back

How farmers can fight climate change

This Iowan's farm has become a campaign stop for top 2020 candidates. This is why he argues that farmers could be at the forefront of the fight against climate change.

The farmer and attorney is an advocate for the idea of farmers working with each other to find creative solutions on issues related to climate change

Matt Russell wants farmers like himself to start leading the fight against climate change. According to Russell, farmers can make simple operational changes to be more carbon-neutral and have a positive impact on the environment. Since calling for these changes, Russell’s Iowa farm has become a campaign stop for 2020 presidential candidates. Russell says he would like to see the conversation about climate change move beyond the political lines in the sand that have sometimes been drawn.

Helping solve the problem efficiently and effectively

Climate change is a political issue as well, and many of the Democratic presidential candidates roaming Iowa have come up with rural plans and climate change proposals. A tour of candidate websites indicates many are supportive of biofuels and of other forms of alternative energy. But while many of the presidential candidates talk about policies and in some cases use climate change as political talking points, Russell is taking a more basic approach. He’s talking to farmers and trying to find ways of allowing them to solve problems.

Changing the economics to reward those farmers who are providing environmental services

“Right now, there's not a penny of federal dollars that are focused on delivering climate services. There's soil health, regenerative agriculture, there's some really good conservation stuff, but none of it is focused on climate. And we really have farmers across the political spectrum come together and say, "No, look, this is a big problem. That's what we do, solve problems every day. So, if you want our help, we can lead and solve this problem.” Beto O'Rourke asked to come to the farm, and then Senator Harris, and then, you know, Vice President Joe Biden in November. And so, it’s really been snowballing since”, Matt Russell tells Brut.

The message has showed up in every debate

Russell spent a decade working at the Drake University Agricultural Law Center before he left to head Iowa Interfaith Power & Light. He led a panel on climate change at a conference on soil that was sponsored by the Drake center.

Brut.

02/03/2020 10:57 AMupdated: 02/05/2020 10:39 PM
  • 25.7k
  • 47

And even more

  1. 4:35

    The right way to plant trees

  2. 4:50

    Severn Cullis-Suzuki's Speech at the Rio Summit in 1992

  3. 3:01

    Air Travel Pollution Keeps Growing

  4. 3:03

    Putting Wild Cats to Work

  5. 2:26

    4 Foods Of The Future

  6. 4:14

    Coffee giants use child labor

44 comments

  • Helen S.
    03/04/2020 22:36

    Quit killing trees,this will solve global warming

  • Chris H.
    02/28/2020 00:15

    I want chemical farming to stop

  • Vic B.
    02/26/2020 02:54

    There’s no way to fight the climate change as many people call it unless you stop living so shut up and live your life and try to preserve the planet not for the climate but for the generation coming 🧐🧐

  • Andrew K.
    02/19/2020 22:20

    Global warming is a joke climate change is a thing it's why we have 4 season I agree corn and soybean is a problem I have been using my farm in the right practices building organic matter plant diversity bee's and just about any kind of animal you can think of

  • Andrew K.
    02/19/2020 22:16

    https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=B1KYvz7FFrE&t=2s

  • Larry B.
    02/19/2020 17:11

    The tilt on the planet has moved to the east. Just move it back!

  • Grady J.
    02/19/2020 07:16

    The Republicans and Rush LargeMouth don't believe in climate change

  • Scott B.
    02/16/2020 02:30

    This post reminded me of a song from Tanya Tucker. Give a listen. https://youtu.be/aSgGoMD6pdg

  • Lawyermau F.
    02/14/2020 22:49

    Help the world to be a better place. I'm from Samoa and I love to grow plants eg. Eatable plants and also plants that are good for the environment and our surrounding... it might be small but it is a start of something to help captivate the attention of the youth nowadays to start and plant a plant it doesn't matter if is just one or two trees but at least it's a plant and that will help the world to become a better place for us and the world.

  • Leonard C.
    02/12/2020 11:34

    Good one my friend !!!

  • John W.
    02/11/2020 15:14

    Democrats are not for the people but against the people..They have the American farmers and minorities fulled..Trump 2020

  • John W.
    02/11/2020 15:13

    If the federal government or anyone in it really wanted to help the farms then they would have stoped TAXING them to death and making them dependent on the federal government..Do away with the property tax the on fallowing..farm equipment, real property which is farmed. Also start doing more grants and less loans..Trump 2020

  • Craig C.
    02/11/2020 14:54

    Stop all subsides and they will grow something different.

  • Leemesh B.
    02/10/2020 10:38

    Traditional farming will destroy our environment they use more land then it will cause deforestation

  • Robin M.
    02/10/2020 03:50

    Incentivizing aka socialism.

  • James J.
    02/10/2020 03:16

    So if we pay higher "Carbon taxes" we will have better weather? Some people will believe anything. They used to throw virgins into volcanoes for the same reason.

  • Karen C.
    02/09/2020 21:49

    Www.stopthecrime.net

  • Karen C.
    02/09/2020 21:49

    Www.geoengineeringwatch.org

  • Stacie L.
    02/09/2020 12:56

    This is Great! But if we are going to talk about incentives for farmers transitioning out of bad behaviors I want to see reward for those who took it upon themselves to make hard, expensive changes or never chose destructive mono crops in the first place!

  • Martina C.
    02/09/2020 02:34

    Authentic.