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Emily Cassidy

@enviroem.bsky.social
6K followers 567 following 324 posts

Environmental scientist 🌏 focused on food and land use. Washington, DC area. @projectdrawdown.bsky.social, previously NASA, World Resources Institute, UMN. Opinions my own. emilyscassidy.github.io

PostsRepliesMedia
Reposted by Emily Cassidy
Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani @mayor.nyc.gov · 22/09/2026
DoorDash has ripped off more than 260,000 NYC delivery workers. We’re making them pay $131.5 million — the largest worker settlement in City history. This is New York, where hard work pays and greed will cost you.
DoorDash messed up.
They repeatedly left more than 260,000 NYC delivery workers underpaid or paid late, causing them immense stress and financial difficulty.
That's unacceptable.
We've secured a $131.5M settlement from
DoorDash - the largest worker settlement in NYC history and largest delivery worker settlement in
American municipal history.
Every worker will be paid what they are owed, and every company will be forced to abide by the laws of this city.

LOGOS:
The OFFICE of the MAYOR of NYC
NYC Consumer and Worker Protection Mayor Mamdani and Deliveristas representatives stand behind a podium.Mayor Mamdani signs a giant check.Three delivery workers holding a giant fake check for $131.5M.
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George Conway ⚖️🇺🇸 @gtconway.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
Vance: He’s not banning media outlets

Trump: I am banning media outlets
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Project Drawdown @projectdrawdown.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
#climateweeknyc is an exciting opportunity to learn about new and innovative ways to solve climate change. But do the proposed solutions and strategies stack up? Use Carbon in Context to quickly see the real impact of the solutions and actions everybody's talking about! bit.ly/4xnQ8D4
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Emily Cassidy @enviroem.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
Beef may be going the way of the internal-combustion engine. Drought, high fuel and feed prices are threatening U.S. beef--an industry that is vulnerable to climate change and a major emitter. Insightful article by @billmckibben.bsky.social @newyorker.com www.newyorker.com/news/the-led...
newyorker.com
The True Cost of Beef
Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., eats beef every day, but more Americans, faced with rising prices and another climate warning, might want something else for dinner.
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Emily Cassidy @enviroem.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
Beef may be going the way of the internal-combustion engine. Drought, high fuel and feed prices are threatening U.S. beef--an industry that is vulnerable to climate change and a major emitter. Insightful article by @billmckibben.bsky.social @newyorker.com www.newyorker.com/news/the-led...
newyorker.com
The True Cost of Beef
Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., eats beef every day, but more Americans, faced with rising prices and another climate warning, might want something else for dinner.
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Reposted by Emily Cassidy
Danny Cullenward @ghgpolicy.org · 17/09/2026
The inimitable @mikegrunwald.bsky.social has an exceptionally well written oped on the disastrous proposal from the Greenhouse Gas Protocol to give companies carbon credit for cutting down trees.
nytimes.com
Opinion | The Latest Corporate Climate Ruse (Gift Article)
Making deforestation look climate-friendly will encourage a lot more deforestation.
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Rep. Jamie Raskin @raskin.house.gov · 17/09/2026
In America, we have no kings, no dictators, no despots, no nobles, no slaves, no serfs, no subjects. Just "We the People." We are not one race, one ethnicity, one religion or one party. But we have one Constitution and one Bill of Rights. Happy Constitution Day, everybody!
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Dr. Jonathan Foley @globalecoguy.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
The idea that "regenerative" grazing is a climate solution has really taken hold in some quarters. But the science is clear: It doesn't work. Methane and land-use emissions just overwhelm any soil carbon benefits. Here's a great piece by @nicholasdcarter.bsky.social drawdown.org/insights/eig...
drawdown.org
Eight reasons regenerative grazing can’t make beef climate-friendly
An influential regenerative grazing movement continues to grow. But here's why the science doesn't back up the purported climate benefits.
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Reposted by Emily Cassidy
George Monbiot @georgemonbiot.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
"Regenerative grazing" is a greenwashing scam, nothing more. Here's why. Please don't be taken in. drawdown.org/insights/eig...
drawdown.org
Eight reasons regenerative grazing can’t make beef climate-friendly
An influential regenerative grazing movement continues to grow. But here's why the science doesn't back up the purported climate benefits.
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Dr. Jonathan Foley @globalecoguy.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
Regarding today’s decision by the U.S. EPA.
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Emily Cassidy @enviroem.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
The beef cattle industry points to DROUGHT as a major reason herds are low and beef prices are so high. But the administration's response is to enable ranchers to forgo any health inspections of meat so they can process it themselves. Seems a bit disconnected. thehill.com/homenews/adm...
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Emily Cassidy @enviroem.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
As of April 2026, nearly 80% of the U.S. beef cattle herd was in areas suffering from drought (according to Rabobank). A much higher share than the past 40 years. Seems bad. media.rabobank.com/asset/0f14b2...
Chart showing the share of the beef herd in moderate or worse drought, from 1986 to present. In April 2026, almost 80% of the beef cow herd was in drought, a much higher share than in years past.
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Emily Cassidy @enviroem.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
As of April 2026, nearly 80% of the U.S. beef cattle herd was in areas suffering from drought (according to Rabobank). A much higher share than the past 40 years. Seems bad. media.rabobank.com/asset/0f14b2...
Chart showing the share of the beef herd in moderate or worse drought, from 1986 to present. In April 2026, almost 80% of the beef cow herd was in drought, a much higher share than in years past.
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Reposted by Emily Cassidy
Elle Cordova @ellecordova.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
Rough Draft vs Final Draft
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Emily Cassidy @enviroem.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
It’s time to let Sell-by dates Expire. So many potential puns here. TLDR: sell-by dates are confusing to consumers. Getting rid of them helps reduce food waste.
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Our World in Data @ourworldindata.org · 31/08/2026
📝 New article on Our World in Data: Beef production in Brazil has been the largest driver of global deforestation in recent decades. The largest driver of deforestation globally is the expansion of agricultural land.
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Reposted by Emily Cassidy
Leah McElrath @leahmcelrath.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
Rest in peace, Wendell Berry.
The Peace of Wild Things
Wendell Berry

