Climavores

In this last episode of the season, Tamar and Mike discuss what they’ve learned over the past six months and debate whether there’s hope for solving the food and climate problem (spoiler alert: they both say, “Yes, if….).  They discuss techno optimists who see the rise in food and ag tech innovations as an overall win for the climate, but admit that technology can only slow climate change if people embrace it. In this episode, Mike and Tamar weigh in on a recent Bloomberg article titled “Fake Meat Was Supposed to Save the World. It Became Just Another Fad.” They point out that naysayers also doubted the solar industry in the ‘60s and plant-based milks in the ‘90s. And look where they are now!  They also dig into the belief that the way we grow food and the food we eat should be rooted in a natural system. Tamar admits that until people can disassociate naturalness from their view of the food system, we're not going to make the progress needed to save the planet.  Have a question about food and climate change for Mike and Tamar? Leave a message on the Climavores hotline at (508) 377-3449. Or email us at climavores@postscriptaudio.com. We might feature your question on a future episode.  Climavores is a production of Post Script Media. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Wheat feeds billions but it has some big climate problems. Wheat production degrades the soil, which releases carbon. It also requires a lot of land. That means clearing land—often forest—to make room for it, which also releases carbon. Plus, wheat harms ecosystems: fertilizer runoff causes water pollution, and monoculture hurts biodiversity. One alternative? Kernza. Developed over decades by the Land Institute, it’s a perennial relative of wheat that sequesters carbon with its massive root system. But does its carbon-sequestering power make it truly climate-friendly?   This week, Mike and Tamar talk about Kernza and the decades-long movement to domesticate the holy grail of grains: a crop that not only produces high yields but also improves the environment. To leave a message for Mike and Tamar, call the Climavores hotline at (508) 377-3449. Or email us at climavores@postscriptaudio.com. We might feature your question on a future episode.  Climavores is a production of Post Script Media. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It’s no secret that chocolate is a sweet loved by pretty much everyone (well, everyone except Tamar). Here in the states, the average American eats about 12 pounds of chocolate a year, and worldwide we eat eight million tons of it annually. Unfortunately, our obsession with chocolate comes with a high carbon footprint. It also often creates terrible labor conditions for the communities who cultivate it. This week, Mike and Tamar speak with Rowan Jacobsen — author, journalist, and host of the podcast “OBSESSIONS: Wild Chocolate” — to discuss how we make chocolate in a way that’s good for the planet and people.  Full transcript here. To leave a message for Mike and Tamar, call the Climavores hotline at (508) 377-3449. Or email us at climavores@postscriptaudio.com. We might feature your question on a future episode.  Climavores is a production of Post Script Media. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It’s a new year, and that means a new stream of voicemails filling up our listener hotline. This week Mike and Tamar kick things off by answering questions about the impact of food packaging, the scope of precision agriculture, lamb and goat meat compared to beef, and much more. They also share some of their predictions for what 2023 will bring in the worlds of nutrition and climate. It’s the mailbag episode! And it won’t be the last, so keep your questions about food and climate change coming.  To leave a message for Mike and Tamar, call the Climavores hotline at (508) 377-3449. Or email us at climavores@postscriptaudio.com. We might feature your question on a future episode.  Climavores is a production of Post Script Media. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week on the show, internet sensation Hank Green talks with Mike and Tamar about the future of cell-based meat. Hank lives in Montana, which is hardcore ranching country. It’s a place where beef is king, cowboys are real and pickup trucks are the norm. But he’s convinced that the future of meat looks a lot different than it does today. And Mike and Tamar agree.  But there are huge hurdles to overcome before the majority of us sit down to cell-based steaks at the dinner table. Scaling up bio reactors in a way that maintains sterility is complicated; making cell-based meat that’s affordable to the general public is a long way out; and changing the “ick” mindset around cell-based meat will take a monumental cultural shift. But despite all that, Hank predicts he’ll be eating cell-based nuggets by 2030 and loving them.  Click here for a full transcript of the episode. Have a question about food and climate change for Mike and Tamar? Leave a message on the Climavores hotline at (508) 377-3449. Or email us at climavores@postscriptaudio.com. We might feature your question on a future episode.  Climavores is a production of Post Script Media. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mike and Tamar talk a lot about eating better for our bodies and our planet. They’ve tackled meat versus plants, processed food versus whole food, cow milk versus almond milk. They even did a whole episode about the pros and cons of local food.  