skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Thursday, March 28, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Pulling back the curtains on wage-theft enforcement in MN; Trump's latest attack is on RFK, Jr; NM LGBTQ+ equality group endorses 2024 'Rock Star' candidates; Michigan's youth justice reforms: Expanded diversion, no fees.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Republicans float conspiracy theories on the collapse of Baltimore's Key Bridge, South Carolina s congressional elections will use a map ruled unconstitutional, and the Senate schedules an impeachment trial for Homeland Secretary Myorkas.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

Expert: Global Food Supply Could Benefit From Rejoining Climate Pact

play audio
Play

Tuesday, March 2, 2021   

DES MOINES, Iowa -- The United States recently rejoined the Paris climate agreement, a move that followed the Biden administration's immediate pledges to focus on reducing carbon emissions.

One expert said such efforts could provide a key benefit beyond air quality.

Kristie Ebi, professor of global health and environment at the University of Washington, said that's not only good for the environment; it could also help secure the world's food supply.

A changing climate means more heat waves and floods, but Ebi added rising carbon dioxide levels will also make food less nourishing.

"Experiments putting plants out under higher concentrations of carbon dioxide show that as we have even higher concentrations of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, the nutritional density of major cereal crops declines," Ebi explained.

Ebi noted the studies were done on wheat and rice, the crops that provide the largest proportion of calories around the world.

The warming climate will also affect crop yields. About 9% of the global population is food insecure.

Through various polls, Iowa farmers have been increasingly vocal about their concerns about the impacts of climate change on their operations.

Ebi pointed out with the U.S. rejoining the Paris Agreement, federal agencies such as the Department of Agriculture can focus on climate change again.

"[It] will provide the support, human and financial resources, that are needed for the U.S. to understand the magnitude and pattern of shifts and to identify approaches to protect our own citizens, as well as citizens in other countries," Ebi contended.

Historically, the U.S. is responsible for a quarter of the world's carbon dioxide emissions.

Ebi emphasized organizations are researching how to make crops more resilient to climate change, but more needs to be done.

"There's lots of opportunity for innovation in this space to start thinking of how we can organize our agricultural sector a bit differently so it produces fewer greenhouse gases and the food that's produced is of higher quality," Ebi concluded.


get more stories like this via email

more stories
A report from the Tennessee HealthCare Campaign recommended the federal government needs to strengthen 340B drug pricing and other federal negotiation mechanisms to make needed medicines more readily available and less expensive for hospitals to purchase and administer. (Spotmatikphoto/AdobeStock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

A recent report examined how some rural Tennessee hospitals have managed to stay afloat despite financial challenges. The report includes interviews …


Social Issues

play sound

Earlier this month, a new Arizona Public Service rate hike went into effect and one senior advocacy group said those on a fixed income may struggle …

Social Issues

play sound

Michigan recently implemented a significant juvenile justice reform package following recommendations from a task force made up of prosecutors…


Nearly 13 million Americans receive health coverage through unique plans under both Medicare and Medicaid. They are known as Dual-Eligible Special Needs Plans. (Adobe Stock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

Medicare and Medicaid are key sources of health coverage for many Americans and some people qualify for assistance under both programs. With lagging …

Social Issues

play sound

A mix of policy updates and staffing boosts has helped to put wage theft enforcement on the radar in Minnesota, and officials leading the efforts are …

More than six in 10 Americans favor keeping the abortion pill mifepristone available in the U.S. as a prescription drug, while over a third are opposed, according to a Gallup poll. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

New research shows more than six in 10 abortions in the U.S. last year were medically induced, and U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto - D-NV - is …

Social Issues

play sound

Colorado is working to boost the state's agricultural communities by getting more fresh, nutritious foods into school cafeterias - and a new online …

Social Issues

play sound

Missouri lawmakers are concerned with protecting people from the potential risks of the increasing accessibility of AI-generated images and videos…

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021