When despair for the world grows in me and I wake in the night at the least sound
in fear of what my life and my children's lives may be, I go and lie down where the wood drake
rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds.
I come into the peace of wild things who do not tax their lives with forethought of grief. I come into the presence of still water.
And I feel above me the day-blind stars waiting with their light. For a time I rest in the grace of the world, and am free.

from Openings: Poems (1968)
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Project Drawdown @projectdrawdown.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
A new KEEP WATCHING 👁️ climate solution has been released on the Drawdown Explorer! 🐋 Restore Whale Populations. Learn more 🔗 drawdown.org/explorer/restore-whale…
drawdown.org
Restore Whale Populations
Is whale restoration a climate solution? Limited research suggests potential impact is low.
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Emily Cassidy @enviroem.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
Let me get this straight. Trump waived tariffs on foreign beef 🥩, then a couple days later, 30,000 pounds of potentially harmful Argentine beef was recalled. Am I missing anything? 🤔 cbsaustin.com/news/local/u...
cbsaustin.com
USDA recalls 30,000 pounds of Argentine beef sold in Texas and Florida
It was not immediately clear which retailers sold the beef.
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Emily Cassidy @enviroem.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
Let me get this straight. Trump waived tariffs on foreign beef 🥩, then a couple days later, 30,000 pounds of potentially harmful Argentine beef was recalled. Am I missing anything? 🤔 cbsaustin.com/news/local/u...
cbsaustin.com
USDA recalls 30,000 pounds of Argentine beef sold in Texas and Florida
It was not immediately clear which retailers sold the beef.
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Emily Cassidy @enviroem.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
What are the emissions associated with destroying 125,000-acres of coastal wetlands and launching 30 Space-X Starship flights a day (~11,000/year)? Asking for a friend. @juddlegum.bsky.social oligarchwatch.substack.com/p/louisiana-...
oligarchwatch.substack.com
Louisiana completes massive giveaway of sensitive land to Elon Musk
On Tuesday, Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry (R) announced an agreement allowing SpaceX to construct the world’s largest launch facility on top of a stretch of coastal wetlands that provide vital habita...
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Elizabeth Kolbert @elizkolbert.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
Trump administration's cancellation of off-shore wind contracts results in a) higher GHG emissions b) huge windfall for Trump donor. Rinse and repeat.
washingtonpost.com
How wind projects got replaced by a $900 million payday to a Trump donor’s firm
The Trump administration’s latest deal to abandon an offshore wind project and redirect investment into fossil fuels stands to deliver a windfall to one of President Donald Trump’s major donors.
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Nicholas D Carter @nicholasdcarter.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
Global protein consumption has increased by 1/3 since 1960 More than half of this new growth has come from animal sources, despite plant protein still making up 62% of all protein supply Reversing this trend & being clear on plant protein wins (fibre, planetary health, equal muscle gain) is key
"relative" change in protein supply, showing animal protein growing faster via: https://ourworldindata.org/food-supply

