Across the U.S. and around the world, organizations have been gearing up for this moment: Climate Week began Monday in New York City. The many activities planned over the days ahead—including the United Nations Food Systems Summit—have been months and often years in the making.
In a nutshell, Climate Week represents “the time and place where the world gathers to showcase leading climate action and discuss how to do more, fast,” as its official website puts it.

So what’s the urgency? President Biden offered his take on that question this week, announcing multiple new programs of the U.S. government to address the human health and environmental effects of extreme heat. Those include efforts to strengthen and enforce heat-related safety precautions for workers in agriculture and other industries; guidelines on tree-plantings to shade urban areas; and data capture and research to assess the often disproportionate impact of extreme heat on Black, Brown and Indigenous Americans.

“The United States experienced a dangerously hot summer this year, breaking records last set during the Dust Bowl,” a White House announcement stated. “The climate crisis is making heat waves more intense and frequent – endangering workers and communities.”
Our Farm Journal editors have documented the stresses of drought throughout the year. A particularly memorable yet sobering example: Grasshoppers swarming stressed wheat fields, a phenomenon not seen in some places since the 1980s. The White House announcement indicated some of this year’s heat conditions haven’t been seen since the Dust Bowl era.

All of these events point to the need for dedicating our time, innovation and urgency to study and address the causes of—and adapt to—severe weather and a changing climate. A year and a half ago, the U.S. dairy industry announced its Net Zero Initiative for achieving “carbon neutral or better” in the area of greenhouse gas emissions, among other environmental targets, by 2050. This summer, the beef industry announced its own program to achieve climate neutrality by 2040.

As we begin the fall meeting season, I’m making a personal “note to self” to level up my own awareness, understanding and capability to make a difference in U.S. food and agriculture’s efforts to help solve for our changing climate. Few issues are more complicated—yet few are as worthy and as essential to solve, for our generation and those to come. Events such as the hybrid Sustainable Ag Summit happening Nov. 17-18 will present a tremendous opportunity to learn, grow and effect lasting change.

Best wishes on a productive and meaningful Climate Week—and if you’re getting involved this year, won’t you drop me a line and tell me about it? I look forward to hearing from you at nbirt@farmjournal.com.

Until next week,
Nate Birt
Vice President
Trust In Food™, a Farm Journal initiative