U.S. agriculture can feed the growing world

It is crystal clear that rising population and growing nutritional demands will require food production to double by 2050. Yet, land available for food production is unlikely to increase, and, in fact, may decrease.

Where the increase in food production will occur depends upon geopolitics, climate or climate changes and environmental considerations.

Europe isn’t likely to adopt new technologies to increase food production. In the United States, agricultural patterns are changing with climate changes. Climate change will likely exacerbate drought conditions in western United States. California’s current drought may become permanent.

The Southeast has a long growing season, abundant sunlight, good soils and reasonable amounts of rainfall and groundwater. Agriculture in the region must grow to meet world food demand.

Keeping pace with population

For years, Malthusian predictions were that mass starvation was inevitable as populations grow. The evidence has been just the opposite. Food production has kept up with population and improved nutrition of less-developed societies. In fact, there is a worldwide food surplus. But there are still starving populations. Most often the situation isn’t lack of food, but an inability to move it to where it’s needed, often due to local political instability.

There is every reason to believe that rising yields and improved nutrition in agriculture will continue for many years. Most yield increases have come from new technologies from the U.S. system of agricultural research and education.

The partnership of land-grant universities, the federal government through the U.S. Department of Agriculture and private industry has allowed American farmers to maintain the technological advantage for a century. As someone who works in the area, I’m certain this system will continue to produce the discoveries that have driven this success. Yet, as other countries adopt the technologies we develop then modify them for low-cost production, we are under constant stress to push farther ahead of the curve. This issue is particularly important for labor-intensive crops.

In Georgia, farm production continues to increase and remain adaptable. Strong evidence is shown in changes from 2007 to 2008. 2007 was a terrible year for Georgia farmers. One of the worst droughts on record played havoc on nearly every aspect of agriculture. Some commodities like the green and landscape industries were decimated when watering bans assured new plants wouldn’t survive. But, despite the drought and economic downturn, 2008 was better, in terms of farm-gate value, than 2007.

This is a testament to the tenacity and creativity of farmers who can still make money in the face of so many problems. For 2008, the total value of farming and processing in Georgia was $55 billion. The industry generated 356,000 jobs for the state, a source of jobs that has remained stable. This confirms what we have known for many years: agriculture, while not immune from economic downturns, is less impacted than most sectors of our economy.

Misperceptions

There is a general perception that we have fewer farms than in the past and that farms are consolidating and getting larger. The opposite is true. We have more farms than we did 10 years ago, and farms are smaller than a decade ago. This trend is likely attributable to growing demand for locally produced food. Americans have a renewed desire to know where their food comes from.

Fortunately, our political leaders understand food production is an issue of national security. We can’t always count on other countries for food. No one wants our food production shipped overseas. It’s bad to be dependent on imported fuel. It would be disastrous to depend on other nations for food. We have only an 11-day food supply in the U.S. food chain. If that chain is broken, critical problems arise immediately. We never want to be in a position where food can be used as a political weapon against us.

Unlike other industries that can revive after prolonged inactivity, agriculture is different. It may be impossible to ever bring this knowledge back once lost. It’s not just training workers in the science and practices of agriculture. Agricultural knowledge is location-specific, learned over generations and part of the ingrained heritage of a farming community.

Water planning needs

Water is an overarching factor affecting the future of agriculture in the U.S. The western U.S. has good water policies. The Southeast, however, always assumed that water supplies were unlimited. Unprecedented drought over the past two years demonstrated water isn’t unlimited.
States need planning, development and deployment of infrastructure, policies and technologies to meet future water demands in agricultural and non-agricultural use. This is critical during drought. There’s no reason to dump millions of cubic meters of water into the Gulf of Mexico at the expense of agriculture. Water shortages in agriculture can irreversibly harm agriculture.

The U.S. needs to aggressively promote our agricultural products around the world. Foreign sales of agricultural products remain one of the bright spots for U.S. trade. Future trade agreements shouldn’t be made that hurt U.S. agriculture. In 2007, agriculture was one of the areas that alleviated our trade deficit. That year, we imported $79 billion versus $116 billion in exports. Don’t kill the golden goose.

A seldom considered issue -- but one that will have a significant impact on U.S. agriculture’s future -- is supporting economic development in poor countries. Future demand for U.S. agricultural products will come from rising incomes and consumer demand in these countries. We can help the world’s poor and U.S. agriculture at the same time.