Other references: FAOSTAT & Poore & Nemecek (2018)
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Emily Cassidy @enviroem.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
August 26 is Katherine Johnson Day in West Virginia. The celebration commemorates the birthday of the ground-breaking mathematician, who rose above racial struggles to help America rise into space. Her fingerprints are on some of NASA’s greatest achievements. science.nasa.gov/earth/earth-...
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Emily Cassidy @enviroem.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
Wow 🤔 Sequestering 1 Gt CO2/yr geologically "would require drilling thousands of wells each year until 2050. For comparison, the total number of active drilling rigs [..] in the US at the end of June 2026 was 581." @arvindpawan1.bsky.social + @hdaigle.bsky.social iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1...
iopscience.iop.org
Can we sequester carbon fast enough? Growing disconnect between models and reality
Can we sequester carbon fast enough? Growing disconnect between models and reality, Daigle, Hugh, Ravikumar, Arvind
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Reposted by Emily Cassidy
Emily Cassidy @enviroem.bsky.social · 21/08/2026
People are always surprised to learn that packaging, processing, and transportation are almost always small contributors (<10%) of food-related GHG emissions. The TYPE of food we eat -- meat versus plants -- is a MUCH bigger factor.
Bar chart of greenhouse gas emissions associated with the lifecycle production of different foods. Beef and lamb are the highest emitting. Farm-level emissions and land use change emissions are the greatest contributors to lifecycle food emissions.
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Eleanor Boyle @eleanorboyle.bsky.social · 21/08/2026
Yes @enviroem.bsky.social! The myth that local meat (esp. beef) is better for climate than most plant-based sources of protein (even imported) is a tough one for many people to shake.
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Emily Cassidy @enviroem.bsky.social · 21/08/2026
People are always surprised to learn that packaging, processing, and transportation are almost always small contributors (<10%) of food-related GHG emissions. The TYPE of food we eat -- meat versus plants -- is a MUCH bigger factor.
Bar chart of greenhouse gas emissions associated with the lifecycle production of different foods. Beef and lamb are the highest emitting. Farm-level emissions and land use change emissions are the greatest contributors to lifecycle food emissions.
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Reposted by Emily Cassidy
Sarah Taber @sarahtaber.bsky.social · 18/08/2026
Like, a lot of us right now have a prior assumption that "AI is driving water shortages." And no, it absolutely tf is not. It's agriculture. It's always been agriculture. Most of us have spent our whole lives not seeing it. We need to stop that ag water blindness before it screws us all over.
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Emily Cassidy @enviroem.bsky.social · 18/08/2026
A lovely evening for a stroll in University Park, MD.
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Reposted by Emily Cassidy
Richard Waite @waiterich.bsky.social · 15/03/2025
1989: U.S. EPA publishes report on reducing methane emissions from livestock 1992: “Beyond Beef” book published urging people to reduce beef consumption by 50% 1992: Industry attacks this book and launches the “Beef. It’s What’s for Dinner” PR campaign
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Mike Drucker @mikedrucker.bsky.social · 13/08/2026
AI pictures of food look like what an alien would serve to you if they were trying to be polite but only had the meal described to them by another alien
