. Molinaro, known as “The Korean Vegan,” shares traditional Korean recipes with a vegan twist. Her partnership with PETA reflects her dedication to advocating for animals and promoting compassionate cuisine.
Laura Clery is a down-to-earth, talented comedian and vegan TikTok star. Her collaborations with PETA demonstrate her dedication to spreading awareness about the benefits of vegan living.
With a heart as big as her following, Lexi Griswold stands out as a vegan to follow. Her platform spreads the word about vegan goods, making it easier for viewers to ditch animal-derived products.
An example is her video exposing gelatin, which is made from boiling skin, tendons, cartilage, ligaments, or bones—typically taken from cows, pigs, or fish—in water.
We’d love to connect with you on all our social platforms. We often follow up with comments that link to our free vegan starter kits or other resources to help people make personal changes that spare animals.
The holiday season just wouldn’t be complete without freshly baked cookies. Not only are vegan cookies free of saturated animal fat and cholesterol, they also spare animals immense suffering. For milk and butter, calves are torn away from their mothers shortly after birth, and in the egg industry, parts of chickens’ beaks are cut off with a hot blade when they’re just a few days old. Playful cows and intelligent chickens deserve respect, which is why we’re highlighting some of our favorite vegan holiday cookies from establishments serving animal-friendly baked goods.
In no particular order, here are PETA’s picks for the best vegan holiday cookies of 2023:
1800 N.E. Alberta St., Portland, OR 97211 (with other locations in San Diego and Seattle)
Can’t decide if you love chocolate or vanilla more? These oversized black-and-white cookies are the perfect compromise. Ben & Esther’s also makes Hanukkah cookies, available at all locations.
Bake Me Vegan owner Courtney Jakubowski is a home baker who offers pickup in the Jackson Hole/Wilson area. She makes six varieties of delicious egg- and dairy-free cookies, and this Chocolate Raspberry flavor has received rave reviews for its perfect crunchy-gooey bite.
Lovers of unique flavor combinations are flocking to Like Mom’s Only Vegan for its Ginger Pine-Apricot cookies, which feature freshly grated ginger, dried pineapple, and apricot. They can even be made gluten-free! Find these goodies at Findlay Market in Cincinnati, or order them for delivery online.
Sweet Maresa’s is a vegan bakery making animal-friendly cookies, cakes, macarons, and more. Its Marzipan Cookie is a chewy sugar crinkle cookie with a crisp edge and a sweet almond flavor—we can’t get enough. The bakery also ships its cookies nationwide, so you can enjoy these treats wherever you live.
Orange & Blossom Modern Patisserie is an elevated vegan pastry shop located in Northeast Portland with menu items inspired by local flavors. Its Matcha Sugar Cookie is made with matcha from local brand Mizuba Tea Co. and flour from Oregon-based Camas Country Mill.
Oatmeal Raisin Cream Pie Cookie Sandwich from Celebrated
5 Stilson Rd., Richmond, RI 02898
Whether you prefer local pickup or online shipping, everyone in the U.S. can enjoy Celebrated’s take on the nostalgic Oatmeal Raisin Cream Pie Cookie Sandwich, filled with a maple buttercream frosting and free of any ingredients that harm cows or chickens.
Everything is made to order from scratch at Gingersnap Vegan Bakery, including its soft, classic peanut butter cookies. Pick up a dozen, or mix and match flavors to sample a variety.
Salted Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie from Spacecat V-stro
255 W. Nine Mile Rd., Ferndale, MI 48220
This twist on the classic chocolate chip cookie features browned vegan butter and a salty-sweet burst of flavor. Enjoy one after a tasty vegan meal at Spacecat V-stro.
Based in Jacksonville, Florida, but travels across the U.S.
These aren’t your typical snickerdoodle cookies—they’re stuffed with a decadent brown sugar cinnamon buttercream filling. Check out Top Drawer Sweets on Instagram to see where it will pop up next, or order online for nationwide shipping.
Without further ado, here are PETA’s predictions for 2024’s top vegan food trends:
Veggie Focused and Futuristic Vegan Meats
We think the vegan meat market will expand in two directions: products made with whole-foods ingredients (such as beans, mushrooms, and nuts) and cultivated meat, which is real animal flesh produced without breeding and killing billions of animals. Actual Veggies’ vegetable-forward burgers and Wild Earth’s animal-free food for dogs are just two examples. Either way, we’re excited to see what’s to come.
We predicted this one back in 2022, and we think the fish-friendly seafood boom will still be going strong in 2024. While we’ll always love tried-and-true products like Gardein’s crabless Mini Cr’b Cakes, we’re also looking forward to trying new products like Seed to Surf’s tinned “snow crab” made with enoki mushrooms and “whitefish” made with smoked celeriac root.
Artificial intelligence (AI) was all the rage in 2023, and more vegan food brands are sure to put this technology to work next year. Vegan brand NotCo already uses an AI chef, Giuseppe, to develop products with the taste and texture of animal-based foods without using animals at all, while Climax Foods is using machine learning to develop a plant casein to make vegan cheese that stretches, melts, and browns just like cheese made with cow’s milk.
The “quiet luxury” trend is mainly associated with fashion, but we’ll be seeing it spill over into the food world, too. What will this look like? It means that people will splurge on the things that really matter: high-quality olive oils, locally made vegan cheeses, and unique items to help elevate the everyday—like this indulgent vegan Pistachio Cream made with Turkish pistachios (which apparently evoke quiet luxury on their own).
From Crossroads Kitchen to Hart House, we’re seeing more celebrities supporting and opening vegan restaurants. Singer Billie Eilish and her brother, producer Finneas O’Connell, announced that they’re opening Argento, a vegan Italian spot, in Los Angeles at the end of 2023. The restaurant is sure to be a hit, and we think more celebs will follow in their footsteps in the new year.
Humans eat a stunning amount of meat every year — some 800 billion pounds of it, enough flesh to fill roughly 28 million dump trucks. Our carnivorous cravings, particularly in industrialized, beef-guzzling countries like the United States, are one reason the planet is warming as fast as it is. Raising animals consumes a lot of land that would otherwise soak up carbon. Cows, sheep, and goats spew heat-trapping methane. And to grow the corn, soy, and other plants that those animals eat, farmers spray fertilizer that emits nitrous oxide, another potent planet-warming gas.
For all those reasons, and many more, activists and scientists have called for people to eat less meat or abstain altogether. At last year’s United Nations climate conference in Egypt, activists chanted slogans like “Let’s be vegan, let’s be free.” At this year’s conference, which starts November 30, world leaders are expected to talk about ways to shift diets toward plant-based foods as a way to lower animal agriculture’s climate pollution, the source of 15 percent of the planet’s greenhouse gas emissions.
Cutting out meat can be an effective tool: The average vegan diet is linked to about one-quarter the greenhouse gas emissions of a meat-intensive one, according to a paper published in Nature in July.
But what would happen if everyone actually stopped eating meat tomorrow?
“It would have huge consequences — a lot of them probably not anticipated,” said Keith Wiebe, a senior research fellow at the International Food Policy Research Institute.
Such a quick shift probably wouldn’t cause the sort of turmoil that would come if the planet immediately ditched fossil fuels. But still, the upshot could be tumultuous, upending economies, leaving people jobless, and threatening food security in places that don’t have many nutritious alternatives.
Livestock accounts for about 40 percent of agricultural production in rich countries and 20 percent in low-income countries, and it’s vital — economically and nutritionally — to the lives of 1.3 billion people across the world, according to the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization. One-third of the protein and nearly one-fifth of the calories that people eat around the world come from animals.
Researchers say the economic damage caused by the sudden disappearance of meat would fall disproportionately on low-income countries with agrarian economies, like Niger or Kenya, where farming and raising livestock are critical sources of income. Niger’s livestock industry makes up about 13 percent of the country’s gross domestic product; in the U.S., the entire agricultural system accounts for only around 5 percent.
Niger is home to 4 million livestock breeders, according to the World Bank. Issouf Sanogo / AFP via Getty Images
It’s tough to predict exactly what the economic shock would look like on a global level. There has been “relatively little” research on how phasing out meat would affect employment around the world, Wiebe said. “It’s an issue that deserves a lot more attention.”
