Eating the Earth | Decarbonizing our food systems

The Latest

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  Food and farms

  Your morning coffee is killing the planet

  Coffee farms take a heavy toll on wildlife and the climate, as seen recently with deforestation in Vietnam. But the food you eat is causing even more damage.

  By Michael Grunwald  .  23 June 2026

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  Food and farms

  Federal policy on biofuels goes from bad to worse under Trump

  The administration’s lavish biofuel subsidies for farmers are bad for consumers and the planet, but the problem goes way beyond his administration.

  By Michael Grunwald  .  16 April 2026

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  Food and farms

  We know how to decarbonize energy. The food sector should take notes.

  Climate-friendly agriculture is two decades behind clean energy. Here are lessons food and farming can learn from the rise of renewables and cleantech.

  By Michael Grunwald  .  31 July 2025

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  Food and farms

  Biden’s climate-smart ag program was better than nothing. Trump killed it.

  In a climate-dumb move, the Trump administration ended a flawed but necessary program aiming to lower agricultural emissions. We can still draw useful lessons from it.

  By Michael Grunwald  .  4 June 2025

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  Food and farms

  NYC hospitals are nudging patients toward plant-based meals. It's working.

  New York City is cutting emissions and saving money by making vegetarian meals the default in public hospitals. It's successful because most people go with the flow.

  By Michael Grunwald  .  16 April 2025

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  Food and farms

  The Trump climate story is boring — except this part

  We won’t see national progress on clean energy policy over the next four years. But interesting things could happen in the food-climate nexus.

  By Michael Grunwald  .  20 March 2025

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  Food and farms

  Chemical fertilizer is a climate disaster. Can high-tech biology fix it?

  Startup Pivot Bio has developed a smarter way to get nitrogen to crops, and it has a new CEO who aims to supercharge growth.

  By Michael Grunwald  .  29 August 2023

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  Food and farms

  Why vertical farming just doesn't work

  Vertical farms save water, prevent pesticide pollution and avoid extreme weather — but their Achilles' heel is their massive electricity use.

  By Michael Grunwald  .  28 June 2023

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  Food and farms

  Cattle are a huge climate threat. Smarter ranching can help

  Ranchers in Brazil are testing new and improved techniques that can lower the climate impact of beef production by using less land and curbing cattle's burps and farts.

  By Michael Grunwald  .  17 April 2023

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  Food and farms

  Afraid of high-tech food? Get over it

  Too many Americans are squeamish about cultivated meat, alt-protein processed foods and GMOs, but we'll need to get used to them to avert a climate catastrophe.

  By Michael Grunwald  .  17 January 2023