Letter to the Editor

It is a fact that food and agriculture are intimately connected to climate change. I have been a soil scientist for 45 years, now with Northwest Conservation District where we work with farms in our 34-town district promoting practices for greater efficiency, productivity, and economic viability, all while protecting soil and water resources. Farmers are great researchers by nature, seeking out the latest techniques and practices. Many are adopting practices that are considered regenerative for the environment.

Since the industrial revolution, technological advances enabled farms to produce increasing amounts of food and fiber. However, it is well known now that some of the practices had adverse impacts on soil and water around the world. Newer, regenerative methods of farming provide farms with alternative methods and practices that improve soil health and the resiliency of farms overall.

Like many people, I sometimes feel helpless in the face of climate change, especially when we hear about devastating storms like Hurricane Melissa that recently destroyed much of Jamaica and other island nations. Yale Climate Connections (YCC) is a news service from Yale University that helps us understand the reality of climate change and what we can do about it. Through its website, YouTube channel, and radio program, YCC reaches millions of people like us each year.

Hurricanes are not new but YCC did a great job of explaining why recent storms are so much more intense than previously. Melissa was 10 times more damaging than earlier storms apparently due to much warmer oceans.

I read on the YCC website about the recent hurricanes and learned how the problems of warming oceans can affect all of us.

But, I was excited to read about “The Blue Plate: A Food Lover’s Guide to Climate Change” (a book by Mark Easter and published by Patagonia), which demonstrates how something as simple as our personal food choices can have a positive effect on climate change and possibly reduce our grocery bills, too. By choosing food types that are usually produced by regenerative farms, we are making a choice for personal and planetary health.

I heartily recommend Yale Climate Connections for the latest news and information that supports a healthy ecosystem and a resilient farming community, not only in remote countries but right here in our northwest corner. The link to the YCC website is yaleclimateconnections.org.

Cynthia Rabinowitz
Soil Scientist
Northwest Conservation District
Bethlehem