Millions of people would lose jobs, but demand for other sources of calories and protein might rise and offset some of those losses. Some workers might be drawn into agriculture to grow more crops like legumes. That shift in labor, some researchers hypothesize, could slow economic growth by pulling people out of more profitable industries.
Still, the effects would vary across cultures, economies, and political systems, and they aren’t as clear-cut as, say, the amount of methane that would be saved if cows ceased to exist. “It depends on the species of livestock. It depends on the geographic location,” said Jan Dutkiewicz, a political economist at the Pratt Institute, in New York City. “It’s very difficult, if not impossible, to talk in universal terms about addressing those kinds of things.”
It’s easier to talk in broad terms about another challenge with getting rid of meat: nutrition. Eliminating livestock overnight would deprive many people of essential nutrients, especially in regions like South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa, where meat comprises a small but crucial sliver of the average person’s starch-heavy diet. Animal-based foods are high in vitamin B12, vitamin A, calcium, and iron. That’s why researchers say preserving access to meat, milk, and eggs is key to keeping people healthy in low- and middle-income countries right now, where nutritious plant-based options are harder to come by.
And then there’s the issue of cultural damage. Taking away meat, according to Wilson Warren, a history professor at Western Michigan University, would do more than just deprive Americans of hot dogs and hamburgers and Italians of salami.
“Historically, the way that most people understood animals was through farming and having close contact with their livestock,” said Warren, who’s also the author of Meat Makes People Powerful, a book about the global history of meat. “You get rid of that sort of close connection, [and] I envision people in some ways being even less environmentally in touch.” (Warren grapples with this idea in a self-published novel called Animeat’s End about a future world in which eating meat is a serious crime.)
Many researchers agree that phasing out meat entirely, let alone immediately, isn’t an ideal solution to the climate crisis. It would be plenty, they say, to reduce consumption methodically and to focus on the countries that eat the most, particularly wealthy ones like the United States that have no shortage of alternatives.
It might be easier for the average American, who eats about 220 pounds of red meat and poultry each year, to trade a daily hamburger for a bowl of lentils than for someone in rural sub-Saharan Africa, who eats 10 times less meat, to give up the occasional goat or beef stew for something less nutritious. Such a shift in beef-loving countries also might reduce heart disease and cancer linked to eating a lot of red and processed meat.
Dutkiewicz suggested using guidelines established by the EAT-Lancet Commission, an international group of scientists who have designed a diet intended to give people the nutrients they need without destroying the planet. It consists of roughly 35 pounds of meat per year. Adopting that diet would require a drastic reduction of cows and chickens in countries like the United States, Australia, China, Brazil, and Argentina, and a slight increase in parts of Africa and South Asia.
Gradually replacing meat with plants could have immense benefits for the planet. “It would be a huge net win for the environment,” Dutkiewicz said. By one estimate, a complete phaseout of meat over 15 years would cut as much as one-third of all methane emissions and two-thirds of all nitrous oxide emissions. Water use would fall drastically. Biodiversity loss would slow. Animal welfare advocates would be happy to see fewer animals packed into tight pens wallowing in their own poop awaiting slaughter. And there would be ample opportunity to rewild abandoned rangelands and pastures at a scale that would sequester a whole lot of carbon — as much as 550 gigatons, enough to give us a pretty good shot at keeping warming below catastrophic levels.
Given the complexities and pitfalls of a complete phaseout, researchers and advocates have pointed instead to a more modest goal: cutting meat production in half. Replacing it with plant-based alternatives would lower agricultural emissions 31 percent by 2050, a recent study found.
“It doesn’t have to be an all-or-nothing approach,” Raychel Santo, a food and climate researcher at the World Resources Institute, said in an email.
The solution, in other words, lies somewhere between culling cows in Niger and gorging ourselves on factory-farmed flesh.
Kitchen Arts & Letters, a legendary cookbook store on Manhattan’s Upper East Side, is tiny — just 750 square feet — but not an inch of space is wasted. With roughly 12,000 different cookbooks and a staff of former chefs and food academics, it’s the land of plenty for those seeking guidance beyond the typical weekday recipe.
One table is piled high with new cookbooks about ramen, eggs, and the many uses of whey, the overflow stacked in leaning towers above the shelves along the walls. One bookcase is packed with nothing but titles about fish. And next to a robust vegetarian section at the back of the store, tucked in a corner, is a minuscule collection of cookbooks about sustainability and climate change.
Natalie Stroud, a sales associate at Kitchen Arts & Letters, pointed me to the five titles featured there. “It’s hard,” she said, “because there aren’t many. But it’s something we’re trying to build out as it becomes more popular.”
The sustainable cookbook section at Kitchen Arts & Letters in New York. Caroline Saunders
One of the cookbooks is Eating for Pleasure, People, and Planetby British chef Tom Hunt. I flip to a recipe titled “a rutabaga pretending to be ham” (with cross-hatching that would make a honey-baked ham blush) and a Dan Barber-inspired “rotation risotto” starring a dealer’s choice of sustainably grown grains. Next to it is Perfectly Good Food: A Totally Achievable Zero Waste Approach to Home Cooking by restaurateur sisters Margaret and Irene Li, full of mad-lib recipes for wilting ingredients like “an endlessly riffable fruit crisp” and a saag paneer that grants ingredients like carrot tops a compost-bin pardon.
Climate cookbooks seem to be picking up speed in parallel to a trend toward sustainable eating. In 2016, the term “climatarian” entered the Cambridge Dictionary — referring to a person who bases their diet on the lowest possible carbon footprint. In 2020, a survey by the global market research company YouGov found that 1 in 5 U.S. millennials had changed their diets to help the climate. If you consider a climate cookbook to be one that was written, at least in part, to address the dietary changes necessitated by the climate crisis, you can see a whisper of a subgenre beginning to emerge. At least a dozen have been published since 2020.
These cookbooks might play an important role in the transition to sustainable diets. It’s one thing — and certainly a useful thing — for scientists and international organizations to tell people how diets need to change to mitigate and adapt to the climate crisis. It’s another to bring the culinary path forward to life in actual dishes and ingredients. And recipe developers and cookbook authors, whose whole shtick is knowing what will feel doable and inspiring in the glow of the refrigerator light, might be the ones to do it.
A photo of me chopping onions and garlic for the “Anything-in-the-Kitchen Pasta” from the cookbook “Perfectly Good Food.” Haley Saunders
I’ve been thinking about this handoff from science communicators to the culinary crowd for a while. I worked at Grist until I went to Le Cordon Bleu Paris to learn how to make sustainable desserts. (Climate cuisine is dead on arrival without good cake.) Now a recipe tester and Substacker with my own dream of a one-day cookbook, I find myself wondering what this early wave of climate cookbooks is serving for dinner.
What does climate cooking mean? And willthese cookbooks have any impact on the way average people cook and eat? The emerging genre of climate cookbooks puts a big idea on the menu: that there won’t be one way to eat sustainably in a warming world, but many — à la carte style.
Mia Torres / Grist
Cookbooks about sustainable ways of eating are nothing new, even if they haven’t used the climate label. M.F.K. Fisher’s World War II-era book How to Cook a Wolf found beauty in cooking what you have and wasting nothing. The comforting recipes in the Moosewood Cookbook helped American vegetarianism unfurl its wings in the 1970s. Eating locally and seasonally is familiar, too. Edna Lewis spread it out on a Virginia table in The Taste of Country Cooking, and Alice Waters turned it into a prix fixe menu and various cookbooks at her Berkeley restaurant Chez Panisse.
But until recently, if you wanted to read about food and climate change, you had to turn to the nonfiction shelves. Books like The Fate of Food by Amanda Little (for which I was a research intern) and The Omnivore’s Dilemma by Michael Pollan swirl the two topics together as smoothly as chocolate and vanilla soft serve, albeit through a journalistic rather than culinary lens. The way we eat is both a driver of climate change — the food system accounts for a third of global greenhouse gas emissions — and an accessible solution. Unlike energy or transportation or the gruel that is national politics, our diets are a problem with solutions as close as the ends of our forks.
