REGENERATE
Why We Are Boycotting COP28
By André Leu, International Director at Regeneration International:
The ministers from 196 countries, their entourages of staff, UN bureaucrats, and corporate executives will fly into Dubai in private jets and on first-class tickets. They will stay in 5-star hotels, eat in the finest restaurants, and be chauffeured in expensive luxury limousines to and from the talkfest at taxpayers’ expense. Hundreds of millions of dollars will be wasted on this extravagant display of corrupt excess. And don’t forget their massive greenhouse gas emissions contributing to climate change.
Like many other not-for-profit organizations, we have spent much money, time, and effort attending these events to stop catastrophic climate change. We flew cattle class, stayed in overpriced dives, and caught public transport to the meetings. We were allowed to observe but not participate in the negotiations. We were segregated in an observer’s area where we could hold side events to give our messages to a handful of like-minded people, preaching to the converted instead of being able to influence the negotiators.
The polluters have hijacked these international meetings. It is a classic case of regulatory capture, where instead of working for the people, the regulators work for the polluters. This year, COP28 is being run by the Middle East oil and gas industry. COP28 is being held in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), one of the ten largest oil producers in the world.
The COPs have been a total failure as the rate of greenhouse gas emissions continuously increases. The international agreements are worthless as the targets are not being met. The fact that this northern hemisphere summer was the hottest on record says everything about the success of the previous 26 United Nations Climate Change COPs that started from the Rio Summit in 1992. 30 wasted years.
SYNTHETIC BIOLOGY
Concerning New Findings About “Animal Free” Dairy
John Fagan Ph.D. , Chairman and Chief Scientific Officer at Health Research Institute writes:
“The Checkout presents this exclusive new interview with Dr. John Fagan, a leading researcher on food integrity and transparency. Dr. John Fagan is a pioneer in applying biological research techniques to understanding what is in our food. He was an early adopter of GMO testing and has more recently applied mass spectrometry to understand the nutrient density of foods down to the molecular level. His latest research takes aim at the synthetic biology industry, also called “precision fermentation”, where biotech companies genetically modify microorganisms to produce analogues to common consumer products, such as milk, honey or vanilla. Dr. Fagan’s new research questions what is actually in these products, including dozens of compounds never before consumed by humans, how these products lack critical nutrients found in organic products, and what the FDA has overlooked in allowing them to be sold.”
Listen to Dr. John Fagan’s Concerning New Findings About “Animal Free” Dairy
Major Change Coming to Supermarket Shelves After Breakthrough – Would You Drink It?
INDIGENOUS CULTURE
What’s The Real Story Behind Thanksgiving?
Kristin Salaky writes for Delish:
“Most Americans are taught the same story about Thanksgiving—that Pilgrims sat together with Native Americans to share a meal and thank them for helping with a successful first harvest. Bonus points if the story you learned also includes an appearance from Squanto or a lesson in fertilizing crops with fish. But most popular retellings of the first Thanksgiving have been proven to be riddled with mistruths. While you may know that on some level, what’s not often discussed is the truth about the holiday’s history and the effect it has on many Native Americans.
So consider this just that—an updated history lesson. Learn why some people choose not to celebrate Thanksgiving and how you can support Native people during the holiday season and beyond.
You probably have some vague idea that the Thanksgiving holiday is not quite the rosy picture you read about in school, but the “real origins” of the holiday are not clear cut either. We’ll give you the best glimpse at what we know, but note: There is a lot of information to digest about this issue and a few supposed origins of the holiday—some of them conflicting. This is the most commonly researched and reported story.”
SUPPORT OCA
Campaigning for Real Organic Food, Transparency & Peace
For 30 years we’ve fought against pesticides, environmental destruction, genetically engineered foods and crops, unjust wars, and more recently, genetically engineered biological weapons, while promoting organic and regenerative food, farming, land-use, Fair Trade, and natural health.
Now OCA and our allies are preparing to step up the pace in 2024. Focus activities in January will include nationwide education, media, and mobilization campaigns to restrict the addition of risky mRNA foods to our food supply, and lab-grown meat: (the process of growing meat in a laboratory setting by culturing animal cells).
We are also building up the campaign we have recently launched to ban new genetically engineered Frankenfoods made with synthetic biology (what the industry calls “precision fermentation).
