Trading Away Our Bees

November 4th, 2014

TTIP webinar series: Neonics, Bees and Trade 9:00 am -10:00 am Minneapolis / 4:00 pm – 5:00 pm Brussels The die-off of bees and other pollinators poses an enormous threat to our food and agriculture system and environment. A growing body of scientific evidence points to neonicotinoids (neonics), a class of systemic pesticides, as a primary cause of the massive decline of bees. Last year the EU imposed a moratorium on certain neonics, and a broader review of harmful pesticides is underway. Environmental and agriculture organizations are pushing for a ban in the U.S. at both the

Rural Climate Dialogues

November 12th, 2014

This past June, the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy and the Jefferson Center co-hosted the first Rural Climate Dialogue in Morris, Minnesota. The Rural Climate Dialogues are part of an effort to spur rural leadership and build resiliency in the face of extreme weather conditions and a changing climate. The dialogue gathered 15 Morris residents for an intense three-day deliberative forum to discuss risks posed by climate change and develop a shared, community-based response to changing weather patterns and extreme weather events. The Dialogue participants had access to r