Climavores: Where food and agriculture fit into America’s big climate bill

Last week, Barack Obama called President Biden’s signing of the Inflation Reduction Act a “BFD” on Twitter. With about $370 billion worth of climate funding, it’s an especially BFD for the planet.

The IRA marks the single largest climate investment in U.S. history, promising lower energy costs, increased energy security, targeted decarbonization efforts across all sectors of the economy, investments in disadvantaged communities, and support for rural communities. But how will it impact food and agriculture in particular?

In this episode, Mike and Tamar dig into the bill’s fine print and highlight some of the “Climavores provisions” they’re excited about. They also check whether Congress followed their four-point plan to promote eating less beef, tackle food waste, ditch biofuels, and safeguard yields. (Spoiler alert: they mostly didn’t). But both agree, there’s still lots to like in this bill.

Resources:

• AgWeb: What's Ag's Stake in the Senate-Passed Inflation Reduction Act?
• The Hill: Inflation Reduction Act puts our oldest climate-fighting technology to work
• Holland & Knight: The Inflation Reduction Act: Summary of Budget Reconciliation Legislation
• farmdocDAILY: Reviewing the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022; Part 1

Have a question about food and climate change for Mike and Tamar? Leave a message on the Climavores hotline at (508) 377-3449. Or email us at [email protected]. We might feature your question on a future episode.

Climavores is a production of Post Script Media.

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