It seems only natural that consideration for the climate would eventually waft into recipe writing and cookbooks. In 2019, NYT Cooking created a collection of climate-friendly recipes, albeit a sparse one by their standards, focused on meat alternatives, sustainable seafood, and vegan dishes. In 2021, Epicurious announced it would stop publishing new recipes containing beef, which is about 40 times more carbon-intensive than beans. In parallel, climate cookbooks have begun to proliferate, and so far, they’re offering varied entry points to sustainable eating.
A few recent food waste cookbooks want home cooks to know one thing: that simply using all our food is an undersung climate solution — one often overshadowed by red meat’s gaudier climate villainy. The research organization Project Drawdown lists reducing food waste as the climate solution that could cut the most emissions (closely followed by adopting plant-rich diets), a fact that caught Margaret Li’s attention when she and her sister Irene were writing Perfectly Good Food.
Other cookbooks take a different approach, offering home cooks a fully developed set of what we might call climate cooking principles.
When chef Tom Hunt wrote his 2020 cookbook Eating for Pleasure, People, and Planet, his goal was “to cover food sustainability in its entirety.” It opens with his “root-to-fruit manifesto,” which he translated from an academic book for a home cook audience and boiled down to a few ideas: plant-based, low-waste, and climate cuisine. By “climate cuisine” he means using local and seasonal ingredients, sourcing from labor- and land-conscious vendors (consider the cover crop, would you, in your next risotto?), and eating a rainbow of biodiverse foods.
Eating seasonally and locally are sometimes dismissed from the climate conversation because they don’t save much carbon, according to experts. But some argue that seasonal food tastes better and can help eaters steer away from climate red flags. Skipping out-of-season produce avoids food grown in energy-sucking greenhouses and stuff that’s flown in by plane, like delicate berries. (Air travel is the only mode of transport that makes food miles a big deal.) And local food comes with an oft-forgotten green flag: Buying from nearby farms strengthens regional food economies, which makes the food system more resilient to climate events and other shocks.
Hunt also makes the case for putting biodiversity on the plate. “Biodiversity has always felt like one of the key elements of this whole situation that we’re in,” he said. Today, nearly half of all the calories people eat around the world come from just three plants: wheat, rice, and maize. “That kind of monoculture is very fragile,” he explained. “People often don’t realize that our food is linked to biodiversity, and the diversity of the food that we eat can support biodiversity in general.”
A use-what-you-have citrus cake I recently made, from the cookbook “Perfectly Good Food.” Caroline Saunders
Biodiversity is also a through line in For People and Planet — a collaboration between the United Nations and the nonprofit Kitchen Connection Alliance with recipes contributed by star chefs, Indigenous home cooks, and farmers. (We’ll call it the U.N. cookbook, since these titles otherwise threaten to blend into an alliterative purée). Its recipes are a global tour of plant-forward culinary biodiversity, like a West African moringa pesto pasta and banana-millet croquettes rolled in puffed amaranth that looks like teensy popcorn.
Published last year, the cookbook is divided into five big ideas: biodiversity, food and climate change, reducing food waste, sustainable consumption, and the food system. The topics came from a U.N. food systems summit, said Earlene Cruz, who is the founder and director of Kitchen Connection Alliance and who compiled the cookbook. They were the ones that “consumers needed more information on, but could also be contributors to in a positive way.”
The chapters on sustainable consumption and the food system argue that a sustainable eating philosophy isn’t complete without consideration of — among other things — resilience and nutrition. What does that mean in dinner form? In Nunavut, Canada, it might mean choosing grilled Arctic char, because it’s part of a nutritionally and culturally important Inuit fishing economy. (Folks in other parts should source it carefully, since seafood is environmentally complicated.) Among the Maasai Indigenous community in Kenya, it might mean serving enkum, a starchy side dish that uses low-cost veggies, since frequent droughts and social unrest make food prices high. The chapters stress communities’ ability to feed themselves healthily, on their own terms, regardless of what climate disruptions may come or what industrial food supply chains may peddle.
The U.N. cookbook raises an important idea: that there won’t be one sustainable diet around the world, but many. Still, the mix of considerations it tosses into the pan — water scarcity, nutrition, food sovereignty, biodiversity, pollution — might leave home cooks slightly overwhelmed. You might shut the book, stomach rumbling, and wonder: OK, well, what should I make for dinner if I care about people and the planet?
Mia Torres / Grist
Coming up with recipes for the planet’s well-being involves a number of considerations. How do you come up with a climate cooking philosophy that’s scientifically rigorous and approachable? What do you do about regionality — the fact that some things, like tomatoes, can be grown sustainably in one part of the world, but might require a greenhouse to grow elsewhere? And how do you handle the climate-offender-in-chief — meat?
Most of the climate cookbook authors mentioned above allow for diets that include animal products. They generally don’t want to turn off omnivores, but the overtures they make to meat-eating vary. Hunt’s cookbook Eating for Pleasure, People, and Planet is plant-based, but he includes advice on sourcing meat and fish sustainably for those who do indulge. The U.N. cookbook opted to include some meat recipes, like a South African beef dish called bobotie that could counter childhood malnutrition. Cruz, who compiled the cookbook, is vegetarian; she just doesn’t like the taste of meat. But, she explains, “if I’m putting my personal views aside, some cultures do need to eat meat to sustain themselves.”
Bobotie is a homey dish of curried, spiced meat and fruit topped with an egg custard. Getty Images
More complicated is picking an ingredient list that will be sustainable for everyone who might use the cookbook, regardless of geography, culture, or socioeconomic status. Amy Trubek, a professor in the department of nutrition and food sciences at the University of Vermont, thinks this is one of the biggest challenges climate cookbook authors will face.
“The glossy cookbook genre now, it’s a hard situation in a way,” she said, “because they’re supposed to be pitching it to any middle- or upper-middle-class consumer anywhere in the United States, and they could be living in a penthouse apartment in Chicago, or they could be living in a ranch in New Mexico. So how do you teach about [sustainable eating] without thinking about specificity and regionality?”
Cookbook authors have a few options. They could write a regionally specific cookbook, or a mass-market one starring ingredients that grow sustainably in lots of places (as One did). Or they could write a cookbook that samples vast biodiversity at some cost to sourceability — that’s the approach the U.N. cookbook took.
“There are many cookbooks that could … have 90 percent of the recipes be part of your staple at home,” Cruz said. “But that serves a different purpose.” The U.N. cookbook is instead “almost a launching point into everyone’s own culinary exploration and everyone’s own culinary journey.”
That exploratory emphasis — embodied not just in the recipes but in accompanying carbon and nutrition calculations and in principles that offer starting points rather than answers — puts it at one end of the spectrum in the balance these authors strike between nuance and approachability, science and art. As Cruz put it, “What we wanted to create was sort of a textbook in disguise.”
A meringue recipe from “Eating for Pleasure, People, and Planet” that stars whipped aquafaba — chickpea water — an ingredient that usually gets dumped down the drain.Caroline Saunders
The recipe helps prevent food waste, and introduces readers to a plant-based substitute for egg whites.Caroline Saunders
One, on the other hand, was always meant to make people pull out a cutting board. Jones includes no small measure of environmental nuance — she tucks articles on issues like soil health and ethical sourcing between her recipe chapters — but her recipes themselves don’t ask the cook to do anything other than make weeknight meals with supermarket ingredients. “I could have foraged for sea buckthorn and written a chapter on sea asparagus,” she laughs, “and I would love for everyone to be foraging. But that’s not the reality … I wanted to write a sustainable cookbook, but I also wanted to write a cookbook filled with recipes people could make.”
No matter the topic, writing a cookbook is a big undertaking. Authors develop 100 or more recipes, typically handing them off to recipe testers in batches to poke, prod, and polish to infallibility. And while roughly 20 million cookbooks are sold in the U.S. each year, the field is ever more crowded, so it’s harder to stand out.
