Food Consumption

Medical doctors and climate scientists alike agree! Eating a plant forward diet improves one’s health and mitigates climate change. Reducing one's meat consumption an extremely effective action that individuals can take to lower their individual carbon footprints.  The American Heart Association recommends reducing one's meat consumption to lower one's risk of developing heart disease, type 2 diabetes, stroke and more. The scientists at UC Davis’ Climate Change Laboratory  compared the carbon footprint of a medically recommended heart healthy diet to the typical American diet and found that eating a heart healthy diet is both good for one's heart and the planet. They created a short, informative video, "The Diet That Helps Fight Climate Change" to share their findings.   To learn more about the physical and mental health benefits of eating a plant forward diet also see Kaiser Permanente's article. 

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What Leagues Can Do

• Distribute the LWVC plant trifold to educate members about the climate and health benefits of a plant forward diet.
• Serve tasty plant-based meals at meetings to raise awareness about dietary choices and to educate members.
• Encourage members to speak to their doctors about proper nutrition and healthy meat-free choices.
• Publish nutritious plant-based recipes in monthly newsletters
• Encourage Meatless Mondays
• Encourage local governments to serve plant-based meals at government events and to understand the climate impacts of the food they purchase and serve.

Soils

Healthy soils are a natural carbon sink. But, unfortunately, anthropogenic activities including many agricultural practices have greatly depleted the health and quality of soils. More than ninety percent of California's lands are classified as natural or working lands and range from forests to farmland to urban green spaces. They are currently net GHG emitters. By restoring lands that are natural carbon sinks including oak savannahs, sea grasses and wetlands; implementing forest and wildfire management practices; stopping suburban sprawl into open space and farmland; and helping farmers invest in climate smart agricultural practices, California can begin to drawdown carbon. To learn more about this effort see Draft California 2030 Natural and Working Lands Implementation Plan. To learn the basics of the carbon cycle, watch the four minute video, The Soil Story.  

Agriculture

California's agricultural industry produces 50% of the nuts, fruits and vegables consumed in the United States and also 8% of CA's GHG emissions. Climate change has resulted in extended periods of drought, severe weather events, high winds, and record high temperatures - all of which have greatly impacted California's agricultural industry.  Climate change presents a real threat to food security. To help farmers both adapt to and mitigate these impacts as well as reduce GHG emissions, California has implemented the Climate Smart Agriculture Program which includes intiatives to improve soil health, preserve open space and agricultural lands, implement alternative management practices and use water more efficiently and effectively.  By using climate smart agricultural practices, Califforma farmers can be frontline defenders against climate change. They can also improve their crop yields, reduce agriculture runoff, reduce their use of fertilizers and pesticides, and support native flora and fauna. Learn more at California's Department of Food and Agriculture website. And be sure to watch a few of their climate smart videos that highlight how their climate smart agricultural programs are helping farmers across the state. 

What Leagues Can Do About Soils and Agriculture

• Educate members about importance of supporting policies that support climate smart agricultural practices and programs. 
• Support farmers by shopping at the local farmers market and supporting funding for climate smart ag programs.
• Embrace Climate Victory Gardens, and create a community garden on city land and support efforts like the one in the  City of Fort Bragg to become a garden friendly city like the LWV Mendocino did.  All school children throughout the County are provided with a free lunch that is sourced by local farmers. 
• Work to preserve undeveloped land like the LWV San Jose did for Coyote Valley
• Support the development of a County Agricultural Plan like the LWV San Jose did in Santa Clara County
• Support schools in their efforts to teach students how to growh healthy food like the Edible Schoolyard Project in Berkeley does (LWV Berkeley).
• Host a movie watching party of Kiss The Ground or The Biggest Little Farm to learn about the benefits of regenerative agriculture and soil health. 

Is the Solution to Climate Change Really Just Under Our Feet?

It is incontrovertible that soil takes in and stores carbon. Increasing the amount of organic carbon in soil decreases runoff, improves water retention, improves biodiversity and can increase crop yields. The amount of carbon that is absorbed and stored in soils and for how long it is stored depends on numerous factors including the location of the land, how the land is used, the natural composition of the soil, and more. How much does rotational grazing improve soil health? What about its impacts to biodiversity and water? How much does the use of cover crops increase longterm sequestration of carbon? Soil scientists and biogeochemists all over the world - including at the University of California at Davis - are working to answer these questions. But how big of an impact can changing our agricultural practices and diet have on climate change? According to the IPCC's Sixth Assessment Report (2022) changes in agriculture, forestry, and our food systems can provide nearly one-third of the greenhouse gas reductions needed to meet the UN's GHG targets, benefit biodiversity and ecosystems, improve food and water security and more. 

Expanding to National

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The team has expanded to the national level and formed the U.S. Food, Soils, and Agricuture team with the addition of interested League members from across the country.  States represented are shown in the figure.

Resources

• PDF version of
  

  Climate Smart Agriculture and Food Action Policy

  Climate Smart Agriculture and Food Action Policy

  to create posters or flyers.

• PDF version of for distribution
• Climate Victory Gardens aim to create healthy soils for carbon sequestration, build resistance and celebrate culturally relevant cuisine.
• Climate Smart Agriculture – Healthy Soils Program is a collaborative effort of CA state agencies and departments to implement innovative farm and land management practices to build healthy soils.
• The Dirty Dozen – Tips for Building Healthy Soil provides helpful tips for gardeners to create healthy soils in their own yards. Created by the Loma Prieta Chapter of the Sierra Club.
• Can We Stop Climate Change by Removing CO2 from the Air? (TED talk)
• CalCAN is CA coalition that advances policy to support the use of sustainable and organic agriculture for climate solutions.
• IPCC Aug 2019 Report on Climate Change and Land presents the IPCC's findings on climate change, desertification, land degradation, sustainable land management, food security, and greenhouse gas fluxes in terrestrial ecosystems.
• Draft California 2030 Natural and Working Lands Implementation Plan  describes CA’s interagency united approach to coordinate all natural and working lands programs with the goal of maintaining a resilient carbon sink and improved air and water quality, water quantity, wildlife habitat, recreation, and other benefits