But in this episode, they talk about the ultimate local food, something Tamar calls “first-hand food.” It’s the food we grow, forage, raise, hunt or even fish ourselves; and it’s central to Tamar’s book “To Boldly Grow.” In this episode Mike interviews Tamar on how her book came to be and outs himself as a major fan. “To Boldly Grow” is part memoir, part how-to guide. But it’s not just a book about food. It’s about doing stuff; it’s about love and marriage; and it’s available wherever books are sold if you need a last minute holiday gift… Resources: To Boldly Grow by Tamar Haspel Have a question about food and climate change for Mike and Tamar? Leave a message on the Climavores hotline at (508) 377-3449. Or email us at climavores@postscriptaudio.com. We might feature your question on a future episode.  Climavores is a production of Post Script Media. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We want your feedback! Fill out our listener survey for a chance to win a $100 Patagonia gift card. In this live recording of Climavores, Mike and Tamar talk with special guest Dr. Marion Nestle, a nutrition and food studies professor at NYU and author of Slow Cooked: An Unexpected Life in Food Politics.  Over her long career, Marion has become one of the leading voices on food, nutrition and politics. Her research examines scientific and socioeconomic influences on food choice, obesity, and food safety, with an emphasis on the role of food industry influence. Tamar calls Marion “the premier Nutrition Scientist of the Western World,” and it’s only a slight exaggeration! In this episode, Mike, Tamar and Marion dig into why we believe what we do about food and nutrition and explore where eating for the planet is – and isn’t – the same as eating for health. Have a question about food and climate change for Mike and Tamar? Leave a message on the Climavores hotline at (508) 377-3449. Or email us at climavores@postscriptaudio.com. We might feature your question on a future episode.  Climavores is a production of Post Script Media. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Join us on November 30 for a live, virtual episode of Climavores with guest Marion Nestle. Come ask a question about food, nutrition, and eating for the climate. We want your feedback! Fill out our listener survey for a chance to win a $100 Patagonia gift card. This week, a whole lot of Americans will sit down to Thanksgiving turkeys raised on farms; turkeys that have eaten corn and soybeans that needed land and fertilizer and other resources to grow. And although those turkeys are way better for the climate than beef (which is why Thanksgiving is way better for the climate than the Fourth of July), they’re still the most emissions-intensive part of the meal outside of Tofurkey or wild turkey.  In this first ever Thanksgiving episode of Climavores, Mike and Tamar break down the climate impact of America’s ultimate food holiday – from cranberries to sweet potatoes. Spoiler alert: it’s not bad! They also reflect on the intimate connection Native Americans and early settlers had with their food and the land. And they give thanks for the less than one percent of Americans who grow our food.   Plus, Tamar remembers her mother. RESOURCES: The Washington Post: Tamar on the climate impact of Thanksgiving dinner Have a question about food and climate change for Mike and Tamar? Leave a message on the Climavores hotline at (508) 377-3449. Or email us at climavores@postscriptaudio.com. We might feature your question on a future episode.  Climavores is a production of Post Script Media. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We want your feedback! Fill out our listener survey for a chance to win a $100 Patagonia gift card. Join us on November 30 for a live, virtual episode of Climavores. Come ask a question about food, nutrition, and eating for the climate. As a Climavores listener, you know that we spend a ton of time trying to understand and help you understand how climate change affects food, and vice versa.  From beef to corn to rice to deforestation and overfishing, to water and soil, and even to food waste, our current food system is not great for climate change, or people – but that also means there’s huge opportunities to build a better one. Today we want to introduce you to Important, Not Important – it’s science for people who care, like Climavores! The critically-acclaimed show, hosted by Quinn Emmett, guides listeners through in-depth conversations with incredible humans working on the frontlines of the future, from climate to COVID, heat to hunger, agriculture to AI ethics. Quinn teases out stories, tips, and tactics from senators and scientists, investors and doctors, students and CEO’s, and more, helping you to answer everybody’s favorite question: “What can I do?” In this episode, Quinn welcomes Aishwarya Iyer, founder of Brightland, the wildly popular maker of climate-friendly and delicious olive oils and vinegars, to try and understand what it’s like to start a food company in the climate era, why their bottles are both beautiful and useful, and what California’s drought means for food. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Last week, The New York Times weighed in on food and climate change in a big way. They devoted an entire section of page one to Dr. Frank Mitloehner, the head of an agricultural research institute at the University of California, Davis. The headline? “He’s an Outspoken Defender of Meat. Industry Funds His Research, Files Show.” The implication of the story was that Mitloehner takes meat industry money and expresses meat industry views. But The Times article admitted it didn’t actually find anything unclean about the money, so it felt more like a smear campaign to some. Or just a bad journalistic call.  