******************** POSTING RULES & NOTES ******************** #1 YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message. #2 This mail-list, like most, is publicly & permanently archived. #3 Subscribe and post under an alias if #2 is a concern. *****************************************************************
The recent laws pending in New Zealand is not the way to proceed. https://theconversation.com/nz-introduces-groundbreaking-zero-carbon-bill-including-targets-for-agricultural-methane-116724 Putting it on farmers to fix their emissions themselves won't work. They are too much contaisned by the market and debt. As the original article argues: "This transformative vision for the future of agriculture is possible, but only within the context of a national paradigm shift with the full backing and resources of the state. We don’t have time for individual farmers to adopt regenerative practices on a case-by-case basis. The 2018 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report is very clear: In order to keep the consequences of global warming from becoming irrevocably cataclysmic, we need to reduce emissions by 45 percent by 2030 and reach net-zero emissions by 2050. That will be extraordinarily difficult, if not impossible, without converting our country’s nearly 1 billion acres of farmland into a deep carbon sink.:" https://truthout.org/articles/a-green-new-deal-must-prioritize-regenerative-agriculture/?utm_source=sharebuttons&utm_medium=facebook&utm_campaign=mashshare The same one-approach ruled by imperatives misses the dynamic we have to foster. As this article on New Zealand regenerative agriculture points out : http://www.fao.org/3/a-bt439e.pdf "New Zealand has had one of the world’s highest rates of agricultural land intensification over recent decades (Ministry for the Environment, 2017).Over the last fifteen years dairy farming in particular has intensified beyond natural and environmental limits through imported feed, fertiliser and irrigation. This intensive form of farming has caused increases in production but carries associated environmental problems with rising greenhouse gas emission, increasing water pollution and decreasing biodiversity. "Greg Hart,a regenerative farmer from Hawke’s Bay,reflects on these environmental issues: “We have a very clear understanding that where it’s all heading is not working”. "It is also a heavily debt laden model. New Zealand dairy farmers are among the most highly indebted in the world with around eight thousand farmers collectively holding around $38 billion worth of debt. This has led to high levels of strain among rural communities. "Steve Broughton, one of the regenerators,says: “There are a lot of stressed out, depressed farmers out there”.Greg characterises the situation like this: “There are two paths laid out in front of us now, one is that business as usual path which is leading to a climate change disaster whereas we do have another option of going down a more eco-friendly system that is in balance of nature" dave riley _________________________________________________________ Full posting guidelines at: http://www.marxmail.org/sub.htm Set your options at: https://lists.csbs.utah.edu/options/marxism/archive%40mail-archive.com