Food and fuel

U.S. agriculture can not only feed the world, it can provide energy. The Southeast has been labeled the Saudi Arabia of bioenergy. Energy production from grains, especially corn, is a short-term solution. Cellulosic ethanol is the long-term hope for energy production from plants, especially pine trees, something Georgia has plenty of. However, technological breakthroughs must be made before this happens. Whether they come next year or 10 years from now remains to be seen.

Farmers are good stewards of the land and natural resources. Agriculture is a strong, stable segment of the nation’s economy. Given sound policy, strong support, solid investment in research and education, and stepped-up focus on food safety, security, science and trade, U.S. agriculture is poised to meet the demand to feed and nourish the growing world population.

By J. Scott Angle
University of Georgia
College of Agricultural & Environmental Sciences

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The United States Conference of Mayors Celebrates Earth Day with Historic Energy Efficiency Block Grants for Cities

/PRNewswire / -- On Earth Day, The United State Conference of Mayors highly commended a new Administration for setting Climate Change as a top policy priority, including new funding for first-ever energy efficiency grants specifically for cities, counties and states.

"This Earth Day we are proud to announce close to 1,000 mayors committed to reducing carbon emissions in their cities. We are fortunate to have the support of President Obama, who is dedicated to protecting our environment against climate change," said U.S. Conference of Mayors President Miami Mayor Manny Diaz.

"Cities on every coast and in between are taking advantage of every resource to focus on protecting the environment and creating a surge of green jobs during a weakened economy. These green initiatives are a win-win situation for everyone involved, all while protecting our planet," said Tom Cochran, CEO & Executive Director of The U.S. Conference of Mayors.

Last month, the Obama Administration acted to distribute $2.8 billion in Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grants (EECBG) in the Recovery Package, which will benefit hundreds of cities throughout the U.S. This is the first time in the history of the U.S. that green grants for cities are available to specifically fund energy-efficiency projects in cities.

The EECBG program was "conceived" by The U.S. Conference of Mayors and was a top priority of the Mayors' 10-Point Plan and the Mayors' MainStreet Recovery Program.

So far, more than 944 U.S. mayors have pledged support for The U.S. Conference of Mayors Climate Protection Agreement.

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Southern, Massey Energy and Chevron Among Nine 'Climate Watch' Companies Targeted By Investors

/PRNewswire/ -- Leading U.S. investors today named nine companies to a Climate Watch List, citing concerns that the firms are lagging behind their industry peers and are potentially undermining their long-term competitiveness in responding to the business challenges from global climate change. Investors filed shareholder resolutions with eight of the nine companies - and 49 other businesses - aimed at improving their focus and attention to the financial risks and opportunities from climate change.

The Climate Watch companies include influential coal companies, oil and power producers and other businesses that investors believe are not adequately dealing with climate-related business impacts, whether from physical changes, emerging climate regulations or growing global demand for low-carbon technologies and services. Two of the oil companies were targeted for extensive investments in Canada's oil sands region, where carbon-intensive extraction technologies are being used to produce more than one million barrels of oil each day.

The resolutions are among a record 63 global warming resolutions filed with 56 U.S. companies and one Canadian company as part of the 2009 proxy season. The resolutions, seeking greater disclosure from companies on their financial exposure and response strategies to climate-related business trends, were filed by some of the nation's largest public pension funds, as well as labor, foundation, religious and other institutional shareholders, who collectively manage more than $1.9 trillion in assets. The shareholder filings are coordinated by the Ceres investor coalition and the Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility (ICCR), a group of faith-based investors.

The Climate Watch companies include: Electric Power: Southern; Coal: Massey Energy and Consol Energy; Oil & Gas: Ultra Petroleum, ExxonMobil, Chevron, and *Canadian Natural Resources; Automotive: General Motors; and Home building: Standard Pacific.

* Resolutions were filed in previous years, but not in 2009. See explanation below in paragraph on the company.

"Companies in every industry, especially energy sectors, must assess and mitigate climate change risks," said New York City Comptroller William Thompson Jr., whose office oversees $115 billion in pension fund assets and filed resolutions with electric power and coal companies. "Investors require full and transparent disclosure of the actions companies are taking to address the risks and opportunities of climate change, so that they can make informed investment decisions."

"These climate watch companies are ignoring a major business trend that will influence their competitive positioning for years to come," added Mindy S. Lubber, president of Ceres, a coalition of investors and environmental groups. "Given the political shift in Washington, all companies should be minimizing climate risks and maximizing clean energy opportunities. Companies that miss this trend are setting themselves up to fail in the 21st century low-carbon economy."