For now, the climate cookbooks shelf is still tiny, and it’s hard to know which ones readers might be most tempted to pick up — let alone which, if any, might actually create meaningful shifts in what and how we eat.
“People buy cookbooks for myriad reasons,” wrote Matt Sartwell, the managing partner of Kitchen Arts & Letters, in an email to Grist. “But if there is anything that people will pay for — recipes and information being free and abundant on the internet — it’s a clear point of view and the promise that an author has given a subject very serious thought.”
One: Pot, Pan, Planet is Jones’ best-selling cookbook to date, despite the fact that leaning into sustainability “felt like a bit of a risk,” she said.
She has a hunch about why it’s been popular. “People want to try and make a difference,” she said. “I think it felt comforting for people to have a book full of recipes that it felt OK to eat.”
Are you curious what type of recipes vegans make for the holidays? We asked PETA staffers to share some of their favorite holiday recipes, from tofu “turkey” to rich, chocolaty pie. These are dishes that have been tested and shared with family and friends at celebrations over the years, so you know they’re going to be delicious and satisfying—and they’re animal-friendly, too.
Here are some of the vegan holiday recipes loved by PETA staffers:
Kristin Dunn, senior director of individual giving
“This 1-Hour Vegan Shepherd’s Pie from Minimalist Baker has been my Thanksgiving MVP for the past eight years. It’s the perfect vegan holiday entrée that everyone can enjoy. It’s easy to make, hearty, delicious, and a real crowd-pleaser. Plus, it travels well and the leftovers are delish!”
“This is one of my mother’s desserts that she learned to veganize after her daughter stopped eating anything stolen from an animal. She was a wonderful cook who made delicious puddings, trifles, blancmanges, rum cakes, jams, and tarts and who always dreamed of opening a tea shop. At the PETA office, whenever a parcel arrived containing almond tarts, there was a mad dash to score one. I miss her and her culinary creations.”
“This chocolate pie topped with peanut butter caramel and candied pecans looks gorgeous and impressive but is surprisingly easy to put together. What does ‘Smlove’ mean? I have no idea, but you should definitely make this anyway.”
“When meeting my boyfriend’s parents for the first time a few years ago, I chose to be daring by including this soup on my ‘ThanksVegan’ menu despite never having made it before. Luckily for me, this recipe is as tasty as it is simple to make and was a triumph at our gathering. It has been a beloved staple on my holiday menu ever since.”
Sarah McCluskey, senior manager of e-mail marketing
“This is great to eat with chips but also super-tasty on top of Tofurky, toast, or mashed potatoes—it’s just packed with flavor! I’ll usually pull from this recipe and then add more jalapeños and green onions and a little less sugar than what’s called for.”
Chelsea Swinford-Johantges, membership communications special project manager
“I’ll always remember that the first Thanksgiving I made this roast, a girl I had a crush on came over for Black Friday shopping the next day and ate all my leftovers. I was just a baby vegan at the time, and it was the first time I experienced the bittersweet joy of seeing someone else choose the vegan option at the expense of getting a meal myself. Also pictured below is a squash dish from Oh She Glows, which has been a staple at family Thanksgivings and Christmases since 2012.”
“This has been my go-to ‘ThanksVegan’ recipe for a few years now. It’s a big hit with not only my boyfriend and me (we’re both vegan) but also the rest of my family (who are omnivores). This Wellington uses wonderful ingredients and packs a hearty, flavor-filled punch.”
“My partner and I make this baked mac and cheese every ‘ThanksVegan.’ We searched for a while to find a mac and cheese that reminded him of his mom’s recipe. It’s the highlight of our holiday.”
“This dessert was one of my fave things to eat during the holidays growing up. Of course, that was until I realized what marshmallows were made of—yuck—and who the dairy used for whipped cream was stolen from. I now make this vegan version every year for my family, and it tastes the same but without the cruelty. It has such a unique texture and flavor. Everyone always asks for seconds. It’s called Watergate salad, but my fam has always just called it “green fluff.”
Maria B. Sanchez, English-Spanish translator, PETA Latino
“I’m from Venezuela, where hallacas are the main vegan holiday dish. They’re challenging to prepare since they involve many steps. My grandmother used to make them for everyone and distribute them per family. (She made more than 100.) Since the day I was born, I never liked meat, so she always made vegan ones for me. My grandmother died in 2018, and I decided to try making them here in Houston with a vegan recipe I had found and liked. I don’t make as many hallacas as my grandmother did, but my husband, my daughters, and I have made about 25 of them every year since then.”
Cecilia Mabilais-Estevez, special projects generalist
“This cashew-free mac and cheese is so delicious and easy to make and has very few ingredients. I made it for my family recently, and everyone loved it. Later on, my sister made it for a block party and it was also a hit.”
“I love pecan pie and especially love this recipe because it’s relatively healthy for a pie and uses minimal ingredients. Even my partner loves this recipe. (He doesn’t typically like desserts, if you can imagine that!) If he loves it, I’m sure just about everyone else will.”
Kaitlyn Bodner, senior manager of membership services
“I love the Vegan Pumpkin Mac ‘n Cheeze Sauce from Oh She Glows. It’s a quick, easy, and crowd-pleasing recipe. There are no nuts or blending involved, and you get to skip the roux because the flour and milk are whisked together before they’re added to the pot. If you have a can of pumpkin and nutritional yeast (aka “nooch”), you’re already halfway there. I like to add minced garlic and onion and Field Roast Smoked Apple & Sage sausage and top with vegan parmesan and fried sage.”
Sam Garner, digital experience design senior manager
“This is my famous vegan sugar cookie recipe with royal icing made with aquafaba (the juice from a can of chickpeas). I’ve shared it with so many people over the years and have used it to make cookies for every occasion. Every Thanksgiving, I make Krampus cookies, and in 2020, I used this recipe to make 10-year PETAversary cookies for myself.”
Whatever meals you decide to make during the holiday season, be sure to plan your menu with animals in mind. Turkeys, cows, chickens, pigs, and other animals suffer in order for the meat, egg, and dairy industries to produce broth, butter, and other items that are used during the holidays and beyond. These animals aren’t so different from the cats and dogs we lovingly share our homes and lives with. It’s speciesist to act as though only certain animals experience pain and fear.
Celebrate peace and compassion this “ThanksVegan,” Christmas, Hanukkah, and Kwanzaa by going vegan. Start by ordering your free vegan starter kit today:
The workers had spent the morning of November 8, 2021, clipping, trussing, and trellising hundreds of thousands of tomato plants that twisted almost four stories into the air. They were inside one of the world’s largest high-tech greenhouses, which sits on more than 60 acres of a former cattle field in Morehead, Kentucky.
As one of the greenhouse workers, who I’ll call Nora, sat down for lunch in the worker canteen, she heard her colleagues whisper about their new task for the day. U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell would be visiting that afternoon to give a speech praising the greenhouse company, AppHarvest. Before he arrived, management had to make sure their Spanish-speaking colleagues disappeared.
“We had very little time,” recalled Nora, whose real name is being withheld because she is subject to a nondisclosure agreement. “We had to get them off the premises and away before he got there.”
Nora watched her coworkers get dismissed, grab their stuff, and leave on white buses bound for a trio of small motels where the largely Mexican contract workers lived four or five to a room. When McConnell arrived, Nora joined her remaining, mostly-white colleagues on the sunny lawn. Their clean T-shirts advertised AppHarvest’s name and logo, intended to invoke both the Appalachian region where they worked and the iconic branding of Apple — Silicon Valley by way of the Middle American upstart.
“We all know the decline of the coal industry only got worse, and so this [AppHarvest] gives us hope,” the senator said, praising the local labor force encircling him. “You are the real leaders, I think, in beginning to fully develop all of Kentucky’s potential.”
It was a familiar message, one that had been touted over and over in nationally televised interviews, public filings, and company reports by AppHarvest’s then-CEO, a Kentucky native and entrepreneur named Jonathan Webb. In 2018, the 32-year-old Webb returned home with the promise of building a dozen high-tech, hydroponic indoor farms across Eastern Kentucky and the surrounding region, growing tomatoes, cucumbers, berries, and lettuce. Not only would he be piloting an advanced form of climate-resilient agriculture, he would also be generating gainful, blue-collar employment in some of the country’s most economically-distressed counties, where he argued that the coal industry’s downfall left a void that could be filled by sustainable industry.
