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America's food system is driving climate change, and 'the problem is getting worse'

Cows stand in the middle of a prairie.
Eva Tesfaye
/
Harvest Public Media
Cows standing in the middle of a prairie.

In bestselling author Michael Grunwald's new book "We Are Eating The Earth," he highlights how agriculture is dramatically contributing to climate change. He's speaking next week at the Kansas City Public Library.

It's clear that our reliance on fossil fuels is contributing to climate change around the world. But about one-third of our climate problem is related to our approach to agriculture.

In his book "We Are Eating The Earth: The Race to Fix Our Food System and Save Our Climate," author Michael Grunwald highlights that factors like beef production, food waste and damaging ecosystems by using large swaths of land for agriculture all play a role in climate change.

He told KCUR's Up To Date that while rolling back fossil fuels is a very big problem, we at least understand the solutions. With our food system, it is much harder to address.

"The problem is getting worse," Grunwald said. "We've made really no progress, and people are complaining about all the energy progress that's being rolled back right now. That's kind of a luxury that food doesn't have. That's really what kind of inspired me to write the book, was to sort of, at least try to get people to grapple with what's going on."

We Are Eating The Earth: The Race to Fix Our Food System and Save Our Climate, 6 p.m. Tuesday, July 8 at the Kansas City Central Library's Helzberg Auditorium, 14 W 10th Street, Kansas City, Missouri 64105.

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When I host Up To Date each morning at 9, my aim is to engage the community in conversations about the Kansas City area’s challenges, hopes and opportunities. I try to ask the questions that listeners want answered about the day’s most pressing issues and provide a place for residents to engage directly with newsmakers. Reach me at steve@kcur.org or on Twitter @stevekraske.
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