Ruth Afifi - July 2019 - Agricultural Research Services - unpublished

Because of the resources and scientific capabilities of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, penicillin saved the lives of thousands of soldiers during World War II. The drug had been discovered in Britain in 1928, but it was not until 1942 that a small amount from Britain was nurtured by a division of the USDA into the thousands of doses needed by the military.

That USDA division, the Agricultural Research Services (ARS), is still doing great science, but the Trump administration has stopped promoting any research which shows the negative effects of climate change on food production. Since January 2017, the ARS has publicized just two climate-related studies, both favorable to the meat industry. Dozens of climate-related studies have been ignored, including a major study showing that rice loses vitamins in a carbon-rich environment, a fact that will affect hundreds of millions of people.

Climate change is a daunting challenge, but the more we understand how it will affect the planet, the better we will be able to mitigate the damage. The administration's head-in-the-sand approach assures an ever more dreadful future.

Ruth Afifi
Unpublished