In this book, Michael Grunwald delves into the critical issue of the global food system's impact on the environment and climate. He highlights how humanity's agricultural practices have led to significant land clearance, deforestation, and carbon emissions. Grunwald argues that despite the challenges, there are potential solutions such as adopting industrial farming methods, reducing food waste, and shifting towards more sustainable diets. The book chronicles the stories of scientists and entrepreneurs working on innovative solutions like genetically edited cattle and plant-based meat substitutes. It also emphasizes the need for better policy, technology, and behavioral changes to address the looming crisis of feeding a growing population without exacerbating climate change and biodiversity loss.
Here’s a three-part puzzle for global agriculture: How do you increase calories for a growing population, while zeroing out emissions and minimizing land usage?
The stakes are enormous. According to the UN, the world has to feed an estimated 9.8 billion people by 2050. But agriculture currently accounts for about a third of global carbon emissions and is driving the conversion of important ecosystems – like rainforest and grasslands – into farmland. Converting land is especially problematic because it releases additional carbon into the atmosphere.
So what do we do about it?
In this episode, Shayle talks to journalist Mike Grunwald, who recently penned a defense of industrial agriculture in The New York Times. He’s also the author of the upcoming book “We Are Eating the Earth: The Race to Fix Our Food System and Save Our Climate.” Shayle and Mike cover topics like:
- The drawbacks of industrial agriculture, like the overapplication of fertilizer and the mistreatment of animals and employees
- Why calories per acre need to grow substantially to feed a growing global population
- Why minimizing land usage through industrial agriculture may cut more emissions than alternative methods of farming like regenerative agriculture
- Why feed additives are not as important as the land efficiency of beef production
- Potential solutions, like biofertilizers, cultivated meat, and addressing food waste
- Why vertical farming requires too much electricity to be viable
Recommended resources
Simon & Schuster: We Are Eating the Earth: The Race to Fix Our Food System and Save Our Climate
The New York Times: Sorry, but This Is the Future of Food
Canary Media: Why vertical farming just doesn’t work
Reuters: Fertiliser ban decimates Sri Lankan crops as government popularity ebbs
Catalyst: Mitigating enteric methane: tech solutions for solving the cow burp problem
Catalyst: From biowaste to ‘biogold’
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Catalyst with Shayle Kann 