In interviewing Rachel Bezner Kerr for The New Lede, I was impressed with her deep knowledge of ag systems as well as social and political systems. In this conversation, she shares insights into the role of pesticides in climate change, what will happen if we take the chemical and industrial ag path forward and what we need to do now– change our subsidy programs–if we want to take positive steps toward climate resilience.
Last month, Cornell University professor Rachel Bezner Kerr traveled to Egypt where she addressed scientists and political leaders gathered from around the world at the 27th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP 27).
Bezner Kerr is a co-director of graduate studies for Cornell’s Department of Global Development and one of the three lead coordinating authors of the chapter about food, fiber and other ecosystem products for the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report.
[The IPCC do not conduct scientific studies as a group but are well versed in the latest research and scientific literature. The IPCC is generally regarded as the gold standard in climate science.]
Bezner Kerr believes that time is running out when it comes to options for preventing severe climate change impacts on people and nature.
Among her observations, Bezner Kerr is calling for a systemic transformation across the agricultural industry, which is responsible for approximately 33% of carbon emissions, including those associated with nitrogen-based fertilizers.
The New Lede (TNL [aka yours truly]) spoke with Bezner Kerr upon her return from COP 27 about her views on how and why a food system transformation is needed for climate resilience. The following is an edited and condensed account of the conversation.
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