Workers would start at $13 an hour, with hefty productivity bonuses and a track to internal promotions. Then there were the perks: 100 percent employer-paid health insurance premiums for both employees and their families, monthly boxes of farm-fresh produce, and stock options once the company went public. In a region terrorized by the opioid epidemic, AppHarvest also offered jobs to formerly incarcerated people in recovery from addiction.
Webb’s worker-centric pitch raised over $700 million for AppHarvest to get off the ground and catapulted him into the national spotlight, with largely glowing coverage from The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, CNN, and Forbes. It also convinced a number of big names to join the company’s board: Martha Stewart, activist investor Jeffrey Ubben, former Impossible Foods CFO David Lee, and J.D. Vance, the venture capitalist and Hillbilly Elegy author who would later win election to a U.S. Senate seat in Ohio with a Trump-inspired, anti-immigrant message.
McConnell’s speech in Morehead highlighted another major theme in AppHarvest’s advertising: replacing what Webb has called “dirty” agricultural imports from Mexico with safe, nutritious berries, lettuce, and tomatoes from central Appalachia.
Lettuce grows in AppHarvests’s Berea greenhouse.
Courtesy of AppHarvest
Lettuce grows in AppHarvest’s greenhouse in Berea, Kentucky. Courtesy of AppHarvest
Lettuce grows in AppHarvests’s Berea greenhouse.
Courtesy of AppHarvest
“I like the idea of taking the tomato market away from the Mexicans,” McConnell said that afternoon, according to an employee’s video recording of the event. Some workers looked around in surprise. Others seated behind McConnell rocked nervously in chairs, trying to catch the eyes of friends on the lawn. Applause can be heard in the recording, but at least one employee booed. The moment felt rigid and frail, like a ship just beginning to sink below the sea.
“No wonder they sent the f—ing contractors [home],” one worker said, turning to a coworker off-camera.
The discontent that day wasn’t just about optics, or fairness to the contract workers. It was the culmination of a year of frustration with a company that had promised to deliver both Grade A tomatoes and fulfilling rural employment but was falling dramatically short on both counts. Even as Senator McConnell sang the company’s praises, AppHarvest was already well on its way to a spectacular collapse, the full story of which has never been told until now. The celebrated startup’s demise also highlights the dangers of expanding and relying on high-tech, indoor agricultural schemes that promise shortcuts to making farming more climate-friendly.
A worker in an AppHarvest-branded mask in a greenhouse in Morehead, Kentucky. Courtesy of AppHarvest
A year earlier, Nora had seen a billboard for AppHarvest on a state highway. She was hired after hearing a version of the company’s pitch that promised a strict 40-hour week and the opportunity to advance — something she had rarely found in the service jobs she’d worked since graduating high school. The promise was quickly broken: She was almost immediately told she needed to start working weekend overtime or her job would be in jeopardy. She found that her training in tomato caretaking — planting, pruning, harvesting — left much to be desired, and she and other workers were often confused over their job duties and requirements.
By summer, the greenhouse began reaching dangerously high indoor temperatures, and Nora watched coworkers struggle with dehydration and heat exhaustion. Turnover spiked. Nora developed asthma and anxiety, but she stayed the course.
That same summer, the company told investors that low productivity and high turnover at its Morehead greenhouse had led to a $32 million net loss. Stockholders then filed the first of five lawsuits alleging securities fraud, noting that AppHarvest’s own leadership had repeatedly cited “employee training, turnover, and poor work ethic” as the root causes of the company’s failure to reach profitability.
An AppHarvest employee walks between rows of tomatoes in the company’s Morehead greenhouse. Courtesy of AppHarvest
As workers soldiered on over the next two years, AppHarvest’s financial position continued to decline. This summer, lenders started demanding repayment of$182 million. Soon after, Webb was out as CEO, and AppHarvest declared Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Bankruptcy filings show that the company owes over $1.4 million to at least three agricultural work placement agencies that help farms fill temporary agricultural jobs with foreign nationals. In September, Webb was fired from the company altogether. All of AppHarvest’s five facilities in Kentucky — two in Morehead, and one each in Berea, Richmond, and Somerset — are now in the hands of new owners. (In response to a detailed list of questions for this story, AppHarvest’s chief legal officer, Gary Broadbent, said that the company has no continuing operations and was not in a position to respond.)
A new investigation from Grist finds that what went on inside the company from its earliest days bore little resemblance to the sustainable, worker-friendly operation that Webb publicly touted. State documents obtained through open records requests, including complaints to Kentucky’s Occupational Safety and Health Committee, as well as interviews with 12 former employees from both the flagship Morehead greenhouse and corporate office, reveal issues widespread across AppHarvest’s operations. They expose how unsafe working conditions, negligible training that failed to prepare workers for their job requirements, and an unprofessional workplace doomed the company nearly from the start.
Editor’s note: Due to fear of legal reprisal from AppHarvest, all but three former employees interviewed for this story — including Nora, whose name is a pseudonym — requested anonymity to speak candidly about their experiences; AppHarvest employees signed nondisclosure agreements upon their hire, which have no termination date in the state of Kentucky.
Lights glow through the exterior of AppHarvest’s Somerset greenhouse. Courtesy of AppHarvest
Inside the Morehead greenhouse, the heat index could spike to 155 degrees Fahrenheit, according to worker interviews, leading to dehydration, heat exhaustion, and medical emergencies. The stress of the work environment led to panic attacks, ideation of personal harm, and relapses into addiction. Less than a year after the first seeds had been planted, benefits like employer-paid health insurance ended, company stocks plummeted, harvests failed to yield sufficient Grade A produce, and AppHarvest pivoted from uplifting Appalachia’s blue-collar workforce to bussing in workers from outside the region.
“My whole view of AppHarvest was we were all sold on this beautiful pipe dream,” one corporate worker told Grist. “This is sustainable, this is new, we’re going to make it. It turned out to just be a f—ing nightmare.”
Webb claims a connection to Eastern Kentucky through his ancestors: His great-grandfather died in a coal mining accident in Whitley County, where he says his grandmother grew up on a dirt floor. After graduation from the University of Kentucky’s business school, Webb moved to Washington, D.C., where he worked as a contractor on renewable energy projects under the U.S. Army Office of Energy Initiatives. Then, he read about controlled environment agriculture, or CEA, in a 2017 National Geographic story.
He quickly decided CEA could be as important a climate solution as renewable energy or electric cars — and as good an investment. CEA proponents argue both that farming needs to become less climate-dependent in a warming world and that its land footprint needs to shrink dramatically if the world hopes to preserve biodiversity and carbon sinks like forests. Indoor facilities outfitted with careful climate controls could theoretically accomplish this. For inspiration, Webb looked to the Netherlands, where high-tech greenhouses successfully grow produce for export year-round, on a total acreage that’s only twice the size of Manhattan. Without any prior professional experience in farming, he quit his job and founded AppHarvest the next year.
Jonathan Webb, founder and CEO of AppHarvest, speaks onstage during the Concordia Lexington Summit in April 2022. Jon Cherry / Getty Images for Concordia Summit
Webb was hardly alone in his bullishness on CEA. Congress’ 2018 Farm Bill, which expired earlier this year, expanded support of CEA research and development to mitigate food system risks, creating a federal Office of Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production and distributing over $40 million in grants between 2020 and 2022. Over the last decade, the sustainability argument for CEA has helped the sector raise billions of dollars in private investments for a variety of startups.
Unlike in the Netherlands, where indoor farmers have learned best practices over half a century of trial and error, American startups like AppHarvest have overwhelmingly failed to turn a profit, or even break even. The crux of the problem is that roughly 75 percent of the industry’s costs stem from labor and energy. And while traditional agriculture works because it takes advantage of natural conditions, CEA has to artificially produce optimal growing conditions and power them with electricity. In a world still largely powered by commodified fossil fuels — nearly 70 percent of Kentucky’s grid remains coal-fired — that’s going to be prohibitively expensive in most places.
