Hill Heat

Food systems account for 31 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions. These emissions arise along the whole food supply chain, from production, processing, and packaging to transport, consumption and disposal. Power and transport systems receive the lion share of attention in the global dialogue and response to climate change, while the nexus between food and climate has been largely absent from the climate conversations. To date, very few countries take a comprehensive view of the food system in their climate action plans.

The United States and China, the two largest contributors to greenhouse gas emissions, both face similar climate change threats to agriculture—from extreme weather patterns, stronger floods, extended droughts to greater pests and diseases. Climate impacts threaten economic and food security. As food market superpowers, the United States and China are well positioned to lead efforts in green agriculture to address climate change. Notably, green and climate resilient agriculture were priorities highlighted in the U.S.-China Climate Crisis Statement and the U.S.-China Glasgow Declaration in 2021.

At this May 10th CEF meeting, panelists will give an overview of the global food-climate challenge and delve into opportunities for China and the United States to target the food system to help reach their carbon neutral and short-lived climate pollutant reduction goals.

David Sandalow, (Center for Global Energy at Columbia University and co-founder of the Food Climate Partnership) will set the stage, discussing the food system and climate change. Next, Sally Qiu and Hörn Halldórudóttir Heiðarsdóttir will share insights on China’s food-related greenhouse gas emissions.

The next two speakers will turn the conversation to the farms with Zhenzhong Si (Waterloo University) offering some insights into the government’s policies and bottom-up agroecological initiatives in China that respond to the social and environmental challenges facing the food system while creating new problems for sustainability. And Karen Mancl (Ohio State University) will examine success in sustainable agriculture in the United States and China and explore policies needed to incentivize farmers.

Patty Fong (Global Alliance for the Future of Food), whose CEF Green Tea Chat laid out the urgency for global food system transformation to address climate change, will be the commentator at this session.

RSVP

Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), Chair of the Environment and Public Works (EPW) Subcommittee on Clean Air, Climate and Nuclear Safety, will host a subcommittee field hearing on policies regarding the decommissioning process for nuclear plants such as the Pilgrim Nuclear Station, including nuclear safety and security issues and state, local, and community stakeholder engagement.

The Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station in Plymouth was decommissioned in 2019.

Location: 1820 Court House Plymouth Town Hall 26 Court Street Plymouth, MA 02360

The purpose of the hearing is to examine the President’s budget request for the Department of Energy for Fiscal Year 2023.

• Jennifer Granholm, Secretary of Energy, U.S. Department of Energy

Hearing page

I. Nominee

• S. Lane Tucker to be United States Attorney for the District of Alaska

• S. 977, No Oil Producing and Exporting Cartels Act of 2021 (Grassley, Klobuchar, Lee, Leahy)

Related bill: H.R. 2393

The bill would seek to prohibit foreign states from working collectively to limit the production, set the price, or otherwise restrain the trading of petroleum and natural gas when such actions affect U.S. markets. The bill would authorize the Department of Justice (DOJ) to enforce the prohibition by filing antitrust actions in federal courts. Under the bill, foreign states that restrain trade in petroleum and natural gas would not be immune from the judgment of U.S. courts under the doctrine of sovereign immunity.

Hearing page

Hearing page

• Dr. John N. Nkengasong, of Georgia, to be Ambassador at Large, Coordinator of United States Government Activities to Combat HIV/AIDS globally
• Mr. Marc B. Nathanson, of California, to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Kingdom of Norway
• Ms. MaryKay Loss Carlson, of Arkansas, a Career Member of the Senior Foreign Service, Class of Minister-Counselor, to be Ambassador Extraordinatory and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Republic of the Philippines
• The Honorable Philip S. Goldberg, of the District of Columbia, a Career Member of the Senior Foreign Service, Class of Career Ambassador, to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Republic of Korea
• The Honorable Caroline Kennedy, of New York, to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Commonwealth of Australia

• Amendments to the Treaty on Fisheries between the Governments of Certain Pacific Island States and the Government of the United States of America (Treaty Doc. 115-3)
• Agreement between the Governmemnt of the United States of America and the Government of the Republic of Croatia comprising the instrument as contemplated by Article 3(2) of the Agreement on Extradition between the United States of America and the European Union, signed June 25, 3003, as to the Application of the Treaty on Extradition signed on October 25, 1901 (the “U.S.Croatia Extradition Agreement”) and the Agreement between the Government of the United States and the Government of the Republlic of Croatia comprising the Instrument as contemplated by Article 3(3) of the Agreement on Mutual Legal Assistance between the United States of America and the EUropean Union signed at Washington on June 25, 2003 (the “U.S.Croatia Mutual Legal Assistance Agreement”), both signed at Washington on December 10, 2019 (Treaty Doc. 116-2)
• Amendment to the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer (the “Montreal Protocol”), adopted at Kigali on October 15, 2016, by the Twenty-Eighth Meeting of the Parties to the Monteral Protocol (the “Kigali Amendment”) (Treaty Doc 117-1)

Hearing page

• Jennifer Granholm, Secretary of Energy

Hearing page

• Randy Moore, Chief, U.S. Forest Service

The Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works will hold a Business Meeting to consider the following items:

• Benny R. Wagner, of Tennessee, to be Inspector General of the Tennessee Valley Authority
• Six (6) GSA Resolutions
• Water Resources Development Act of 2022

Hearing page

• Brian McKeon, Deputy Undersecretary for Management and Resources

The FY 2023 budget request has $2.3 billion to support U.S. leadership in addressing the existential climate crisis through diplomacy; scaled-up international climate programs that accelerate the global energy transition to net zero by 2050; support to developing countries to enhance climate resilience; and the prioritization of climate adaptation and sustainability principles in Department and USAID domestic and overseas facilities. This total includes over $1.6 billion for direct programming for climate mitigation and adaptation and over $650 million for the mainstreaming of climate considerations across development programs. Our goal is to deliver climate co-benefits and outcomes in sectors such as agriculture and food security, water and sanitation, and global health.