Uploaded June 2026 | Updated September 2026, 1 hour ago
Humanity has cleared a land mass the size of Asia plus Europe to grow food, and our food system generates a third of our carbon emissions. By 2050, we’re going to need a lot more calories to fill nearly 10 billion bellies, but we can’t feed the world without frying it.
Author Michael Grunwald shows how the world, after decades of ignoring the climate problem at the center of our plates, has pivoted to making it worse, embracing solutions that sound sustainable but could make it even harder to grow more food with less land. But he also tells the stories of the dynamic scientists and entrepreneurs pursuing real solutions. Grunwald digs into all of the science and movements and illuminates a path that could save our planetary home for ourselves and future generations.
Michael Grunwald is an environmental journalist and author discussing the themes of Eating the Earth, a book focused on food, agriculture, land use, and climate change. In the talk, he draws on years of reporting, including visits to farms, ranches, startups, conferences, and research labs, to explain why agriculture is both essential and environmentally destructive.
0:00 Introduction
0:45 Why agriculture is an environmental disaster
4:20 The land problem behind food and climate
8:15 Why meat — especially beef — matters
13:30 Food waste and consumer behavior
17:15 Alternative proteins and fake meat
24:00 Better beef and efficient production
29:00 The Green Revolution and industrial farming
35:00 Regenerative agriculture and carbon farming
43:00 Biofuels, land accounting, and policy mistakes
48:00 Pongamia and miracle-tree solutions
53:00 Audience Q&A: population growth
57:30 Public lands, beef, and habitat loss
1:03:00 Vertical farming, bison, and food waste
1:10:00 Permafrost, fish, and climate doom
1:17:00 Water law, lamb, imports, and local food
1:24:00 Plant protein, composting, and packaging
1:31:00 Africa, California agriculture, and closing hope
#FoodClimate #SustainableAgriculture #ClimateChange #RegenerativeAgriculture #FutureOfFood
Humanity has cleared a land mass the size of Asia plus Europe to grow food, and our food system generates a third of our carbon emissions. By 2050, we’re going to need a lot more calories to fill nearly 10 billion bellies, but we can’t feed the world without frying it.
Author Michael Grunwald shows how the world, after decades of ignoring the climate problem at the center of our plates, has pivoted to making it worse, embracing solutions that sound sustainable but could make it even harder to grow more food with less land. But he also tells the stories of the dynamic scientists and entrepreneurs pursuing real solutions. Grunwald digs into all of the science and movements and illuminates a path that could save our planetary home for ourselves and future generations.
Michael Grunwald is an environmental journalist and author discussing the themes of Eating the Earth, a book focused on food, agriculture, land use, and climate change. In the talk, he draws on years of reporting, including visits to farms, ranches, startups, conferences, and research labs, to explain why agriculture is both essential and environmentally destructive.
0:00 Introduction
0:45 Why agriculture is an environmental disaster
4:20 The land problem behind food and climate
8:15 Why meat — especially beef — matters
13:30 Food waste and consumer behavior
17:15 Alternative proteins and fake meat
24:00 Better beef and efficient production
29:00 The Green Revolution and industrial farming
35:00 Regenerative agriculture and carbon farming
43:00 Biofuels, land accounting, and policy mistakes
48:00 Pongamia and miracle-tree solutions
53:00 Audience Q&A: population growth
57:30 Public lands, beef, and habitat loss
1:03:00 Vertical farming, bison, and food waste
1:10:00 Permafrost, fish, and climate doom
1:17:00 Water law, lamb, imports, and local food
1:24:00 Plant protein, composting, and packaging
1:31:00 Africa, California agriculture, and closing hope
#FoodClimate #SustainableAgriculture #ClimateChange #RegenerativeAgriculture #FutureOfFood