But the article raised a bigger question for Mike and Tamar: How should we think about industry-funded research, particularly when so much research about the links between agriculture and climate is driven by private-sector support? They also ask how we should think about scientists who moonlight as advocates as well as how pseudo-scandals like the one in The New York Times affect the larger conversation around food and climate change. Resources: The New York Times He’s an Outspoken Defender of Meat. Industry Funds His Research, Files Show. Have a question about food and climate change for Mike and Tamar? Leave a message on the Climavores hotline at (508) 377-3449. Or email us at climavores@postscriptaudio.com. We might feature your question on a future episode.  Climavores is a production of Post Script Media. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In recent weeks, climate activists in London, Paris and Germany have taken center stage for throwing food at famous works of art. Their goal? To focus attention on climate change and fossil fuel dependency. And it’s working. Videos of the protests have racked up tons of views on YouTube. But are these kinds of protests the most effective way to persuade the public?  Mike and Tamar are in the anti-food-throwing camp. But while they don’t agree on the methods, they push back against critical voices in the climate movement. As Mike says, “If you’re going to get pissed, get pissed at the oil companies and agribusinesses that are causing this mess, not these idealistic young people trying to do something about it.” In this episode, Mike and Tamar talk about the tension between climate wonks and climate activists and weigh in on whether climate activists are being helpful or not.  Resources: ResearchGate on the effects of extreme protest on popular support for social movements  NYTimes: Climate Protesters Throw Soup Over van Gogh’s ‘Sunflowers’ The Guardian: Climate activists throw mashed potatoes at Monet work in Germany Have a question about food and climate change for Mike and Tamar? Leave a message on the Climavores hotline at (508) 377-3449. Or email us at climavores@postscriptaudio.com. We might feature your question on a future episode.  Climavores is a production of Post Script Media. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the food world, conversations around GMOs (Genetically Modified Organisms) have been polarized and vitriolic for decades. Fights over the very early genetically modified corn and soy that were resistant to glyphosate, the herbicide in RoundUp, set the tone for an argument that we’re still having a quarter-century later. Yet human beings have modified almost all of our crops and livestock for years. That’s the whole point of breeding programs. But people feel differently about it when scientists tinker with the genome.  In this episode, Mike and Tamar dig in on whether GMOs are the scourge of the earth or humanity’s salvation. Tamar looks at the nutrition and environmental health facts of GMOs and whether they’re actually bad for us. And Mike weighs in on advances in genetic engineering, “Frankenfoods,” and the sea of misinformation surrounding GMOs. Resources: Science Direct on using Camelina as a source of EPA and DHA in fish feed Progressive Farmer on drought-tolerant wheat Alliance for Science on disease-resistant cassava PBS NewsHour on genetically engineered salmon Have a question about food and climate change for Mike and Tamar? Leave a message on the Climavores hotline at (508) 377-3449. Or email us at climavores@postscriptaudio.com. We might feature your question on a future episode.  Climavores is a production of Post Script Media. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The vast majority of habitable land on our planet is either agriculture or forests. So when cropland and grazing land expands, forests shrink. This is a problem because forests soak up about a quarter of the carbon dioxide we emit.  Mike and Tamar talk a lot on the show about ways to make more food with less land. Why? Because doing that helps stop the deforestation that’s transferring carbon from trees to the atmosphere. In the current climate emergency, reducing emissions isn’t enough. We need negative emissions, and trees are the best technology we’ve got.  But fixing the world’s deforestation problems, and its food and climate problems, is more complicated than just planting more trees. In this episode, Mike and Tamar answer a listener question about the negative carbon footprint of fruit and nut trees. Then they dig in on everything from agroforestry and using forests as carbon offsets to burning trees for energy and national and international forest policy. Have a question about food and climate change for Mike and Tamar? Leave a message on the Climavores hotline at (508) 377-3449. Or email us at climavores@postscriptaudio.com. We might feature your question on a future episode.  Climavores is a production of Post Script Media.  