Farmers vs state farm insurance

Climate change could make it more difficult to grow in current agricultural hubs like California, where drought is likely to become more common, but Webb envisions that greenhouses could spread regionally throughout the country. Consumers will get fresher produce, and grocery stores will have the advantage of produce that lasts longer on the shelf. AppHarvest says that because of the savings in fuel from transportation, it can sell tomatoes at a competitive cost. “We plan to compete with conventional pricing,” Webb says. “We do not want Americans to pay more for fresh fruits and vegetables.” … [Read more...] about This startup is going to put one of the world’s largest sustainable greenhouses in coal country

how technology might enable rewilding in the U.K. and Europe. Riggall had begun thinking about the historical landscape when he studied environmental archaeology as a university student. “My first introduction to the concept that Europe had a wildwood was through the archaeological record,” he says. Over the years, as he worked in the climate change sector, he noticed a disparity in how that past was discussed—developing countries would be criticized for cutting down forests to farm, but few people talked about the fact that the same thing had happened earlier in Europe at a massive scale, and again when Europeans arrived in America. … [Read more...] about Why we need to “rewild” our environment

In Senate races in Arizona, Iowa, and North Carolina, candidates embraced their identities as caregivers during their campaigns. And the President-elect did not shy away from sharing his experience as a young widowed parent, and later a caregiver for his sick son, running on a platform of universal sick days, 12 weeks of paid family and medical leave, and real financial security for the caregiver workforce. In Colorado, voters decisively approved a ballot initiative to create a statewide paid leave program, where workers will receive 12 weeks of paid leave for childbirth, adoption, and certain medical emergencies. Colorado now joins eight other states and D.C. in adopting a statewide family leave policy. … [Read more...] about In the face of divisive politics, paid family leave should remain a bipartisan priority

The U.S. picture looks even more disastrous, with nearly every state allowing minors to marry. CBS released an engaging 23-minute documentary that’s worth your time, which explains how marriage can be used to essentially legalize what would otherwise be statutory rape, and that U.S. minors are often unable to legally file for divorce or access domestic violence services. … [Read more...] about Horrifying report reveals child marriages persist and are increasingly hidden in Canada

Trees can play a key role in capturing carbon at scale—by one estimate, nearly a trillion hectares of land could feasibly be reforested, and those trees could potentially store more than 200 gigatons of carbon. But efforts at reforestation are moving too slowly. “Essentially, we need to scale the solution in about 10 years, so that there is time for the forest to mature and become a carbon sink of reasonable size to meet various nations’ commitments to be net zero around 2040 or 2050,” says Yishan Wong, CEO of the Hawaii-based startup, called Terraformation. … [Read more...] about Reddit’s former CEO is now in the forest-planting business