This is vital work that other activist groups are not addressing at this crucial time, before it potentially becomes the norm. These novel food issues could be swept under the rug without critical review, so please help us get the word out and know your support and donations to carry out these strategic campaigns are key to all of our work in 2024 and beyond.
Please give us a donation today and be part of creating an authentic, organic and regenerative, and more just food supply for us all!
Make a tax-deductible donation to Organic Consumers Association, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit
Make a tax-deductible donation to Regeneration International, our international sister organization
Order your OCA “Planting Peace” bumper stickers from our Minnesota office
HEALTH
You Can Thank the Italian Mafia for Fake Olive Oil
By Shawn Watkins, WSAV:
“On the market, 80% of extra virgin olive oil, EVOO, on American shelves is fake, according to FORBES, containing blends of vegetable, soybean, palm and canola oil.
‘There’s so many fake olive oils because of profit. Like with other products, if a company can mass produce an item for the lowest cost for a higher profit, they are going to do it’, said Chef Alexander Mack from A.M. Diverse Cooking.
Owning a third of the olive fields in Italy, the mafia imports low-grade olive oil from countries like Greece and Spain, then sells and labels this oil as EVOO. In Italy, there is a specific task force that oversees food production and confiscated 2,000 tons of fake EVOO in 2016.”
Read more about the health benefits of olive oil and to how to spot a fake
ENVIRONMENT & CLIMATE
Big Oil’s Big Lies Are Catching Up With Them
Cassidy DiPaola writes for Common Dreams:
“For decades, the fossil fuel industry has misled the public about the climate impacts of its products. Internal documents prove companies like Exxon knew since the 1970s that burning oil and gas drives catastrophic global warming. Yet rather than warn society, they denied the science and obstructed climate action at every turn.
This corporate deception continues today, but the public is catching on in a big way. New polling from Data for Progress reveals 70% of Americans support making Big Oil pay for the climate damages their products have caused. With climate disasters growing in frequency and severity, people are fed up footing the bill for Big Oil’s greed.
Such greed should disgust us all. But outrage alone achieves nothing.
Critically, the American public believes Big Oil should pay for their lies. The new polling reveals that 77% of Americans agree that if oil and gas companies misled the public about climate impacts, they should help cover resulting climate costs.
This consensus crosses political divisions. Agreement spans 91% of Democrats, 75% of Independents, and 63% of Republicans—an exceptionally high level of bipartisan agreement.”
KISS THE GROUND
Watch Common Ground in Theaters
The team that brought us the Kiss the Ground documentary, led by filmmakers Josh and Rebecca Tickell, have a new movie that’s out in theaters now called Common Ground.
The film features Soul Fire Farm founder Leah Penniman, author of the books Farming While Black and Black Earth Wisdom, who shares the history of African American farming, from the capture of West African women targeted by European slave traders because of their knowledge and seeds, to Dr. George Washington Carver, the father of organic agriculture in the U.S. and the first scientist to give modern agriculture a roadmap for soil health and conservation.
Dr. Lyla June Johnston (aka Lyla June), an Indigenous musician, scholar, and community organizer of Diné (Navajo), Tsétsêhéstâhese (Cheyenne) and European lineages, describes the ways in which pre-colonial Indigenous Nations shaped large regions of Turtle Island (aka the Americas) to produce abundant food systems.
Kelly Ryerson, founder of Glyphosate Facts, exposes how the Monsanto-Bayer merger created an evil conglomerate that profits from pharmaceutical “treatments” for the diseases caused by the agrochemical toxins it sells.
These three brilliant women are just a few of the regenerative agriculture heroes you’ll meet in Common Ground.
While Kiss the Ground was launched on Netflix, Common Ground has not been picked up a by a online distributor yet. So far, watching it in theaters is the only way to see it. The more it’s screened, the better chance it has of getting online distribution.
BIODYNAMICS
Heal the Earth With Biodynamic Practices
If you are looking for a gift this holiday season for the curious gardeners on your list, consider giving them this starter kit to begin a journey into Biodynamic Agriculture. Josephine Porter Institute offers this beginner kit that includes a planting calendar, the preparations, and a book about the basic principles of Biodynamic Agriculture.
CAFOs
Common Drug Used by Pork Industry Has Human Cancer Risk
Analysis by Dr. Joseph Mercola:
STORY AT-A-GLANCE
- On November 7, 2023, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced it is considering withdrawing approval for the antibiotic carbadox, which is added to pig feed to prevent infections and fatten up the animals, due to cancer concerns.
