• can cop26 become a turning point for gender responsive climate action? several authors team up in this opinion piece to argue that any meaningful international effort to address climate change must have women and girls at its center.

• advancing gender equality through climate action. women and girls are more vulnerable to the effects of climate change and pay a higher price. why? what needs to be fixed?

• 4 black women leaders on climate, justice, the green ‘promised land.’ it’s well documented that black neighborhoods and other communities of color are disproportionately affected by a changing climate, amplifying existing disparities related to race, gender, and class. read this q&a with four leading black women activists and scholars in the environmental movement about what this moment means for their communities.

check back tomorrow for more info on what is being explored at cop26 — and good reads to keep you informed!

wind energy is so prevalent in texas, that if the state were its own country, it would rank fifth in the world for wind energy with about 25 megawatts installed throughout the state according to the american wind energy association.

what’s even more impressive about wind-powered electricity in texas? in 2019, something monumental happened. the electric reliability council of texas (ercot) released their biannual report for the first half of the year and wind had surpassed coal. the difference in energy usage was small with wind coming in at 22% and coal at 21%, but wind has been growing steadily in practice and as a focus for politicians, educators, environmentalists, and local economies.

lubbock, texas, is the heart of wind research, industry, and education in the country. it’s the home of texas tech university and the national wind institute (nwi), and the university is the only one in the nation with a degree program for wind engineering. anyone that’s familiar with west texas knows that wind turbines are as plentiful as tumbleweeds and prairie dogs. new “wind farms” appear every year on the farmland surrounding small towns. these wind farms pump money into local economies and bring new life to these communities.

matt saldana is a small-town texas native and an employee of the national wind institute. saldana also is an instructor at texas tech, specializing in renewable energies, finance and economics, and project management. he has seen firsthand the changes that come with the wind industry while living in sweetwater, texas. while there, he witnessed a revival of the small town as money was brought into the community as a result of a new wind farm outside of town. saldana explained the entire process. 

when a contractor sees potential for a wind farm in an area, they go to the landowners of large farms and ranches with the request to put instruments on their land to take readings of wind speeds in the area, according to saldana. he said this stage is fully noncommittal and comes with no guaranteed compensation for the landowner. if the owner agrees to having turbines built on their property, the contracting company will begin construction.

as a thank you to the community, developers will often pay for new roads, sidewalks, or schools. in sweetwater, a new, state-of-the-art school district was built. this allowed for more money to be spent on teachers’ salaries, bringing in new faculty from the metroplex.

while the turbines are being constructed, thousands of temporary jobs are created. not only are local men and women hired to be on the construction crews, but local motels, restaurants, and gas stations see more business than they have in a long time. while they are under construction, the developers are subject to all local tax rates as well, ensuring the cities receive municipal funding. saldana said after construction, about 30 well-paying, permanent jobs are given to local residents. the landowners that have turbines on their properties receive a percentage of the revenue that each turbine produces (generally 3% to 8% depending on the specific company and production levels of each turbine, according to saldana).

“people are being allowed to keep the family farms they’ve had for generations,” saldana said.

the american farmer is in critical condition. production prices are at an all-time high, climate change is affecting growing seasons and harvesting, and trade wars with foreign countries have made it harder for many to sell what little yield they have. farm bankruptcies are up across every region of the country and the farmer suicide rate is one of the highest in the nation. saldana said that the extra revenue brought in by turbines to family farms has helped people save the land that’s been in their families for generations.

saldana said that research is being done constantly in order to push the industry forward. a few hot topics in the field include cybersecurity of turbines on the grid, finding a use for old and out of date equipment, moving into offshore capabilities, and finding a way to store renewable energy.

“renewable electricity can’t be stored,” saldana said. “finding a solution to that would be a game changer.”

saldana said despite the many positive aspects of the wind industry, there is still controversy surrounding wind turbines for people who live around them: endangering wildlife such as birds and bats, disrupting flora and fauna, and the low aesthetic value of the wind farms. he said the nwi is working on addressing these issues and that developers often work with wildlife conservation groups funding research and relocating bird species, like the lesser prairie chicken.

“there’s always going to be pushback no matter the industry,” saldana said. “(the positives) outweigh the negatives by environmental benefits and just keeping stuff in the ground.”

despite these controversies, there’s no question that renewable energy industries have earned their place in texas. wind powered energy has become a major source of power for the state and only continues to grow. wind energy allows for more assurance from blackouts, brownouts, and offers a new, clean means of electricity on the grid, ensuring a green method of urban resilience as our population spreads in urban areas; as a result, rural communities in west texas continue to thrive thanks to the economic spark this industry brings them.

that’s pretty heavy news to stomach with your burger, but the evidence is mounting. according to the food and agriculture organization of the un, 14.5% of all greenhouse gas emissions come from the production of livestock.  

our current world population is hovering around 7.5 billion people, but more than 800 million of which are dealing with hunger – or, one in nine. and even more — one in three — are suffering from malnutrition.

this seemingly contradicts reports, like this study from mcgill university and university of minnesota, that show we grow enough food to feed 10 billion people.

you may wonder how those going hungry can get their piece of the agriculture pie — and where all that extra food is going.

researchgate reports that a majority of crops such as wheat and corn, are used in the creation of biofuels and the cultivation of livestock. from an outsider’s point of view, it appears wealthy countries have prioritized the meat and automobile industries over feeding those in need.  

