Food and Agriculture

Extreme Droughts Lead to Record-High Coffee Prices

Extreme Droughts Lead to Record-High Coffee Prices

Extreme weather, including intense droughts, in top coffee-growing countries such as Brazil and Vietnam has led to some of the highest coffee prices in decades. As Reuters reported, prices for coffee futures reached a 47-year high of $3.3545 per pound for Arabica coffee on the Intercontinental Exchange, Inc. (ICE) and prices for this commodity rose […]

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    Scientists Seek to Grow More Heat-Tolerant Tomatoes

    Scientists Seek to Grow More Heat-Tolerant Tomatoes

    As climate change worsens drought events, scientists are finding ways to make crops more resilient. Such is the case in a new study where biologists at Brown University explored tomato traits and growth cycles that are most durable against heat stress. Crop yields are expected to decline between 2.5% to 16% for each degree Celsius […]

    U.S. Senators Urge EPA to Ban Pesticide Linked to Parkinson’s

    U.S. Senators Urge EPA to Ban Pesticide Linked to Parkinson’s

    In an open letter, seven United States senators are asking the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to do what dozens of countries have already done and ban the toxic weedkiller paraquat, which has been associated with Parkinson’s disease and other serious health risks. The October 31 letter addressed to EPA Administrator Michael Regan followed similar […]

    ‘The Climate Crisis Is a Health Crisis’: Escalating Climate Impacts Threaten Health Worldwide

    ‘The Climate Crisis Is a Health Crisis’: Escalating Climate Impacts Threaten Health Worldwide

    Human-driven climate change is causing temperatures to rise to dangerous new heights, while worsening drought and impeding food security, according to the ninth Lancet Countdown report. The report by health experts and doctors warned that people all over the world are facing unparalleled health threats because of the climate crisis. “This year’s stocktake of the […]

    Brazil Fines Meat Ranchers and Packers $64M for Raising and Purchasing Cattle From Deforested Amazon Rainforest

    Brazil Fines Meat Ranchers and Packers $64M for Raising and Purchasing Cattle From Deforested Amazon Rainforest

    IBAMA, Brazil’s environmental protection agency, has fined meat packers and cattle ranchers — including the largest on the planet, JBS — $64 million for buying or raising cattle on illegally deforested land in the Amazon rainforest. The agency said 69 properties had been identified that had sold a total of 18,000 cattle who had been […]

    Chickpeas Could Become a Major Protein Source for Their Drought-Resistant Properties, Study Says

    Chickpeas Could Become a Major Protein Source for Their Drought-Resistant Properties, Study Says

    A new study is highlighting chickpeas as a protein source for a potentially drought-stricken future brought on by climate change. The research, led by molecular biologist Wolfram Weckwerth from the University of Vienna, explored the benefits of 36 different chickpea genotypes as climate change impacts continue to threaten food security around the world. According to the […]