Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Jenny Splitter @jennysplitter.bsky.social · 21h

I really wish I hadn’t read the comments.

Jenny Splitter @jennysplitter.bsky.social · 2d

When livestock trucks crash, the results can be gruesome. Bodycam footage obtained by Animal Partisan reveals a pattern of deference to the meat industry, blocking journalists from reporting on the ground. Fascinating yet disturbing read by @greymoran.bsky.social: sentientmedia.org/police-bodyc...

Police Bodycams Reveal Pattern of Deference to Meat Industry

State troopers cited concerns about animal rights activists as justification for blocking journalists from livestock crash sites.

sentientmedia.org

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Jenny Splitter @jennysplitter.bsky.social · 3d

Slow horses

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Jenny Splitter @jennysplitter.bsky.social · 3d

Maybe @jessfanzo.bsky.social could weigh in?

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Jenny Splitter @jennysplitter.bsky.social · 3d

One of our reporters had a source back out, worried they might lose their federal funding depending on the coverage. The story was about a rewilding project (the benefits are not controversial!) but it didn't matter. @gracehussain.bsky.social wrote about it here:
sentientmedia.org/journalism-h...

Journalism Has Become More Challenging, for Reporters and Sources

Researchers are more reluctant to give interviews since Trump returned to the White House.

sentientmedia.org

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Jenny Splitter @jennysplitter.bsky.social · 3d

"The abundance of ethanol plants and livestock facilities throughout the Corn Belt ensures a constant demand for corn." Story by @ajbeamer.bsky.social insideclimatenews.org/news/0810202...

Growing ‘Continuous Corn’ Drives Emissions of a Powerful Greenhouse Gas. It Doesn’t Have To. - Inside Climate News

Corn monocropping emits higher levels of nitrous oxide, a greenhouse gas which traps heat in the atmosphere more than 300 times as effectively as carbon dioxide. Simple interventions could drastically...

insideclimatenews.org

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Reposted by Jenny Splitter

Zach Boren @zdboren.bsky.social · 3d

you'd think that, just weeks before a global climate summit in the amazon, the UK government would want the public to understand what rainforest collapse would do to food prices...

but no it's been spiked for being 'too negative'

www.thetimes.com/uk/environme...

No 10 blocks report on impact of rainforest collapse on food prices

Downing Street has vetoed release of an assessment that says the loss of the Amazon ecosystem could drive up food inflation as well as lead to mass migration

www.thetimes.com

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Reposted by Jenny Splitter

Jesse D. Jenkins @jessedjenkins.com · 3d

The White House is offering “concierge, white glove service” to oil, coal & other fossil fuel companies that are seeking to gain fast approval for their projects, according to an energy official, while simultaneously slowing down or blocking solar and wind. www.washingtonpost.com/climate-envi... 🔌💡

White House offers ‘concierge’ service to fossil fuel firms, official says

Brittany Kelm, a senior policy adviser for the National Energy Dominance Council, detailed in a podcast how the council works to advance fossil fuel projects.

www.washingtonpost.com

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Reposted by Jenny Splitter

Jess Fanzo @jessfanzo.bsky.social · 3d

Published in Lancet today: We wrote about the alarming rates of acute malnutrition among under 5s in Gaza, linked to military conflict and severe restrictions on food and aid access. Let's hope the ceasefire allows for immediate humanitarian relief and international action: shorturl.at/QdaQU

Documenting atrocity: child malnutrition in Gaza

Since the egregious civilian massacre on Israeli civilians by Hamas on Oct 7, 2023, there have been grave concerns about the conduct of Israeli military operations in Gaza with regard to proportionali...

shorturl.at

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Reposted by Jenny Splitter

Jason Mark @jasondovemark.bsky.social · 4d

"From January to July, as noted by Reuters, solar generation delivered 39% of [California's] generation, a record level, while fossil fuels provided just 26%, a new low since the dawn of modern gas power."
www.canarymedia.com/articles/sol...

Solar is crushing gas power in California this year

The state’s combination of solar and battery plants have pushed clean generation of electricity to new heights, offering a welcome reprieve from high gas…

www.canarymedia.com

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Reposted by Jenny Splitter

Mongabay @mongabay.com · 4d

Indonesia is moving to designate 17 seagrass habitats as strategic areas for blue carbon, a plan that promises climate & community benefits but raises concerns over safeguards.