perhaps surprisingly, it’s not the availability of food that causes world hunger but, rather, poverty. the un-fao also found that most of the world’s poor population lives in rural areas in which they are subsistence farmers, meaning they only produce enough for their family to survive — and that’s only if everything goes right during the growing season.

demand and resource usage

so how does eating meat contribute to global poverty and, hence, global hunger? it comes down to supply and demand. as developed countries and developing countries continue to demand more meat, farmers will need to utilize more land to fulfill these needs.  

the un-fao reports 33% of all cropland is used for livestock feed, as well as 26% of all the earth’s ice-free land is used for grazing purposes. to provide the heavily demanded animal products, the livestock industry also uses one third of the earth’s freshwater supply, according to the proceedings of the national academy of sciences of the united states of america.

as more land and water is utilized to create animal products, that creates a scarcity in land and water for poor people in developing countries. this scarcity causes the prices of land and water to increase, making it harder for poor populations to gain access to these resources.   

if the western world wants to solve the problem of world hunger, we must correct our own eating habits first. the more meat we demand on a regular basis means that there is less food and water available on the earth. it takes about 1,799 gallons of water to produce 1 pound of beef — the equivalent of about 22 bathtubs full of water, or more than three weeks of baths every day — according to food tank. in comparison, the 108 gallons of water it takes to make one pound of corn doesn’t seem so bad.

the meat industry isn’t just a strain on the water supply, it is also a strain on the atmosphere as well. one ton of methane gas has the same greenhouse effect as 23 tons of carbon dioxide. and according to the conversation: “around 1.6-2.7 billion tonnes of greenhouse gases each year, mostly methane, are produced from livestock digestion. another 1.3-2.0 billion tonnes of nitrous oxide come from producing feed for livestock. and the final 1.6 billion tonnes comes from land use changes, such as clearing for animal pastures.”

what can we do about it?

in a perfect world, upon learning this, everyone would eat a vegan diet to use less of the earth’s resources, and increase the availability of said resources to those who are starving, while simultaneously cutting greenhouse gas emissions. of course, worldwide veganism is an unrealistic goal — not to mention this would cause other economic issues, based on the all the industries this change would impact.

instead, individuals could try to minimize their consumption of meat. americans, here’s a thought: maybe we don’t need beef every single day, let alone put bacon on everything.

again, we go back to supply and demand. if consumers demand less meat, those resources could be directed toward other food avenues, which increases the chances of starving populations to obtain food security.

world governments also could be taking action. a scientific analysis published in the journal nature climate change, suggests implementing an emissions tax on the meat industry would change consumption patterns.

but influencing human behavior is a difficult task. egalitarians may take personal responsibility for the impact our eating habits have on others and the earth. however, it is just as unrealistic to expect a worldwide adoption of veganism as it is to assume most individuals would consider their daily actions through an egalitarian lens.  

however, if we truly want to help ease world hunger and reduce our impact on climate change, we must modify our eating habits on an international scale – and having governments around the world adopt emissions taxes on meat is one way to help accomplish that change. 

prior to the industrial revolution, most societies did not consume meat on a daily basis, unless you’re family was amongst the elite class. only in the modern era of human consumption have we forgotten that meat is supposed to be a luxury, not a necessity. world hunger and climate change are strong reminders that such indulgences do not come without consequence.

_{learn more about white’s six-year-long journey to help change
the economics of rural villages through off-grid refrigeration in
his tedx talk from july, then check out our bloomberg west
segment on promethean power.}

editor’s pick: what if you had to boil your milk every time you wanted a bowl of cereal?

while american farmers have the luxury of reliable, 24-hour refrigeration systems, farmers in india find it virtually impossible to get milk to the market without dangerous levels of bacteria due to the country’s unreliable power source. as a result, families are forced to boil their milk before drinking it, which diminishes its nutritional value. sam white and sorin grama, founders of promethean power, are focused on developing a diesel-free solution to help farmers in off-grid areas chill their milk. 

_{originally submitted june 18, 2012}

promethean has developed a thermal energy storage platform that eliminates diesel generators for cold-storage applications in rural india. thermal energy is stored using proprietary phase-change materials encapsulated in a modular container, essentially a new type of battery that stores cold liquid rather than electrical energy. this thermal battery pack stores and releases large amounts of energy quickly to cool agricultural products immediately, thereby preserving freshness. we have a repeat customer with india’s largest private dairy.

farmers in many states are ready to start growing it here in the u.s.. farmers in canada are now growing and profiting from it. here is an example of fiber usage and benefits: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jb9teck_hy4 hemp oil was replaced with petroleum oil in paints after it was banned in the mid 1930’s. ben franklin use hemp oil based ink. if we are trying to move from petroleum based products hemp is essential. it can be burned as a bio fuel if necessary.

one acre of hemp can save 4.1 acres of trees in fiber production. that statistic is from the usda.

birdseed used to contain 50% hempseed. the birds would eat those first. what impact did this have on bird health and appetite for pests?

here is a video on hempcrete housing. hundreds have been build in europe and studies show the walls actually absorb co2. http://bcove.me/mq4q659c

as a last resource, all backed by bibliography, please reference http://www.jackherer.com/thebook/chapter-two/