VERGE 22, taking place Oct 25-27 in San Jose, CA, will convene more than 4,000 leaders working together to address the climate crisis across six strategic areas: clean energy, sustainable transportation, carbon removal, regenerative food systems, net-zero buildings and the startup ecosystem. Register today and use the code V22PSMEDIA for 10% off of the pass type of your choice: https://bit.ly/3f2f2FQ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Last month, The Washington Post ran a story about college campuses offering therapy for climate change anxiety. The American Psychological Association found that nearly half of younger Americans say eco-anxiety affects their daily lives. And, globally, a study in The Lancet found that 59% percent of people aged 16-25 are very worried about climate change. In this episode, Mike and Tamar respond to a question from a Bay Area pediatrician caring for teenagers with climate change anxiety and depression. Specifically, she asks how worried kids should be about climate change and if there’s any way to shift their emotions around it.  With the effects of climate change all around us – massive flooding in Pakistan, unprecedented drought in China, catastrophic ice melting in Greenland, raging forest fires in California – it’s easy to get caught up in apocalyptic speculation and hysterical warnings. But Tamar and Mike say some of the facts can be reassuring and even empowering for young people.  Resources: American Psychological Association: Addressing climate change concerns in practice The Lancet: on climate anxiety in children The Washington Post: on colleges offering therapy for climate change anxiety Have a question about food and climate change for Mike and Tamar? Leave a message on the Climavores hotline at (508) 377-3449. Or email us at climavores@postscriptaudio.com. We might feature your question on a future episode.  Climavores is a production of Post Script Media.  VERGE 22, taking place Oct 25-27 in San Jose, CA, will convene more than 4,000 leaders working together to address the climate crisis across six strategic areas: clean energy, sustainable transportation, carbon removal, regenerative food systems, net-zero buildings and the startup ecosystem. Register today and use the code V22PSMEDIA for 10% off of the pass type of your choice: https://bit.ly/3f2f2FQ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Don’t miss our live episode of Climavores in New York City on October 20! Sign up here for a night of live audio and networking with top voices in climate journalism. Climate change is a touchy topic in farm country. But one third of greenhouse gas emissions come from food and agriculture, so it’s crucial that the industry becomes part of the climate change solution.  For years almost all the action on climate change centered on energy – solar and wind and electric vehicles taking on coal and gas and oil. But now Washington is suddenly buzzing about “climate-smart agriculture,” and Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack is in the middle of the action. He just announced $3 billion in grants for “climate-smart commodities.” The Inflation Reduction Act is sending the USDA $20 billion for climate-smart projects. It’s incredible how quickly the food and climate issue has moved to the center of the plate. This week, Mike and Tamar welcome Secretary Vilsack as their first Climavores guest. They dig in on everything from regulating farmers to regenerative agriculture to subsidies as a bridge to market solutions. And of course Mike pushes the Secretary on his favorite topic – biofuels.  Have a question about food and climate change for Mike and Tamar? Leave a message on the Climavores hotline at (508) 377-3449. Or email us at climavores@postscriptaudio.com. We might feature your question on a future episode.  Climavores is a production of Post Script Media.  VERGE 22, taking place Oct 25-27 in San Jose, CA, will convene more than 4,000 leaders working together to address the climate crisis across six strategic areas: clean energy, sustainable transportation, carbon removal, regenerative food systems, net-zero buildings and the startup ecosystem. Register today and use the code V22PSMEDIA for 10% off of the pass type of your choice: https://bit.ly/3f2f2FQ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Don’t miss our live episode of Climavores in New York City on October 20! Sign up here for a night of live audio and networking with top voices in climate journalism. Draw a Venn diagram of people who care about the climate impact of their food and people who are suspicious of processed food, and you’ll see an awful lot of overlap. People love to hate on processed foods.  But historically, food processing actually freed women from the literal daily grind of putting food on the table. And from a climate impact standpoint, more processed foods actually contribute to less food waste. So what gives?  This week, Mike and Tamar dig into the pros and cons of processed foods. From Impossible Burgers to Doritos, almost everything we eat is processed. But there’s a difference between processed and ultra-processed and the impacts each has on our health and our planet.  Resources: Cambridge University Press on the NOVA food classification and the trouble with ultra-processing  Have a question about food and climate change for Mike and Tamar? Leave a message on the Climavores hotline at (508) 377-3449. Or email us at climavores@postscriptaudio.com. We might feature your question on a future episode.  Climavores is a production of Post Script Media. