Antibiotics used in livestock production could cause soil to release more carbon
A Meat and Dairy Article from All-Creatures.org

FROM TheCounter.org
December 2021

The Biden administration is banking on soil’s ability to remove heat-trapping carbon emissions from the atmosphere. Emerging research suggests that farming practices like antibiotic use could thwart those plans.

Edwin Remsberg/VWPics/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

The Biden administration is banking on soil’s ability to remove heat-trapping carbon emissions from the atmosphere. Emerging research suggests that farming practices like antibiotic use could thwart those plans.

In his speech at the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Glasgow this November, President Joe Biden gave a special shout-out to soil. The humble compound, he said, could play a mighty role in the U.S. response to the climate crisis.

“When I talk to the American people about climate change, I tell them it’s about […] the farmers who will not only help fight global hunger but also use the soil to fight climate change,” reads a transcript of his remarks.

It’s safe to assume that he was nodding specifically to soil carbon storage—the popular idea that healthy soil can remove heat-trapping gases like carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. It wouldn’t be the first time the administration has extolled this strategy: In one of his earliest executive orders, Biden praised soil’s potential to capture carbon. Since April, the Department of Agriculture (USDA) has been promoting its land conservation program as a vehicle to store carbon in the ground. And in October, the agency announced a $10 million investment to monitor soil carbon sequestration long-term.

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Please read the ENTIRE ARTICLE HERE (PDF).

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