Even a science averse person can understand this! The world's food

[Laura PourMeADrink]

supply is losing it's protein nutrients like iron an zinc due to climate change and carbon levels and there are countries who will feel the effect first - the ones who have a big part of their diets dependent on food like rice.

A USDA scientist, Ziska, has been tracking nutrients for two decades. He was told not to give interviews so he quit USDA and went to Columbia U as a professor

CNN just had a clip on this.
https://amp.wbur.org/hereandnow/2019/09/19/trump-usda-ziska-climate-change-research

Plants, which are the basis of all life, are changing,” says Ziska, now an associate professor at the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University, “and how they're changing is going to have implications, not only for human health but also for the environment as a whole.”

Prior to submitting this research for peer review, he says his superiors gave him permission. When the paper was accepted, an editor asked the team to write a press release since the research would attract attention from the media.

But after writing the press release, Ziska says he was told that “the conclusions of the paper were not supported by the data.” Ziska and other researchers focused on countries like Bangladesh, where more than 50% of people’s calories come from rice alone, and used predictions for carbon levels that he is “almost certain will happen before the end of the current century.”

The study found protein levels in rice decrease as the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere increases. Key nutrients that are important for human health ⁠— like iron, zinc and vitamin B ⁠— are also declining.

“What's happening right now is an unprecedented increase in carbon in the air that's not keeping pace with other elements such as nitrogen and phosphorus and potassium that come from the soil,” he says.

[malaise]

1. We are a despicable species

particularly those who claim dominion over all.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

2. It makes me think we HAVE to elect an administration

who cares. Simply cares. It may or may not have a direct affect on us personally but heaven help our kids and grandkids ❤️ and people all over the world. People will suffer. How can any of us as human beings not care?

As usual, I will mention for the hundreth time, Trump reversed an Obama regulation to stop coal companies from dumping sludge into our waters (link in my signature line) that was proven to contain cancer causing components. Wtf? This is some kind of crime for sure ! Any candidate who mentions this would be rewarded for sure.

[DemocracyMouse]

13. Wait.... Trump knowingly promoted higher cancer levels in the USA, USA, USA?

Is this a nightmare? Pinch me!

[Laura PourMeADrink]

3. PS As usual, Malaise, you boil it down so succinctly

As usual, I get too wordy

[malaise]

4. But you're right

Sometimes I should be more wordy

[customerserviceguy]

7. Brevity

is the soul of wit. You do an excellent job of boiling things down to understandable bits.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

8. He does!

[malaise]

18. She

[Laura PourMeADrink]

23. You're a girl? Whaaaaa???

[malaise]

17. Thank you

[ffr]

12. +1

Thank you BTW for speaking truth.

We, as a species, will evolve differently from what we are if we are lucky. Our impact upon Mother Earth, has seen to it, that we do not continue in our current form for much longer. And if we know anything about evolution, we know that a species that cannot adapt quickly to changes in our environment, like those who were witness to the CE, most of our gene pool will not survive the next century. The chemistry of Earth will see to that.

[malaise]

19. The chemistry of Earth will see to that

Correct

[canetoad]

5. Here's a great article about this

From a couple of years ago.

The Great Nutrient Collapse


snip...
What Loladze found is that scientists simply didn’t know. It was already well documented that CO2levels were rising in the atmosphere, but he was astonished at how little research had been done on how it affected the quality of the plants we eat. For the next 17 years, as he pursued his math career, Loladze scoured the scientific literature for any studies and data he could find. The results, as he collected them, all seemed to point in the same direction: The junk-food effect he had learned about in that Arizona lab also appeared to be occurring in fields and forests around the world. “Every leaf and every grass blade on earth makes more and more sugars as CO2 levels keep rising,” Loladze said. “We are witnessing the greatest injection of carbohydrates into the biosphere in human history―[an] injection that dilutes other nutrients in our food supply.”
https://www.politico.com/agenda/story/2017/09/13/food-nutrients-carbon-dioxide-000511

[Laura PourMeADrink]

9. That's amazing. With everyone so big on Keto diet..I

wonder how accurate charts are with food components. Everything seems so fucked up.

[Stuart G]

6. k and r no text.

[Ilsa]

10. Rachel Maddow covered this as an introduction into

the forced exodus at USDA via the relocation scheme. The Chief of staff for trump mentioned in a speech that it was a great way to get rid of the department employees who had been been there for so long: tell them they have to relocate to Kansas City.

But she covered that the story about the research showing that food staples are becoming less nutritious, and the trump admin forcing the research underground.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

14. I worked there for 3 years on 9-11

audit. The people I met were amazingly bright and dedicated. I would LOVE to talk to them but stupidly didn't get personal emails. People I knew well will respond via dept email...but I can tell they are watching their words and can't even hide it well. Like they answer with a strange code like "we are not ok..".

[Ilsa]

21. Wow. That's incredible.

The stress must be unbelievable.

[JoeOtterbein]

11. As the chef at a hospital back in the late 80's, I learned how to analyze recipes and menus with...

...computer software for the dieticians. I still do what we now know as "Nutrition Facts" for bakeries, restaurants, etc. From the beginning, foodservice pros have depended on the USDA to provide an accurate database of most common foods. So we could give our customers the most accurate data available.

Now, I have no idea if the USDA data is worthless.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

16. Nothing that we knew for honestly and given fact

(of course, to the best of their ability) exists any more. I would venture a guess that there are likely more impeachable offenses now than non-related Mueller finding offenses.

[Ligyron]

15. Now what kinda hippie shi ...

Heck, everybody knows carbon dioxide is a fertilizer, rat? Maybe them smarty pants scientists should move outta DC to the middle of the country where real 'muricans live and grow stuff. If they don't like it they can just quit.

And rice? Shoot, them things grow in swamps...like the one in Washington I reckon. Mr Trump is draining that one pronto so they couldn't a done no fancy 'speriments there like they says they did anyways.

'Sides, that Ziska feller teaches at some Mailman School so what would they know about plants?

[Bluepinky]

20. Nutrients are depleted in plants for another reason as well, related to modern agriculture practices

The wide use of pesticides and growing the same crops over and over depletes the soil and dilutes the nutrients in the plants. It’s interesting to think that the rise in temperature can also contribute to nutrient losses. Interesting and sad. The plant foods we eat today are less nutritious than the same foods our grandparents consumed.

[Hermit-The-Prog]

22. and much of it tastes like blended, mushy cardboard

[Bluepinky]

24. That's a good point, fruits and vegetables don't taste as good now either.

[Hermit-The-Prog]

25. partly as a result of growing for consistency, ability to withstand shipping

[Laura PourMeADrink]

27. Home grown are better but even those aren't as good IMHO

[Hortensis]

26. Trump admin tried to quash established science, is studied many places

and ongoing for at least 40 years.