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Don’t miss our live episode of Climavores in New York City on October 20! Sign up here for a night of live audio and networking with top voices in climate journalism. When a lot of people think of soy, they think of allergens, overly processed food, and man boobs. There’s even a current full-court press in some corners of the nutrition community to blame seed oils like soybean oil for disease and obesity. And that’s not even taking into account environmental concerns around deforestation in the Amazon and heavy pesticide and herbicide use in soy monocultures.  The U.S. grows 90 million acres of soybeans annually, second only to Brazil in global soybean production. And almost all of that U.S. soy is genetically modified, another red flag for environmentalists.  But Mike and Tamar say soy has gotten a bad rap. And it’s time to set the record straight.  This week, they dig into the nutritional and environmental benefits of soy and ask how soy became a proxy for the evils of industrial agriculture. Resources: National Institute of Health on the myth of man boobs GOOP on seed oils farmdocDAILY on lower fertilizer use in soy vs. corn Our World in Data on soy’s bad reputation and whether it’s justified Have a question about food and climate change for Mike and Tamar? Leave a message on the Climavores hotline at (508) 377-3449. Or email us at climavores@postscriptaudio.com. We might feature your question on a future episode.  Climavores is a production of Post Script Media. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Every episode of Climavores starts with a listener voicemail. In past episodes, Mike and Tamar have answered your questions about vertical farms (are they a climate-friendly alternative to traditional agriculture?), plant-based milks (are they actually better for the climate than dairy?), and beef (is it really that terrible for the planet? Spoiler: yes). But our Climavores listener hotline is overflowing. So this week, Mike and Tamar are dedicating an entire episode to answering as many of your questions as possible. They tackle everything from soy’s bad reputation (did someone say “man boobs”?) to factory-farmed fish, bug protein and the topic Tamar loves to hate: regenerative agriculture.  It’s the mailbag episode! And it won’t be the last, so keep your questions about food and climate change coming.  To leave a message for Mike and Tamar, call the Climavores hotline at (508) 377-3449. Or email us at climavores@postscriptaudio.com. We might feature your question on a future episode.  Climavores is a production of Post Script Media. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Earlier this month, Cracker Barrel announced the addition of plant-based sausage to its breakfast menu. It was a move largely applauded by vegans, vegetarians and environmentalists alike; but plenty of meat eaters had a different take. ”YOU CAN TAKE MY PORK SAUSAGE WHEN YOU PRY IT FROM MY COLD DEAD HANDS!!! read one Facebook comment.  It’s not surprising to see food so intrinsically linked to our identities. We’ve become an increasingly polarized nation, both politically and socially. Across the U.S. there are now counties where Democrats make up 3% of the population and counties where they make up 95%. Mike describes it as two different Americas – one of bike paths, composting, and NPR; another of pickup trucks, megachurches, and Fox News.  In this episode, Mike and Tamar look at how we make decisions, and whether it’s possible for us to change our minds or behaviors around an emotional issue like food. They dig into confirmation bias, echo chambers, and our increasing tendency to complain about everything. And Tamar asks listeners to think about the last time they changed their minds about something truly meaningful. Have a question about food and climate change for Mike and Tamar? Leave a message on the Climavores hotline at (508) 377-3449. Or email us at climavores@postscriptaudio.com. We might feature your question on a future episode.  Climavores is a production of Post Script Media. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Last week, Barack Obama called President Biden’s signing of the Inflation Reduction Act a “BFD” on Twitter. With about $370 billion worth of climate funding, it’s an especially BFD for the planet.  The IRA marks the single largest climate investment in U.S. history, promising lower energy costs, increased energy security, targeted decarbonization efforts across all sectors of the economy, investments in disadvantaged communities, and support for rural communities. But how will it impact food and agriculture in particular?  In this episode, Mike and Tamar dig into the bill’s fine print and highlight some of the “Climavores provisions” they’re excited about. They also check whether Congress followed their four-point plan to promote eating less beef, tackle food waste, ditch biofuels, and safeguard yields. (Spoiler alert: they mostly didn’t). But both agree, there’s still lots to like in this bill.  Resources: AgWeb: What's Ag's Stake in the Senate-Passed Inflation Reduction Act? The Hill: Inflation Reduction Act puts our oldest climate-fighting technology to work Holland & Knight: The Inflation Reduction Act: Summary of Budget Reconciliation Legislation  farmdocDAILY: Reviewing the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022; Part 1 Have a question about food and climate change for Mike and Tamar? Leave a message on the Climavores hotline at (508) 377-3449. Or email us at climavores@postscriptaudio.com. We might feature your question on a future episode.  Climavores is a production of Post Script Media.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices