by Anna Lappé, New York Times
To the Editor:
Re “The Big Questions” (“The Climate Issue,” Food section, May 1):
Almost a decade ago, I published a book arguing that to address the climate crisis we must transform not only our energy system, but our food system, too. So I was thrilled to see the Times feature on this critical theme.
It’s just as important to talk about changing how we produce our food as it is to question what we eat. Yes, those of us in meat-gobbling America could reduce our burger intake, but swapping out Quarter Pounders for heavily processed plant-based fare produced in unsustainable ways is not the answer.
Indeed, the science is showing just what a crucial role organic and agro-ecological farming practices play in reducing farm emissions and improving soil health, while fostering resiliency to droughts and floods and soil-based carbon sequestration. These farming approaches also protect farmers, workers and eaters from brain-damaging, cancer-causing, infertility-inducing pesticides, and they promote the biodiversity and insect health essential for food security, and, heck, planetary survival.
Anna Lappé
Berkeley, Calif.
The writer is the author of “Diet for a Hot Planet: The Climate Crisis at the End of Your Fork and What You Can Do About It.”