Vilsack Showcases U.S. Ag's Climate Role at COP28

The United States’ leadership in climate-smart agriculture and forestry is taking center stage at the 2023 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28) as Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack and other U.S. Department of Agriculture officials highlight the U.S. commitment to investing in innovative climate solutions, quantifying and demonstrating results, and sharing resources and solutions with the world.

“COP28 comes at a critical juncture, seven years after the Paris Agreement entered into force and seven years before 2030, when significant targets must be met to keep us within reach of the goal of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius,” Secretary Vilsack said. “We’re proud to be here in Dubai, highlighting the steps we’re taking to tackle the climate crisis and bring new opportunities to producers and rural communities in America and worldwide. USDA and the Biden-Harris Administration are making unprecedented investments in climate-focused practices and partnerships and, as we share our learnings from American agriculture and forestry on a global scale, the progress we’re making domestically will also have international benefits.”

Secretary Vilsack is participating in COP28 from December 8-10. December 10 marks the first-ever day at a United Nations Climate Change Conference dedicated to food and agriculture. USDA Chief Scientist and Under Secretary for Research, Education and Economics Dr. Chavonda Jacobs-Young is also in attendance and joins the Secretary in amplifying the important role of science in driving climate-smart agricultural innovation globally.

Investing in Climate Solutions

Secretary Vilsack highlighted the fact that President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act, the single-largest investment in climate and clean energy solutions in American history, provides billions of dollars to reduce agricultural greenhouse gas emissions, encourage new economic activity in rural areas, and protect the communities most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. USDA investments include:

Nearly $20 billion to help producers implement practices and projects that reduce emissions, enhance soil carbon sequestration and provide other climate benefits;

More than $13 billion to provide rural America with clean, affordable energy and increase the availability of domestic biofuels; and

$5 billion to maximize the power of public and private forests in the fight against climate change.

Through the Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities, USDA has invested more than $3 billion in pilot projects that provide verifiable on-farm emissions reduction and carbon sequestration benefits, while also creating new market opportunities for producers who use climate-smart practices.

Source: usda.gov

Photo Credit: gettyimage-jamesbrey