Farm Bureau Federation Wants Climate Action, But No New Rules, Carbon Credits Something Something
Just over a decade ago, the American Farm Bureau Federation declared war on legislation to slow down global warming. The organization, a lobbying powerhouse,argued that a “cap-and-trade” proposal making its way through Congress would make fuel and fertilizer more expensive and put farmers out of business. Farmers swarmed Capitol Hill wearing caps with the words “Don’t Cap Our Future.” And it worked. The legislation died, derailing the boldest plan Congress had crafted to cut greenhouse gas emissions.
Now, the Farm Bureau might be changing course. This week, it announced that it had formed a coalition that plans to push the government to adopt dozens of policy changes that would make it easier for farmers to reduce emissions from agriculture. “We’re going to have a real common sense, science-based discussion about how we protect the climate, and our farmers want to be part of that,” said Zippy Duvall, president of the Farm Bureau.
Ed. - "common sense" - yep, here comes some bullshit.
The proposals don’t entail regulation or mandatory cuts to agricultural greenhouse gases. Instead, they are voluntary and sometimes involve paying farmers to reduce emissions. Still, the new Food and Agriculture Climate Alliance brings together groups that have often butted heads on environmental policy, from agricultural lobbies, like the Farm Bureau and the National Council of Farmer Cooperatives, to climate advocates, like the Environmental Defense Fund and the Nature Conservancy.
EDIT
The alliance didn’t quantify the impact of these policies on greenhouse emissions. Currently, agriculture is responsible for about ten percent of the country’s emissions of heat-trapping gases. According to some estimates, a reduction in greenhouse emissions from agriculture combined with an increase in forests could get the country 10 to 20 percent of the way toward net zero emissions in 2050.
EDIT
https://climatecrocks.com/2020/11/23/farmers-ready-to-pitch-in-on-climate/#more-63099