Experts welcome the initiative but warn it must avoid privatization, ensure fair benefit-sharing & guarantee transparency.

Indonesia eyes seagrass zoning for blue carbon; experts urge community benefits

Indonesia’s push to legalize a blue carbon zoning plan that’s focused on seagrass has sparked optimism for climate solutions, but some experts debate its risks and safeguards. The Indonesian Marine…

news.mongabay.com

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Reposted by Jenny Splitter

Silvia Secchi @profsecchi.bsky.social · 5d

This story is absolutely bonkers.

“There is a “crazy hole in our food safety system” that prevents the FDA from entering Confined Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs) to sample for pathogens that have caused an outbreak in people”.
Let the stewards of the land poison us galore.

Julian A Nowogrodzki @plantnerd.bsky.social · 5d

Factory farm dust could be the missing link in a major food poisoning outbreak, thanks to a "crazy hole in our food safety system”

Natasha Gilbert reports: sentientmedia.org/factory-farm...

How Factory Farm Air Pollution Can Spread Dangerous Bacteria

Factory farm dust can spread E. coli and could have sparked a large food poisoning outbreak in 2018, a new study shows.

sentientmedia.org

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Reposted by Jenny Splitter

FarmSTAND @farmstand.bsky.social · 5d

California’s Low Carbon Fuel Standards have made manure a goldmine for mega-dairies. Nearby communities of color pay the price. “We’re trapped here…It’s a time bomb where we live” sentientmedia.org/california-c... @gaeacabico.bsky.social

How a California Clean Energy Program Became a Boon for Big Dairies

Central Valley residents say the state’s program for cutting methane emissions incentivizes factory farms and leaves local communities gasping.

sentientmedia.org

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Reposted by Jenny Splitter

Sentient @sentientmedia.org · 5d

Want the inside scoop on this story? Sentient sat down with reporter @ninaelkadi.com for a newsletter exclusive Q&A. Subscribe here ➡️ bit.ly/4h2Zaij

Sentient @sentientmedia.org · 6d

In La Paz County Arizona, like 80% of the state, there are few restrictions on groundwater use.

We went to investigate why the desert is running dry, and who stands to profit.

Meet the residents who fear that without change, the area will become unlivable.
buff.ly/32dhv7q

In the Arizona Desert, Where Your Neighbor Is an Alfalfa Farm

Meet the residents of La Paz County Arizona. Here, like 80% of the state, there are few restrictions on groundwater use. We went to investigate why the desert is running dry, and who stands to…

buff.ly

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Reposted by Jenny Splitter

Michael Mechanic @michaelmechanic.bsky.social · 6d

So, @revealnews.org / @motherjones.com first broke the story of foreign governments setting up massive farms in rural Arizona to suck up unregulated groundwater for export. (Also google "The Grab.") Independent newsroom @sentientmedia.org just re-upped the story, including this compelling video.

In the Arizona Desert, Where Your Neighbor Is an Alfalfa Farm

YouTube video by Sentient

www.youtube.com

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Jenny Splitter @jennysplitter.bsky.social · 5d

Are your dreams haunted by Toni Collette too or just me after binging Wayward?

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Jenny Splitter @jennysplitter.bsky.social · 5d

This was literally my torts professor crossing the quad on a Friday afternoon.

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Jenny Splitter @jennysplitter.bsky.social · 6d

"Although foreign-owned private farms make-up fewer than one percent of farms in Arizona, the outcome of the extraction, foreign-owned or not, is the same: The big guys, who can keep digging deeper and deeper, are the ones who will survive." New reporting from @ninaelkadi.com here:

Sentient @sentientmedia.org · 6d

In La Paz County Arizona, like 80% of the state, there are few restrictions on groundwater use.

We went to investigate why the desert is running dry, and who stands to profit.