Investors announcing the Climate Watch List said the ongoing economic recession should not delay substantive business efforts to address rising global temperatures.

"Despite the unrelenting poor economic news, we know that taking care of our environment is also taking care of the world's economy," said Jack Ehnes, Chief Executive Officer of the California State Teachers' Retirement System (CalSTRS), the nation's second largest public pension fund which own shares in virtually all of the companies targeted with shareholder resolutions. "We can't be distracted by short-term concerns at the expense of meaningful action to mitigate the impacts of climate change."

The Climate Watch List includes two oil companies, Canadian Natural Resources Ltd. and Chevron, for their extensive involvement in Canada's oil sands extraction project, a carbon-intensive undertaking that has attracted billions of dollars of investment and will be a key topic during President Obama's visit tomorrow with Canada's Prime Minister in Ottawa.

"Extraction of oil from oil sands is a risky proposition and will likely in the long term be a disaster for both investors and inhabitants of an increasingly warming planet," said Margaret Weber, ICCR Board Chair and Adrian Dominican Sisters Coordinator of Corporate Responsibility. "Faith-based investors are mindful of the high externalized costs of oil sands to indigenous communities, to the boreal forest, to watersheds and to our children."

The Climate Watch companies are as follows:

* Chevron: Chevron is named to the Climate Watch List for its extensive investments in Alberta, Canada's oil sands, and for resisting shareholder requests to disclose potential financial risks associated with the carbon-intensive project that encompasses millions of acres. Greenhouse gas emissions associated with oil sands development is three times higher than conventional oil extraction and refining according to the investors. Chevron owns 20 percent of a major oil sands extraction effort, the Athabasca Oil Sands Project, and is the operator at a large proposed oil sands project at Ells River, yet its public disclosure of potential financial exposure from climate regulations and other project risks pales in comparison to Shell and Suncor. The resolution outlines key risks from the project and asks that the company report on environmental damage resulting from its expanding oil sands operation.

* CONSOL Energy: Given that coal combustion accounts for about one-third of all greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the U.S. and given the growing regulatory momentum to reduce emissions from power plants, the New York City Pension Funds filed a resolution with the Pittsburgh-based company requesting a report on how the company is responding to growing regulatory and competitive pressure to significantly reduce GHG emissions. CONSOL is the nation's largest bituminous coal producer.

* ExxonMobil: ExxonMobil has been unresponsive to investor requests for a decade regarding strategies intended to meet growing demand for diversified clean energy sources. Four climate resolutions filed this year request that: the board develop comprehensive GHG emission reduction goals: that it report on the impact of climate change on emerging markets and on U.S. leadership in achieving energy independence; and that it disclose its plans for developing for renewable energy. The resolutions were filed by the: Tri-State Coalition for Responsible Investment, Jessie Smith Noyes Foundation and Reynolds Foundation, Province of St. Joseph of the Capuchin Order, and Neva Goodwin.

* General Motors: Investors have a long, unsuccessful history of filing shareholder resolutions with General Motors and engaging with the company on climate-related business strategies. The resolution filed by the Tri-State Coalition for Responsible Investment asks General Motors to set GHG reduction goals from its products and operations, as other U.S. and foreign automakers have already done. The resolution cites GM's ongoing litigation to stop California's clean car standards from being adopted and its lackluster response compared to Ford in developing a business model that accounts for climate change.

* Massey Energy: The Virginia-based coal company continues to resist shareholder resolutions requesting the company to develop and disclose a strategy for responding to climate change. Thirty percent of shareholders voted in favor of the resolution last year. Given that coal combustion accounts for about one-third of all GHG emissions in the U.S., the New York City Pension Funds filed a resolution, for the third consecutive year, requesting a report on how the company is responding to growing regulatory and competitive pressure to reduce GHG emissions. Massey is the nation's 4th largest coal producer.

* Standard Pacific: Unlike other leading homebuilders, Standard Pacific has opposed shareholder requests the past three years to disclose its strategies and performance on energy efficiency and other climate-related issues. The resolution filed by the Nathan Cummings Foundation asks the CA-based homebuilder to adopt quantitative goals for boosting energy efficiency and reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from its products and operations. Homebuilders have an important role in mitigating climate change because 40 percent of GHGs come from building energy use, and building energy efficiency is one of the most cost effective means of reducing global warming pollution.

