Do you like to eat? Do you want to breathe clean air and be confident that our planet will be in acceptable – or even good – shape for our children, for their children and for many generations after them?
Call me naive; I believe you do. As a professor and extension specialist at the University of California, Davis, I have the privilege of working on these issues. I teach hundreds of undergraduate and graduate students each year and I see firsthand their concern and commitment. Anyone who believes our so-called Millennials and Gen Z-ers are going to be our undoing, I wish you could see what I see. They are passionate, smart and willing to take a stand.
There are many conversations in our social and traditional media spaces, around our dinner tables, and in our homes and offices about how we can work toward a “sustainable” planet. In launching this blog, I’m aiming toward creating a forum to share ideas and talk about our next steps as we prepare for 2050 and a projected world population of 10 billion. I hope we’ll also be able to work together to create a space that puts forth scientific-based evidence so as many people as possible have accurate data on which to base their decisions.
My academic position has me working closely with the agricultural industry – farmers, feed companies, NGOs, my colleagues at UC Davis and other highly regarded educational institutions, world environmental and health organizations, to name a few – to benchmark and reduce negative impacts of farming on the air we breathe and the climate. Simply put, we must better understand the role of agriculture in nourishing our world. At the same time, we need to know where to focus our attention for cleaner air and a stable climate.
“Simply put, we must better understand the role of agriculture in nourishing our world. At the same time, we need to know where to focus our attention for cleaner air and a healthy climate.”
I won’t tell you what to think, and I certainly won’t tell you what to eat. That’s a personal decision based on many factors. What I will do is present the latest, most accurate research we have on animal agriculture and air quality/climate.
Thanks for stopping by.
-Frank