Meet the residents who fear that without change, the area will become unlivable.
buff.ly/32dhv7q

In the Arizona Desert, Where Your Neighbor Is an Alfalfa Farm

Meet the residents of La Paz County Arizona. Here, like 80% of the state, there are few restrictions on groundwater use. We went to investigate why the desert is running dry, and who stands to…

buff.ly

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Jenny Splitter @jennysplitter.bsky.social · 6d

Important reporting from @kennytorrella.bsky.social on how the meat lobby has infiltrated NYC climate week, including sponsoring Regen House and Food Tank events. Full story here: www.vox.com/future-perfe...

The Protein Pact, a coalition of meat and dairy companies and trade groups, sponsored a panel put on by the climate events company Nest Climate Campus, which listed one of Protein Pact’s representatives — who spoke on its main stage — as a “climate action expert.” The Protein Pact is also a leading sponsor of Regen House, an agriculture events company that hosted several days of Climate Week programming. Meanwhile, the Meat Institute — the founder of the Protein Pact — sponsored events put on by Food Tank, a nonprofit think tank. It would be one thing if the Protein Pact were open to compromise on environmental regulation and spoke more honestly about their industries’ climate impact. But many of its members lobby against environmental action and downplay the industry’s environmental footprint. Some even participated in the campaign against EAT-Lancet’s first report.

Given this track record, it’s hard to see the industry’s presence at Climate Week as anything but a reputation laundering effort.

The Meat Institute, Food Tank, Nest Climate Campus, and Regen House didn’t respond to requests for comment.

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Reposted by Jenny Splitter

Joel S. @joelhs.bsky.social · 7d

I was told not to teach a class on the intellectual histories of Zionism and Anti-Zionism next year - not because they doubted I could teach it fairly, but because it would attract too many politicians scrutinizing the syllabus.

A society where that is a valid fear is no longer fully democratic.

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Covering Climate Now @coveringclimatenow.org · 7d

Data analysis by @sentientmedia.org, a CCNow partner, finds that less than 4% of climate news stories mention animal agriculture as a source of carbon emissions despite the fact that “food and agriculture contribute 1/3 of global greenhouse gas emissions, second only to the burning of fossil fuels.”

Meat is a leading emissions source – but few outlets report on it, analysis finds

Sentient Media reveals less than 4% of climate news stories mention animal agriculture as source of carbon emissions

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Reposted by Jenny Splitter

Sentient @sentientmedia.org · 9d

“Emissions from food are still very underreported,” @jennysplitter.bsky.social, Sentient's editor-in-chief, tells Anay Mridul of Green Queen. Learn more about our analysis of 11 major U.S. outlets:

Less Than 4% of US Media Climate Coverage Mentions Meat & Dairy's Emissions Toll: New Analysis

An analysis of hundreds of online articles from US media shows that less than 4% mention and contextualise the role of meat in climate change. Here's why.

buff.ly

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Reposted by Jenny Splitter

Richard Waite @waiterich.bsky.social · 9d

EAT-Lancet 2.0 report is out today, updating the influential 2019 report.

On my first read it seems to bring further data/evidence to support the big solutions for food/climate/nature: 1) improve productivity & env performance of agriculture, 2) reduce food loss/waste, 3) healthy/sustainable diets.

The EAT–Lancet Commission on healthy, sustainable, and just food systems

The global context has shifted dramatically since publication of the first EAT–Lancet Commission in 2019, with increased geopolitical instability, soaring food prices, and the COVID-19 pandemic exacer...

www.thelancet.com

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Reposted by Jenny Splitter

The Xylom @thexylom.com · 10d

BREAKING: Mario Guevara, the Atlanta-based Spanish-language journalist who was arrested covering an anti-Trump protest, has been transported to a Louisiana immigration facility, from where his family said he will be deported to El Salvador tomorrow at 11 a.m.

www.wabe.org/family-says-...

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Jenny Splitter @jennysplitter.bsky.social · 12d

"37 researchers worked for over two years to answer the question: How can we feed the world’s growing population in a healthy manner without risking environmental collapse?"

The backlash to the research was intense and intentional, and it could happen it again.
sentientmedia.org/the-study-bi...

The Study Big Meat Tried to Bury — and Why It Matters Again

When a sweeping scientific study called for eating less meat, the meat industry launched a full-scale attack. And we could be in for a repeat.

sentientmedia.org

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