* Canadian Natural Resources Ltd: One of the largest and most established producers currently active in Canada's oil sands, the Calgary-based company has refused to date to meet with investors on the issue of climate change, and, unlike other oil companies, it has not made any renewable energy investments. Ethical Funds filed a resolution with Canadian Natural Resources in 2007 requesting that it disclose its climate risks, but the company has not responded to the resolution. CNQ is the only oil company opposing the recommendations of the Government of Alberta's Cumulative Environmental Management Association Multi-stakeholder process. (http://www.cemaonline.ca/)

* Southern: The nation's largest electric power producer, which emits more than 160 million tons of CO2 emissions a year, has balked at shareholder resolutions the past several years asking it to set GHG reduction targets. In filing the resolution, the Sisters of Charity of St. Elizabeth cited the company for its adequate climate risk disclosure, but weak action to mitigate that exposure by reducing GHG emissions. Thirty-seven percent of the company's industry peers, including American Electric Power, Duke Energy and Exelon, disclosed absolute GHG reductions targets in the Carbon Disclosure Project's most recent annual survey released in 2008. Atlanta-based Southern opposes mandatory federal limits to reduce GHG emissions.

* Ultra Petroleum: Houston-based Ultra has resisted shareholder requests the past three years to disclose its strategies for addressing climate change, despite relatively strong shareholder voting support. While Ultra has a relatively small market capitalization (about $5 billion), its resistance to acknowledging climate change risks puts it out of step with its peers. The resolution filed by the Nathan Cummings Foundation asks the company to report on its plans to address climate change.

In addition to the Climate Watch companies, investors filed resolutions with the following other businesses. The list of investors filing resolutions with each of the companies can be found at http://www.ceres.org/resolutions or http://www.iccr.org/.

Auto/Transportation: Avis/Budget, Hertz

Banks: Ameriprise, Citigroup, Fifth Third Bancorp, State Street


Building and Big Box Companies: Bed, Bath & Beyond, Boston Properties, General Growth, Home Depot, Las Vegas Sands, Lennar, Pulte Homes, Ryland

Coal: Alpha Natural Resources, Foundation Coal, International Coal

Electric Power: Dominion, Dynegy, Idacorp, Mirant, NV Energy (formerly Sierra Pacific)

Forestry: International Paper, Meredith, RR Donnelly

Oil & Gas: ConocoPhillips, Haliburton, Noble Energy, Oneok, Range Resources, South Jersey Industries, Spectra

Other S&P 500 Companies: Apple, Aqua America, Assurant, Broadcom, Denbury Resources, Dover Corporation, Flowserve, Kadant, MetLife, Middleby, Novell, SanDisk, Southwest Airlines, St. Jude, Stryker, Valmont.

Canadian Companies: Great-West Life & Annuity

In addition to the 63 climate resolutions, approximately 14 other resolutions were filed (or are likely to be filed) asking companies to provide a sustainability report to investors, which should include information about how the company is managing climate risk, among other social, environmental and governance issues. In total, there are approximately 30 sustainability resolutions expected to be filed this year -- 16 of the resolutions were sufficiently focused on climate change to be included in the number of climate resolutions filed. More information about these resolutions is available from Rob Berridge at Ceres, 617-247-0700 x117 (berridge@ceres.org).

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U.N. Climate Change Conference Considers Ancient Soil Replenishment Technique in Battle against Global Warming

Former inhabitants of the Amazon Basin enriched their fields with charred organic materials-biochar-and transformed one of the earth's most infertile soils into one of the most productive. These early conservationists disappeared 500 years ago, but centuries later, their soil is still rich in organic matter and nutrients. Now, scientists, environmental groups and policymakers forging the next world climate agreement see biochar not only as an important tool for replenishing soils, but as a powerful tool for combating global warming.

Christoph Steiner, a University of Georgia research scientist in the Faculty of Engineering, was a major contributor to the biochar proposal that was submitted by the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification last week at the United Nations Climate Change Conference meeting in Poland. The new climate change agreement will replace the Kyoto Protocol, which expires in 2012.

"The potential of biochar lies in its ability to sequester-capture and store-huge amounts of carbon while also displacing fossil fuel energy, effectively doubling its carbon impact," said Steiner, a soil scientist whose research in the Amazon Basin originally focused on the use of biochar as a soil amendment. At UGA's Biorefinery and Carbon Cycling Program, he now investigates the global potential of biochar to sequester carbon. He also serves as a consultant to the UNCCD, a sister program to the climate change convention.

Steiner explained that almost any kind of organic material-peanut shells, pine chips and even poultry litter-can be burned in air-tight conditions, a process called pyrolysis. The byproducts are biochar, a highly porous charcoal that helps soil retain nutrients and water, and gases and heat that can be used as energy.