“It’s the fundamental physics challenge of turning fossil fuel energy into food,” said Bruce Bugbee, a plant scientist at Utah State University.
Even as the U.S. CEA market is predicted to be worth $3 billion by 2024, the high costs of running these facilities have accumulated quickly, leading to a domino of bankruptcies and closures over the last two years. Fifth Season, a Pennsylvania-based indoor farm that raised $35 million to sell salad kits in over 1,200 stores, closed without any warning a year ago, turning off its electricity and leaving its lettuce plants to die. In April, the Florida-based Kalera, which raised $100 million and became the first publicly-listed vertical farm in the U.S., filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Then, in June, even 19-year-old AeroFarms, which had raised hundreds of millions of dollars, filed for bankruptcy, though it claims it will continue some operations while restructuring the business.
“People with billions of dollars became aware of this industry and they think it’s the wave of the future,” said Bugbee, “but it doesn’t mean there’s been a scientific shift. It staggers me how much money they’re putting in.”
Without a viable solution to CEA’s fundamental energy dilemma, AppHarvest took increasingly desperate measures to wring profits out of the problem that has plagued agriculture for as long as humans have been farming: labor.
By the time she turned 30, Ahna Baxter’s life had long been dictated by the demanding hours and low wages of jobs in restaurants and factories. But a temporary gig at a vineyard near her hometown of Frankfort, Kentucky, gave her a glimpse of something different. She learned to press grapes into wine; she grew cucumbers and cantaloupe and admired the sunflowers that waved above her head. For the next few years, she dreamt of starting a small farm of her own.
That dream dried up just before the COVID-19 lockdowns. Baxter had just lost both a friend and family member to suicide, and she became dependent on her prescription Adderall to get through the day and alcohol to sleep at night. She abandoned her fledgling agricultural business, Ahna’s All Naturals, and checked into a 30-day rehab program.
As Baxter got back on her feet after rehab, she found comfort returning from work every day in time to tune into Governor Andy Beshear’s evening updates. The televised talks were like Mister Rogers for adults: a familiar voice for Kentuckians dealing with the confusion, loneliness, and grief brought by the pandemic, not to mention everything else Baxter had just been through.
In the summer of 2020, Beshear announced something that revived Baxter’s hope in a future tied to the land: AppHarvest, a nascent company turning heads with its promise of cutting-edge agritech, was hiring in Eastern Kentucky. The startup was offering the highest wage she’d ever made, opportunities for promotions, and training in agriculture. Baxter immediately went online and applied.
Employee badges hang on a wall near AppHarvest’s West greenhouse on June 14, 2021, in Morehead, Kentucky. Jon Cherry
About a month later, she got a phone call from AppHarvest and met the hiring managers in Morehead. The interview was unlike any she’d had before. Instead of pressing her on why she would be a good fit for the position, AppHarvest seemed to be selling its vision to her. She thought this overt enthusiasm, coupled with a lack of clarity on basic job duties, was odd, but the opportunity was just too good to pass up. She quit her job as a landscape foreman, sold most of her belongings, and moved her RV to a friend’s backyard for her first month of employment before renting a trailer in the Cave Run Mobile Home Park in Morehead during the fall of 2020. After battling addiction, Baxter thought this clean break could help make a better life for herself and her then-16-year-old son, Eli, whom she’d had at 17.
“I sacrificed a lot, but I felt that this was it,” Baxter told me. “I felt like this was the end all be all. This is the company I’m going to be with forever.”
During orientation — a pep rally-style event with loud country music, cheering employees, and team-building games that lasted roughly a week — employees watched the David Attenborough documentary A Life on Our Planet. They learned that while traditional agriculture leaves soils depleted, their work growing produce indoors could save the food system. But the intricacies of working with tomato plants were largely glossed over during orientation, according to worker interviews. While some managers had formerly worked in indoor agriculture, most workers were new to the industry. Nora, who applied around the same time as Baxter after seeing an AppHarvest billboard go up in Morehead, recalled her husband was suspicious.
“He thought it was a bad idea from the get go,” said Nora. “I fed him the same lines they fed me: It’s a start up, it takes time working out the kinks.” Her husband replied that AppHarvest was either the greatest job ever, or it was going to be the greatest con.
But the company culture was contagious. When Nora and Baxter finally started working as clippers — attaching tomato vines to plastic hooks that hung from the ceiling — they were so excited that they often skipped between the rows of plants. Nora told herself she was making a difference.
An employee gestures among the rows of tomato plants and yellow adhesive bands, used to catch flying insects, in AppHarvest’s West greenhouse on June 14, 2021. Jon Cherry
Then, within weeks of the Morehead greenhouse opening in November of 2020, Nora and her colleagues were told they needed to work overtime.
“Ten minutes before the end of the shift they’d come over and say, ‘Due to a lack of attendance we’re doing work continuance until it’s done,’” Nora remembered. “So either you stay and work, or lose your job. You’d be so worn out and overheated and dehydrated you’d do anything they’d want you to do.”
An internal memo circulated to all Morehead employees the following spring confirms the policy. “At any given time an emergency could require immediate mandatory Overtime,” the document read, while attempting to maintain a sunny tone: “Working in a greenhouse has its challenges and one of them is keeping our Plants Happy!” Nora said that when she complained, her supervisor told her that she “needed to learn to sacrifice.”
But no amount of overtime could compensate for their light-touch training and resulting confusion over how exactly to truss, de-leaf, and prune the hundreds of thousands plants in the greenhouse. Plant diseases took hold. Tomatoes started rotting, resulting in almost 50 percent wasted product, according to the securities fraud suit. The bonuses workers were promised felt impossible to earn. Turnover spiked.
“They took people who had never done this before, threw them in a greenhouse, gave us minimal training on how to do it, and expected us to produce Grade A tomatoes when all we’d done was backyard farming,” said Nora. “No one was ever on the same page. No one in any greenhouse used the same techniques, and I think that was 90 percent of their quality issue.”
AppHarvest employees walk in the West greenhouse in Morehead on June 15, 2021. Jon Cherry
While AppHarvest’s failings were becoming clear to its workers even in its early months, Webb and other company leaders were still raising money. After 12 rounds of funding, AppHarvest had secured almost $800 million from funders like the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Rise of the Rest, a D.C.-based seed capital firm focused on Middle American startups. By early 2021, it became the first controlled environment agriculture company in the United States to go public, at $35.69 per share. Webb personally got a $1.5 million bonus for the stock listing and $31 million in stock awards. The company’s initial valuation of $1 billion soon grew to $3.7 billion.
One afternoon during the first summer of AppHarvest’s operation, then-55-year-old Janet Moore threw up at least three times from heat exhaustion in the bathroom outside the greenhouse. Other workers recalled seeing coworkers pass out from heat and leave on steel trolleys — or, sometimes, in ambulances.
Though the position was a financial improvement on the $7 an hour Moore once made working on a tobacco farm, the heat inside the greenhouse turned out to be far worse than an outdoor farm. One worker called it “an absolute grueling hell on earth.” Workers were only allowed to leave the greenhouse if the heat index reached 140 degrees Fahrenheit, according to a worker who helped those suffering from heat exhaustion. Another worker said thermometers were covered in gray trash bags or moved to poles where workers couldn’t see a heat index that the medical assistant said once peaked at 155 degrees Fahrenheit. Once the company began having productivity challenges, it seemed like no temperature was high enough to relieve workers of their greenhouse shifts; according to worker interviews, managers would simply alternate workers in 30-minute increments between the greenhouse and the air-conditioned packhouse.
Starting as early as August 2020, during construction of the Morehead greenhouse, workers filed eight complaints to the Kentucky Education and Labor Cabinet for Occupational Safety and Health. Almost half of those complaints, revealed for the first time in an open records request received by Grist, concerned the heat in the Morehead greenhouse and a second AppHarvest greenhouse in Berea, a town about 80 miles southwest. In July 2021, one complaint said workers were laboring in a heat index ranging from 115 to 136 degrees Fahrenheit.
