Grow Grains Capable of Fighting Climate Change and World Hunger

Target: Alok Sharma, President of 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference

Goal: Advocate for and support investment in sustainable grains capable of mitigating climate change.

A new form of grain could cut down on pollution and help prevent climate change if those in charge give it a chance. That chance will arrive at the at the upcoming COP26 Climate Change Conference, where world leaders converge, discuss, and make pledges about the climate crisis. This incredibly consequential meeting needs more than words, however. It needs real solutions and decisive action.

Scientists have developed this revolutionary new grain to both tackle the climate crisis and help lessen global hunger. Kernza, a perennial type of sustainable wheatgrass grain, is an important development in these fights. Currently, grains must be planted every year to meet international demands. The need for such relentless production lends itself to a number of destructive farming practices. Tilling degrades soil, contributes to erosion, and releases more carbon emissions into the atmosphere. Fertilizer, which can combat some of these effects, also comes with a whole new set of risks because of toxic nitrous oxide emissions and other dangers from poisonous runoff. And pesticides can hurt any living being within range.

Sustainable grains like Kernza neutralize the need for all of these processes. Their perennial nature means that crops arise year after year.  The root systems store carbon deeper in soil, making release harder. Tilling is lessened, and the adaptability of the grains alongside other crops in turn lessens the need for fertilizer. With such invaluable tools in hand, farming can transform from a driver of climate change into an effective solution.

Sign the petition below to urge global leaders to invest in promising sustainable grains that could be a game-changer.

PETITION LETTER:

Dear Mr. Sharma,

The UN Climate Change Conference needs a clear vision and concrete goals. The fate of the world literally depends on it. Global leaders took an important step with the Coalition on Sustainable Productivity Growth for Food Insecurity and Resource Conservation. This commitment needs to go further.

Consider the amazing promise sustainable grains such as Kernza show in feeding more people and serving the planet’s health as well. This one grain alone is perennial and able to produce crops year after year in the absence of the most damaging farming practices. Productivity increases, workload decreases, and Earth’s exposure to dangerous emissions like carbon and nitrous oxide lessens exponentially.

Please make these game-changing grains a serious focus of climate crisis proposals. Invest fully in these tools and help them make the journey from laboratory discovery to real-world meaningful application.

Sincerely,

[Your Name Here]

Photo Credit: Lilac Dragonfly


2 Comments

  1. Be careful of “scientifically” created grains. I won’t sign this petition until there is more information. Remember GMO corn, rice, wheat, fish? Sometimes something sounds great in the advertising but ends up causing it’s own problems. If this can be raised organically and earth friendly, then I will consider standing up for it.

  2. To eliminate world hunger the only way to do it is to eat a 100% plant based diet. Plants take up much less resources than animal “products”. Animal “products” require 20 times the resources of plant products.

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