- The drug has been banned in the European Union since 1999, and in Canada since 2006. China, Brazil, Australia and the UK have also banned it due to concerns over its cancer risks.
- In 2014, the United Nation’s Codex Committee on Residues of Veterinary Drugs in Foods determined that there is no safe level of residues of carbadox or its metabolites in food that represents an acceptable risk to consumers.
- Carbadox has been shown to cause liver cancer and birth defects in lab animals, and have long-lasting impacts on the gut microbiome of swine, even after the drug is withdrawn.
- A 2017 study found carbadox induced transducing bacteriophages with resistance genes to tetracycline, aminoglycoside and beta-lactam antibiotics — three classes of drugs that are commonly used in human medicine. The findings effectively dismisses the drugmaker’s and the National Pork Producers Council’s argument that since carbadox is not used in human medicine, it won’t contribute to drug resistance in humans.
MENTAL HEALTH & WELLNESS
Eating Well, Self-Care Go Hand in Hand
Veronica Booth | Wealth of Geeks, Sun Times writes:
“A healthy relationship with food is a solid foundation for mental wellness.
Nutritious ingredients and regular meals are essential for physical health, but what and how someone eats can affect their mental health just as much.
Enjoying a meal with someone else builds stronger social connections, creates happy memories and strengthens our relationship with food.
The time of day and specific food also play a role in how beneficial the social aspect of eating is. Researchers exploring the effects of social eating discovered that people feel closer to someone when they eat in the evening, theorizing that low-light environments encourage internal reflection and a sense of vulnerable comfort.
Dining together creates a sense of trust that helps people feel confident in themselves and supported by others, leading to better mental wellness and self-esteem.
These connections can be even stronger when people eat the same food together. The food people eat subconsciously affects their behavior and outlook, and seeing someone eating the same food creates an immediate sense of trust and cooperation.”
NEW STUDY
Groundbreaking Research Suggests That We Might Be Heading Towards 14 ‘Evolutionary Dead Ends.’
By Steven Liang, Knowridge:
The 14 Dead Ends
“The researchers have identified 14 such traps, with 12 already at an advanced stage. These include the over-simplification of agriculture, the pursuit of economic growth without environmental or human benefits, and the instability of global cooperation.
Other concerning traps involve climate change, AI, and the loss of social connection due to digitalization.
One alarming aspect is how these traps can reinforce each other. Getting stuck in one can make it more likely to fall into others.
However, two areas—AI and the loss of social capital through digitalization—are not as advanced yet, offering a window for corrective action.
Another part of the problem is the global nature of these issues.
Many of the social and environmental problems are distant from those who could prevent them, and solving them often requires large-scale global collaboration. This is a challenging task, given the way societies currently operate.
Despite these challenges, the researchers are optimistic. They believe that humanity can actively transform societies to avoid these dead ends.
Our creativity and collaborative abilities are key tools in designing a sustainable future. The study suggests that we need to foster collective human agency and create environments where it can thrive.
Simple Steps for Everyone
According to Jørgensen, everyone can contribute to this effort. He suggests that engaging more with nature and society and understanding the global impact of our local actions are vital first steps.
Exposure to the things that need protecting is crucial for developing a deeper connection and responsibility towards our planet and societies.
In summary, this research calls for a collective awakening to the risks of the Anthropocene. By understanding and addressing these evolutionary dead ends, humanity can steer towards a sustainable and thriving future.”
LITTLE BYTES
Other Essential Reading and Videos for the Week
Foods That Improve Brain Function and Mood
A Thanksgiving Message from Seven Amazing Native Americans
3 Savory Snacks You Can Eat All Winter While Staying Fit
Red-Wine Headache Explained – And It Is Not About Volume
How to Build a Greenhouse from Recycled Windows
EU Allows Use of Controversial Weedkiller Glyphosate for 10 More Years
Richest 1% Account For More Carbon Emissions Than Poorest 66%, Report Says
Should I Water My Plants Before a Frost? Experts Have These Warnings to Avoid Frost Damage
US Industry Disposed of at Least 60M Pounds of PFAS Waste in Last Five Years
Bill Gates Is Bad for Humanity
RNAi Pesticide Moves Closer to US Approval
EPA Considers Approving Fruit Pesticide Despite Risks to Children, Records Show
Why Are Certain Cold Medicines Being Removed From Store Shelves?