“For the past few days no one has taken any temperatures,” the labor filing reads, adding that the company doesn’t allow workers to go home early, even though they work in direct sunlight and several suffered heat exhaustion. (While no federal heat standard exists for workers, a heat index — what the air feels like when combining relative humidity and air temperature — above 103 degrees Fahrenheit presents “danger,” according to the National Weather Service, while anything over 126 degrees Fahrenheit indicates “extreme danger.”)
At the Berea farm, a July 2022 complaint said that even on high-humidity, nearly 100-degree days, potable water was only available to production workers if they walked eight minutes to an administrative trailer they could only access during breaks. And because non-potable water wasn’t labeled as such, desperate employees had drawn unsafe drinking water into their bottles when safe drinking water was unavailable.
Other safety concerns detailed in the complaints included the sudden onset of nausea, and on two occasions vomiting, when the plants were sprayed with “something unsafe.” Two more complaints said tearing out mold, dust, and insulation from walls caused eye and lung irritation. Employees reported that they didn’t receive respirators, and during the tear-out one team member went to the hospital for breathing issues, according to the complaints.
Another said guide wires holding tomatoes were snapping from the weight of the fruit. “If someone is working the rows and the wire snaps, over 500 tomato plants will fall on whomever is in the [row],” the complainant told the state safety office. In a separate filing, an employee said guide wires broke over three days in February 2023, and that as wires fell there was the possibility of “taking someone’s head off and/or extremely hurting their bodies.”
An employee stands among the tomato vines in AppHarvest’s West greenhouse on June 15, 2021. Jon Cherry
Moore thinks that the repetitive motion of caring for the tomatoes — removing suckers, topping plants, ripping leaves off the bottom stems — led to carpal tunnel in her hands, both of which required surgery. She said her job was threatened if she felt sick from the heat or had to go to a doctor’s appointment for her hands. Moore and other workers also complained of rashes from the heat, plant matter, and gas agents sprayed to quickly ripen the tomatoes. Baxter, in recovery from addiction, relapsed when she drank a beer at a company field party that offered free drink tickets to workers.
While AppHarvest appeared to shrug off worker complaints in its early days, it publicized employees who represented the values that had earned it the label of a certified B Corp — intended for businesses with high standards of performance, accountability, and transparency, especially when it comes to employee benefits — as well as its designation as a public benefit corporation created to generate social good responsibly and sustainably. Erin Mays, who applied for her job at AppHarvest from the Rowan County Detention Center in February 2021, where she was serving her 10th sentence for drug possession charges, was perfect for the role: She was petite but strong, and she quickly took on the task of lowering plants, a job otherwise done mostly by men.
From the start, Mays was infatuated with AppHarvest; she appeared on the company’s Instagram as a “dedicated team member.” She told her family and friends to buy stock in the company, convinced it was the future for her region. Mays also met her now-spouse on the job, and the two were often asked to speak to greenhouse guests.
“We were used as poster kids,” Mays said. “If there were photo ops or people came in, I feel like they would start to use me or Leo because we were big members of recovery in our community. We were outspoken and well spoken.”
But a couple months into the job, Mays relapsed on Suboxone, a medication for opioid use disorder, which if misused can lead to dependency, addiction, or overdose. She remembered that her hiring packet said she could go to treatment and still keep her job. When she asked human resources, however, they said that if she left for rehab, they couldn’t guarantee her job would be waiting for her. And even if a job was available, she remembers being told, she wouldn’t be eligible for six months.
Mays didn’t want to lose her position, so she used over-the-counter pain relievers to work straight through a month of low-grade withdrawals while continuing her highly physical, monotonous tasks in the scorching greenhouse.
An employee looks out over rows of tomato plants from the top of a lift in AppHarvest’s West greenhouse. Jon Cherry
While standing at the top of her cart to lift and lower plants, which could rise up to 20 feet off the ground, she suffered aches and body chills. She would rush to the bathroom with a bout of diarrhea or to throw up. Because she was on the far west end of the facility, the closest bathroom was a porta potty, and Mays would have to be really sure she had to use it before she left — her bathroom breaks were monitored, and she didn’t want to get written up.
Workers said their jobs were at times so difficult and poorly managed that even physically fit and healthy employees could snap. One morning in August 2021 — the very same day that Webb admitted to investors that AppHarvest was staring down a $32 million net loss — Baxter arrived at work to find that she was in charge of more workers without additional assistance. The outside temperature was hovering in the 80s, she said, but the heat index in the greenhouse was 40 degrees higher, around 120 degrees Fahrenheit. She brought in five water bottles she’d frozen the night before to stay hydrated, along with the inhaler she kept in her locker in case of an asthma attack.
She was irritated, and her manager seemed on edge. He told Baxter to make her employees sweep the greenhouse rows differently three separate times. Because of the heat, they were alternating working between the greenhouse and the air-conditioned packhouse every 30 minutes. Her employees were overheated, and they told her they needed to sit down, drink water, and rest. She told them she knew they were exhausted, but to please pretend they were cleaning.
By mid-afternoon, drenched in sweat, Baxter took stock of the bustling greenhouse around her and the list of tasks still on her mounting to-do list. Overwhelmed, she put down her badge and her notebook, cleaned out her locker, and walked out the front door, quitting not only a job but her dream of making her living off the land. She drove home to the trailer she’d moved into only ten months earlier, let her dogs out, sat on the front stoop, and sobbed. That day, AppHarvest stocks fell 29 percent.
Employees and machinery at work at AppHarvest’s packhouse on June 14, 2021. Jon Cherry
By the end of 2021, AppHarvest had earned only $9 million out of a projected $21 million in revenue. The next year, the company met less than half of its most optimistic sales projections. Beginning in early 2023, company stocks that once peaked above $42 per share never again rose above $1. In the spring, AppHarvest claimed it had only about $50 million on hand. Debt had reached $182 million. In order to remain in business, the company needed additional investors to provide an infusion of cash by October, according to public filings.
Workers who convinced family and friends to buy stocks in the company said those who invested lost thousands of dollars. Meanwhile, former board member Jeffrey Ubben “cashed out,” according to the securities fraud litigation, before the company’s problems were publicly acknowledged in August of 2021. He sold 3 million shares at an average price of $16.50 per share, making $49.5 million.
Baxter tried to get her job back, including by reapplying through Indeed. But she said once she walked out, no one ever contacted her again, or replied to her requests to return. Moore said she quit after she was told by the human resources manager that she couldn’t work while taking pain medicine for a back injury she acquired at work, after slipping on a loose mat meant to sanitize workers’ shoes. Other workers left for jobs that demanded less overtime or paid higher wages. Some were fired after being minutes late to work, and some were handed termination notices during mass layoffs. One corporate employee was walked off their job by a security guard.
“Ironically, in the next round of layoffs, I guess the security guard walked himself out because he got fired,” the employee told Grist.In February 2022, half the office staff and all but one employee in the marketing department were let go in a single day, according to another former corporate employee.
Over the course of 2021 and 2022, while AppHarvest let go of costly employees who drained the company pocketbook with high salaries and wages, health insurance premiums, and requests for promotions, the company hired contract laborers who wouldn’t get any of this. In a November 2021 public filing, AppHarvest noted the tightening nationwide labor market, the cost of training a new workforce, and issues of retention: “In order to forestall any potential labor shortfall, we have hired contract laborers from outside of the region to help complete our next harvest.”
Less than a year after opening, AppHarvest began bringing in contract workers, according to multiple statements by former workers, a Rowan County executive, local residents, and a 2021 public filing. The new workers arrived in Morehead each morning on big white buses, according to Nora. They worked longer hours, sometimes not leaving until midnight, after picking up a second shift in the air-conditioned packhouse, according to multiple worker statements. While paid a similar starting rate to the local workers, according to a visa application filed by AppHarvest for its Pulaski County facility, they didn’t receive benefits like health insurance or stock options, according to worker interviews. An open records request from the Kentucky Education and Labor Cabinet reveals that just over the last year, AppHarvest brought in at least 140 migrant workers at $13.89 an hour at its Madison and Pulaski County farms.
