• Skip to Content
  • Skip to Main Navigation
  • Skip to Search

Indiana University Indiana University IU

Open Search
  • Who We Are
    • Leadership
    • Advisory Boards
    • Researchers
    • Staff
    • Mission and Vision
  • Who We Work With
    • Local Governments
      • ERI Toolkit
      • Hoosier Resilience Index
      • Webinars
      • Resilience Cohort
    • Educators
    • Residents
      • Hoosier Resilience Heroes
    • Researchers
    • Careers
  • Research
    • Wildlife Migration
    • Pests and Invasive Species
    • Climate and Water Systems
    • Forests and Green Infrastructure
    • Human Impacts and Attitudes
    • Communication, Education, and Outreach
    • ERI Data Resources
  • Tools & Resources
  • News & Events
    • News
    • Events
    • Newsletters
  • Support Our Work
  • Contact
  • Donate

Environmental Resilience Institute
Part of the Prepared for Environmental Change Grand Challenge

  • Home
  • Who We Are
    • Leadership
    • Advisory Boards
    • Researchers
    • Staff
    • Mission and Vision
  • Who We Work With
    • Local Governments
    • Educators
    • Residents
    • Researchers
    • Careers
  • Research
    • Wildlife Migration
    • Pests and Invasive Species
    • Climate and Water Systems
    • Forests and Green Infrastructure
    • Human Impacts and Attitudes
    • Communication, Education, and Outreach
    • ERI Data Resources
  • Tools & Resources
  • News & Events
    • News
    • Events
    • Newsletters
  • Support Our Work
  • Search
  • Contact
  • Donate
  • Home
  • News & Events
  • News
  • Archive
  • 2020
  • Bipartisan bill would help farmers and our climate

Bipartisan bill would help farmers and our climate

By: Indiana Business Journal

Friday, August 14, 2020

Decorative - a headshot of Janet McCabe
Janet McCabe

Our bitterly divided federal government has produced little bipartisan legislation recently, so it’s encouraging to see the “Growing Climate Solutions Act” by a bipartisan group of senators, including Indiana Sen. Mike Braun. A bipartisan House version (five Republicans and five Democrats) was recently introduced. These are very important steps in America’s response to the public health and economic threats of our changing climate.

Agriculture contributes about 10% of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and forestry adds more. Many opportunities exist for farmers and foresters to reduce carbon through cost-effective actions such as healthy soil management, decreased use of fossil-fuel-based fertilizers, increased use of clean renewable fuels, reforestation, and livestock management. Some farmers and foresters are already adopting these smart climate practices, but not nearly enough if we are to decrease carbon at the rate necessary to keep global warming below the level needed to avoid major public health and economic harms.

The Senate bill would encourage farmers to adopt climate-friendly practices by increasing their ability to turn climate action into cash. It provides transparency, legitimacy and informal endorsement of third-party carbon credit verifiers and technical service providers with agriculture and forestry expertise to help farmers and foresters generate carbon credits they can sell on the market. A “one-stop shop” website for those interested in participating in carbon markets will get them easily in the door. As Lafayette farmer Brent Bible said in a recent blog post, “ongoing and diversified revenue streams … would help smooth the ups and downs of the commodity markets and keep [farmers] in business.”

Read the full article

Additional links and resources

  • ERI INTRANET
  • GRAND CHALLENGES
Donation button to Give Now to Environmental Resilience Institute
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • YouTube

Indiana University

Accessibility | Privacy Notice | Copyright © 2021 The Trustees of Indiana University

  • Who We Are
    • Leadership
    • Advisory Boards
    • Researchers
    • Staff
    • Mission and Vision
  • Who We Work With
    • Local Governments
      • ERI Toolkit
      • Hoosier Resilience Index
      • Webinars
      • Resilience Cohort
    • Educators
    • Residents
      • Hoosier Resilience Heroes
    • Researchers
    • Careers
  • Research
    • Wildlife Migration
    • Pests and Invasive Species
    • Climate and Water Systems
    • Forests and Green Infrastructure
    • Human Impacts and Attitudes
    • Communication, Education, and Outreach
    • ERI Data Resources
  • Tools & Resources
  • News & Events
    • News
    • Events
    • Newsletters
  • Support Our Work
  • Contact
  • Donate