December, 2017 – The Emmett Environmental Law & Policy Clinic has released its new report, “Opportunities to Address Climate Change in the Farm Bill”, which summarizes the Clinic’s proposals for how to address climate change in the Farm Bill, both during the current authorization process and in the future. The report provides recommendations for both climate mitigation strategies to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and increase carbon sequestration from agriculture, and climate adaptation strategies to increase the resiliency of farms to the impacts of a changing climate. The report’s specific recommendations are 1) incorporate resilience measures into crop insurance and conservation compliance to better manage on-farm climate risks under Titles II and XI; 2) ensure the best available science and research—including the outcome of pilot programs—are incorporated into Farm Bill programs; and 3) advance manure management collection and storage methods, as well as biogas development under Title IX to mitigate GHG contributions from livestock.
The paper was authored by Clinic students Sara Dewey, JD’17, Liz Hanson, HKS’18, Claire Horan, JD’18, Deputy Director Shaun Goho, and Director Wendy Jacobs.