Workers were housed in mobile homes and apartment complexes where the number of laborers appeared to far exceed occupancy levels. In Pulaski County, three mobile homes with an occupancy total of 17 were listed as the housing options for 30 workers. In Richmond, a 15-unit apartment complex with a 61-person limit was listed as the housing option for 90 workers. In Morehead, workers have been housed at the Red Roof Inn, Days Inn, and Comfort Inn, where there are no cooking stations and workers sometimes squeeze five into a two-bed room, according to Anne Colbert, a retired physician who runs a volunteer migrant support group in Morehead.
Colbert said her organization first became aware of migrant laborers at AppHarvest last fall, when a volunteer saw a large group at Walmart. A few days before Thanksgiving, Colbert sent an email to Travis Parman, AppHarvest’s chief communications officer, and told him the group was “recently made aware of the needs of a group of Mexican contracted laborers working at AppHarvest who did not have appropriate winter clothing.” Though the volunteers had already gathered winter clothing to donate to the new workers, Colbert pressed Parman on the company’s plans to ensure that the group’s basic needs were met. “We don’t believe these guests should have to rely on donated goods,” she wrote.
Workers at AppHarvest’s packhouse on June 14, 2021. Jon Cherry
Parman responded the next day, noting he was “not the right person” for her to talk to but “close enough,” and promising to consult with other employees and reply promptly. Colbert never heard anything more. Instead, her group delivered bags of apples and oranges to the motels where workers were housed over Christmas.
Last year, Nora typically had 20 or more contract laborers on her team, and about 12 local people. All the greenhouse workers I spoke to who left in 2022 or 2023 said that, by the time they left, contract workers outnumbered local employees. As of this summer, AppHarvest retained more than 450 of these contract workers, paying them approximately $2.5 million each month.
This change in strategy was a complete departure from AppHarvest’s original pledge to hire Appalachian workers and build up the region with reliable, blue-collar careers. “Traditionally, many agricultural workers in the U.S. have been H-2A, temporary agricultural workers, who at best are offered housing and other perks if they’re seasonal,” the company had noted in a 2020 report. Instead, AppHarvest wrote, as a certified B Corp, the company valued collective benefit over individual gain, along with empowering Appalachians and improving the lives of employees and the community. In a 2021 interview, Webb said, “Prioritizing the employee, that’s just simple human decency.”
Jonathan Webb, then-CEO of AppHarvest, addresses employees during a pre-shift meeting on June 15, 2021, in Morehead. Jon Cherry
Harry Clark, the judge executive of Rowan County, said that Webb only reluctantly pursued contract labor when he couldn’t fill positions locally. But his comments run counter to what former employees say they saw and experienced: A former corporate employee said the work Webb did — talking to reporters, appearing on the news, uplifting the Appalachian labor force — was “all about image.” A former member of the marketing team recalled that photographers were told not to take pictures of the contract workers, most of whom were Hispanic, because the company wanted to show it was employing Appalachians, who were largely white. When the former marketing team member visited the greenhouse, they saw few workers in the thick rows of green tomato vines until a Mexican song came over the shared speaker system and they heard laborers sing along.
“He [Webb] was trying really hard to relate to the blue-collar workforce that we have in Morehead,” said the corporate employee. When I visited the greenhouse to report on AppHarvest for Rolling Stone in 2021, Webb called himself a “resident of Kentucky” who lived in his RV on the Morehead construction site while looking for apartments nearby. But the year before, he had bought a 4,000-square foot house for almost $1.4 million in Lexington, an hour’s drive away, which was later the subject of a home makeover featured on HGTV. (Webb did not respond to multiple requests for comment for this story.)
Mays said she felt she was kept on as long as she was to “keep up appearances that they were giving jobs to Appalachian people.” But she was eventually fired over the phone, just a month after she and her fiance had gotten engaged at an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting and Webb’s personal assistant had offered to pay for their wedding on company grounds. “We legitimately thought these people were our family and they cared about us,” she said.
After two years with AppHarvest, Nora had a long conversation with her husband. She was miserable at work, and she felt her mental health wasn’t prioritized by her employer.
“I’ve been having these thoughts, and I think they’re dangerous,” she told him. “On the way to work every morning, I want to let go of my steering wheel and wreck it so I don’t have to go in. I don’t want to die, but I want to get hurt enough so I don’t have to work.”
Her husband encouraged her not to go back, but Nora felt an overwhelming sense that she owed AppHarvest her labor and her loyalty.
“A long time after I left I said I felt brainwashed,” said Nora. “Maybe they caught my little bleeding heart, and I wanted to save the world. … I think that’s what hooked us, trying to save the world.”
This spring, the faltering promise of CEA as a planetary savior finally dominoed into AppHarvest. A Delaware-based creditor demanded the repayment of over $47 million, while a west coast investor, Equilibrium, alleged the company needed to repay over $66 million, about a third of the company’s $182 million debt, or risk foreclosure. A third creditor staged a mutiny, threatening to evict AppHarvest from its Berea farm.
By mid-July, Webb left his position as CEO, and the company paid almost $2.5 million to its four-man executive team, which included Webb in his short-lived demotion as chief strategy officer. A week later, on July 23, AppHarvest filed for bankruptcy in a Texas court for all 12 of its affiliated businesses. The next day, AppHarvest received notice from Nasdaq that the company’s stock would be delisted; stocks closed at $0.09 per share. Then, on September 29, Webb was fired “without cause.” His severance package included $125,000 plus health insurance coverage, paid out over six months. (At the time of this story’s publication, he still serves on the company’s board.)
These losses, while staggering and sudden, are not surprising to Bugbee, the plant scientist. To make CEA profitable, he said, human labor has to be replaced with robotics to lower the costs of repetitive tasks like planting and harvesting, which are easily automated.
“We want to believe there’s some magic bullet we’re going to discover and all these [climate] problems will be solved,” he added. “But as a scientist, I feel it’s incumbent upon me to say, ‘Wait a minute. This is not a magic bullet.’”
American policymakers, on the other hand, remain bullish on CEA, despite the recent failures.
“It is unfortunate that AppHarvest has had the challenges that it has. But we know that agritech is a big part of Kentucky’s future, and we need to be at the forefront of it,” Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear’s office wrote in an emailed statement attributed to the governor. “Regardless of who is leading the company or who owns the facility, I believe in the end, they will have a bright future; and there are a whole lot of jobs there, so we should all be rooting for it.”
For Nora, it took nine months after she quit to stop crying herself to sleep. Now, she works as a building services technician in Morehead. Other ex-AppHarvest employees are scattered around the town: Some ended up at Buffalo Wild Wings or assembly lines in nearby plastics, cabinet, and barrel stave factories. Mays became assistant manager at the Family Dollar store. Moore went to the Family Dollar Distribution Center down the street from the greenhouse, where a night shift can earn $19.75 an hour. Baxter, who’s been staying at a campground in her RV, which she calls the Dream Capture, is looking for work.
“Other jobs you quit them and you move on. This job I feel like you had to detox from, because after you quit you’re so afraid to say anything because you’re afraid AppHarvest will sue you,” said Nora. “I told my husband I’m tired of hiding from the big, bad AppHarvest. You did me wrong.”
A branded AppHarvest water bottle hangs at the start of a row of tomatoes on June 14, 2021. Jon Cherry
Nora’s worst memory is of her birthday in June 2021, when she had to sweep shattered glass that fell from the greenhouse ceiling. The task triggered nightmares of glass panels that exploded and decapitated her, grow wires that electrocuted her, and tomato stakes that impaled her.
“Any way I could imagine dying in that greenhouse, I dreamt it,” Nora said. In the months before AppHarvest’s bankruptcy, before the facilities were sold, Nora said she felt like when she joined AppHarvest, she’d joined a cult.
“We dress alike, we’re told what to say, what to do, we’re always there, we didn’t have time with family and friends. Our family and friends were AppHarvest,” she said. “How did I not see this? That this was not a good place to be?”
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