But because the carbon in biochar so effectively resists degradation, it also can sequester carbon in soils for hundreds to thousands of years, effectively making it a permanent "sink"-a natural system that soaks up carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Soils containing biochar made by ancient Amazon people still contain up to 70 times more carbon than surrounding soils and have a higher nutrient content. Steiner said scientists estimate biochar from agriculture and forestry residues can potentially sequester billions of tons of carbon in the world's soils.

Biochar also avoids the disadvantages of other bioenergy technologies that deplete soil organic matter, said Steiner.

"Removing crop residues for bioenergy production reduces the organic matter accumulating on agricultural fields and thus the soil organic carbon pool, which depends on constant input of decomposing plant material. In contrast, pyrolysis with biochar carbon sequestration produces renewable energy, sequesters CO2 and cycles nutrients back into agricultural fields."

"This unique system ideally utilizes waste biomass, and thus does not compete with food production," said Steiner. Currently most waste biomass decomposes or is burned in the field. Both processes release carbon dioxide stored in the plant biomass-for no other use than getting rid of it. Biochar can capture up to 50 percent of the carbon stored in biomass and establishes a significant carbon sink, as long as renewable resources are used and biochar is used as a soil amendment.

To address our world's climate change dilemma, said Steiner, "We need a carbon sink in addition to greater energy efficiency and renewable energy. Acceptance of the UNCCD proposal in Poland is a first step to make carbon trading based on biochar a reality.

"This has not only consequences for mitigating climate change, but also for agricultural sustainability, and could provide a strong incentive to reduce deforestation, especially in the tropics."

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Duke Study Pinpoints Potential 'Green-Collar' Job Growth in U.S.

During the presidential campaign, Barack Obama proposed an economic plan that would create 5 million jobs in environmental industries. These so-called “green collar” jobs do, in fact, present the next frontier for U.S. manufacturing, says a new report from Duke University.

Highlighting the direct linkages between low-carbon technologies and U.S. jobs, Duke researchers say U.S. manufacturing is poised to grow in a low-carbon economy. Their report, “Manufacturing Climate Solutions,” provides a detailed look at the manufacturing jobs that already exist and would be created when the U.S. takes action to limit global-warming pollution. A copy of the study is available at http://www.cggc.duke.edu/environment/climatesolutions/.

“Until now, there was no tangible evidence of what the jobs are, how they are created and what it means for U.S. workers. We are providing that here,” said Gary Gereffi, a Duke professor of sociology and lead author of the report. “We don’t guess where the jobs are; we name them. Our report uses value chains to show that clean technology jobs are also real economy jobs.”

Led by Gereffi, researchers at Duke’s Center on Globalization, Governance & Competitiveness (CGGC) assess five carbon-reducing technologies with potential for future green job creation: LED lighting, high-performance windows, auxiliary power units for long-haul trucks, concentrating solar power, and Super Soil Systems (a new method for treating hog wastes).

They conclude that hidden economic opportunities exist within the supply chains that provide parts and labor for these five industries. The report includes a snapshot of the opportunities for U.S. manufacturing jobs, with a detailed breakdown of the supply chains and maps highlighting the location of companies positioned to support green jobs. States that stand to benefit most from jobs in these sectors include Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, North Carolina, New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada and California.

“Meeting the challenge of climate change will ramp up the supply chains that wind their way through the heart of American manufacturing,” said Jackie Roberts, director of sustainable technology at the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), one of the report’s sponsors. “It’s concrete evidence of the link between U.S. jobs and climate solutions.”

“While some seek to pit the environment against economic growth, we see economic opportunity in the solutions to the climate crisis,” added Bob Baugh, executive director of the AFL-CIO Industrial Union Council, another one of the report’s sponsors. “But, to succeed it means making certain that, from production to construction, these green investments are made in the U.S. That is the best way to assure that their positive ripple effects are felt throughout the entire economy.”

“This report shows that each climate solution creates significant positive ripple effects throughout the economy in the labor and materials needed to supply low carbon technologies and products,” said Abraham Breehey, director of legislative affairs for the International Brotherhood of Boilermakers, also a report co-sponsor. “It demonstrates the real economic opportunity in the solutions to the climate crisis.”

The report was sponsored by Environmental Defense Fund, the Building and Construction Trades Department (AFL-CIO), Industrial Union Council (AFL-CIO), International Brotherhood of Boilermakers, and United Association of Plumbers and Pipefitters.

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