Carbon markets

What the USDA could do on climate

The Biden administration’s approach to the climate crisis has been all-hands-on-deck. That means all departments and agencies, including the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), are supposed to report to the White House on climate action steps.

WEBINAR: A Call to Address Climate Change: Food Producer Perspectives on the Path Forward

This webinar focused on grassroot concerns about carbon markets in agriculture. As the climate crisis increasingly impacts rural communities in the U.S., corporate capture of the climate agenda threatens to undermine efforts to hold polluters accountable and bolster resilience in rural communities.

Paris Agreement: Biden's chance to restore international standing

The following op-ed originally appeared on The Hill on January 22, 2021. 

Five questions for Vilsack: What will be different in return to USDA?

When Tom Vilsack began his first term as agriculture secretary in 2009, IATP lifted up a series of challenges and opportunities for the department, urging him to follow in the path of another Iowan at USDA, Henry Wallace. We wrote: “the central challenges once again are markets run amok and the unsustainable farming practices they promote.” We pointed out “the real winners in the system are a tiny handful of agribusiness companies, who profit from the boom bust cycle and whose anti-competitive control of the market hurts farmers an

Making carbon trading globally legitimate: the road show has begun

When companies seek to attract investors, they go on “road shows” to pitch their goods, services and projected Return on Investment (RoI).

A roadmap for the Biden-Harris administration: Re-designing farm systems for the climate crisis

As the Biden-Harris transition team rapidly fills key cabinet positions and senior leadership, it also is setting priorities for the first 100 days. If the “Build Back Better” mantra is to become reality, particularly in advancing equitable solutions to the climate crisis, the transition team will have to think systemically — not just agency by agency.

Why agricultural carbon offsets can’t play a role in international climate action

Today, governments at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) are discussing the role of carbon markets in international climate action. The “Article 6”