Tag: Agriculture

Nitrates and drinking water: Impacts and disparities. Is there a safe level? Cancer and health effects on children (Part 2)

Intersections

Nitrates in drinking water sources have become a chronic problem especially in areas of intensive corporate agriculture–like the U.S. Midwest. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has not updated standards for nitrates in water for decades. Research indicates that health problems can be caused by levels far below the current U.S. Federal maximum. Background: “Nitrate (NO 3−) is a compound commonly found in fertilizers, animal manures,…

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Nitrates and drinking water: Impacts and disparities. Is there a safe level? Intensive, corporate agriculture and the United States (Part 1)

Intersections

Nitrates in drinking water sources have become a chronic problem especially in areas of intensive corporate agriculture–like the U.S. Midwest. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has not updated standards for nitrates in water for decades. Research indicates that health problems can be caused by levels far below the current U.S. Federal maximum. Background: “Nitrate (NO 3−) is a compound commonly found in fertilizers, animal manures,…

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Iowa USA corn fields

Bird and insect populations are declining across the world; are they connected? What are the consequences for us?

Intersections

Multiple studies from different regions around the world show bird and insect populations declining precipitously. Are these declines connected? What has caused them? And what are the consequences for human society? Would it be possible for us to help birds and insects flourish again? See the research … References: *Leroy, F., Jarzyna, M. A., & Keil, P. (2026). Acceleration hotspots of North American birds’ decline…

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Extreme and unusual weather: United States Midwest — impacts, consequences

Intersections

Immediate impacts: Immediate and longer-term consequences for people, agriculture, wildlife, etc.: Extreme weather and climate change: the connections and impacts Where are all the birds? What is a flash drought? An earth scientist explains Climate change and agriculture: damage to crops Increasing frequency of drought and decreasing yields for soybeans Higher temperatures will lead to additional crop damage from insects Climate change is intensifying the water…

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“Forever chemicals”, farmland, and cancer

Intersections

For many years, farmers across the United States have been encouraged by the Federal Government to spread sewage from homes and factories on farmland as fertilizer. This sludge, obtained from wastewater treatment plants, was rich in nutrients, and it helped keep the sewage out of landfills. But research now shows that this black sludge (called “biosolids”) can contain heavy concentrations of chemicals that can increase…

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Transport of invasive species

The high costs of invasive species

Intersections

“Species introduced to new regions through human activities are termed alien species. Invasive alien species represent a subset of alien species – animals, plants, and other organisms – known to have established and spread with negative impacts on biodiversity, local ecosystems and species. Some of the most problematic invasive alien species arrive through multiple introduction pathways and repeated introduction. Invasive alien species are recognized as…

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Dust storm in Texas (USA)

Dust storms in the United States: a mixture of corporate agriculture and climate change

Quick bibliographies

The Great Plains and Midwest regions of the Unted States are seeing more and larger dust storms and higher levels of dust in the atmosphere. The increase has corresponded to an intensification of corporate agricultural practices in these regions–an example is the plowing of grasslands and marginal agricultural land in order to grow more corn for the production of biofuels. Even modest corn production on…

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Climate change and agriculture: damage to crops

Intersections

Our changing climate is impacting agriculture today and will continue for decades to come. No place on Earth is immune to this; the major growing areas of the world are being affected. Additional impacts brought on by war, supply chain issues, resource shortages, and more just add to the impacts and the consequences. And beyond smaller harvests, crops grown in high carbon dioxide (CO2) conditions…

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Food waste: beyond good ideas, what will people actually do?

Featured Article

On an international scale, food waste is a big problem. “The largest contribution to food waste is from the consumption stage, where household food waste represents the largest share.” In a time of growing food insecurity even in so-called richer countries–due to war, the effects of climate change on agriculture, supply chain problems, and more–wasting a large percentage of the food that is produced magnifies…

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Agriculture and climate change: foods for the future

Intersections

Climate change is impacting agriculture around the world. The greater frequency of weather extremes including heatwaves, drought, and it’s opposite, torrential rainfall and flooding (and their consequences) are impacting crop yields and sometimes destroying harvests. The world’s population is growing; how do we feed more people when corporate agricultural practices and a changing climate are impacting the amount of food being grown and produced? One…

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