The false climate solution that just won’t die

Two documentaries arrived on Amazon Prime recently with a bold proposition: By adjusting farming practices, humanity can combat climate change and tackle various issues linked to our current food system. The films, “Kiss the Ground” and its sequel “Common Ground,” advocate for a shift towards “regenerative agriculture,” which aims to enhance soil health by implementing specific farming methods. The documentaries assert that if widely adopted, regenerative agriculture could significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions and mitigate the climate crisis.

Celebrity figures like Jason Momoa feature in the documentaries, supporting the idea that converting farmland to regenerative agriculture could lead to significant carbon sequestration and stabilize the climate. Proponents claim that this approach could also enhance biodiversity, support struggling farmers, clean up polluted waterways, and address human health concerns.

While regenerative agriculture offers environmental and social benefits, the documentaries have been criticized for oversimplifying the solutions to complex issues within the food system. While the films highlight the problems with current agricultural practices, they overlook the trade-offs involved in transitioning to regenerative farming on a large scale.

Regenerative agriculture involves practices such as reducing synthetic chemicals, avoiding tillage, planting cover crops, and implementing rotational grazing. While these methods have ecological advantages, the films fail to address the challenges and limitations associated with widespread adoption of regenerative agriculture. Despite the potential benefits, a shift to regenerative farming would require more land, potentially impacting wildlife habitats, and may not be as effective in sequestering carbon as claimed.

The documentaries also neglect to acknowledge that reducing meat and dairy production has been identified as a more effective strategy for reducing greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture. While regenerative agriculture has its merits, it is not a one-size-fits-all solution to the complex challenges facing the food system and the environment.