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Dr. Jonathan Foley @globalecoguy.bsky.social · 11/08/2026
We shouldn’t eat so much beef. Period.
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Gavin Schmidt @climateofgavin.bsky.social · 10/08/2026
What an absolutely insane waste of money.
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Paul Behrens @profpaulbehrens.bsky.social · 06/08/2026
One third of global farmland is doing two-thirds of the damage, to the climate and wildlife. Regions causing both harm largely overlap. Cattle alone drive 29% of the farm carbon cost and 41% of the biodiversity cost. New paper today in @nature.com food-led by Baoxiao Liu doi.org/10.1038/s430...
doi.org
High-resolution carbon and biodiversity mapping shows correlated losses across space and agricultural products - Nature Food
Food systems substantially impact carbon storage and biodiversity, with food consumption driving four-fifths of losses on agricultural land, particularly through animal-sourced foods. Targeted interve...
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Michael Grunwald @mikegrunwald.bsky.social · 04/08/2026
I am the Lorax. I speak for the trees. And also the monkeys and tigers and bees. You’re wiping them out. You’re doing great harm. But your weapon ain’t data. Your weapon is farm. I know I’m off message. I’m sorry to nag. But if you want more forests you’ll have to shrink ag.
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Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 04/08/2026
Booker: "Ghislaine Maxwell is sitting in the lowest possible confinement after giving no information that helped us get one more investigation started and has been silent, and the man responsible for that we're about to make the attorney general of the US ... this is farcical."
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The Good Food Institute @gfi.org · 03/08/2026
All animal-based proteins result in more emissions than plant-based proteins—but beef is hands down the biggest emitter. It's also one of the most commonly consumed meats in America. (1.3 pounds per week, the equivalent of SIX Big Macs 🍔)
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Emily Cassidy @enviroem.bsky.social · 28/07/2026
Beef is the coal of the food system. It's one of the most emissions-intensive things we consume, and Americans eat a lot of it -- the equivalent of 6 burgers a week. Cutting back to one serving of beef a week (similar to EAT-Lancet) in all high-income countries would be a huge win for climate.
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Project Drawdown @projectdrawdown.bsky.social · 29/07/2026
Red meat production accounts for 30% of global food-related emissions but generates only 5% of dietary calories or 2% of the global protein supply. That's why Project Drawdown researcher @enviroem.bsky.social calls it the coal of the food system: bit.ly/4x2yGnz
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Project Drawdown @projectdrawdown.bsky.social · 28/07/2026
Climate-friendly alts to beef aren't just limited to veggies, and legumes? Replacing beef with fish, chicken, or other animal proteins can go a long way in reducing the carbon footprint of your diet. Learn more from Research Associate, @enviroem.bsky.social: bit.ly/4x2yGnz #plantbased
A person is enthusiastically eating a large burger. The image includes text: "The average American consumes the equivalent of six Big Macs of beef a week. (*1.3 lbs)." The background is a textured blue with "Drawdown Insights" at the top.A chart from Drawdown Insights shows greenhouse gas emissions of various proteins. Chicken, fish, soybeans, peas, and nuts are highlighted as more planet‑friendly, protein‑rich food options. The chart suggests choosing these options frees up land and improves health outcomes.The image features a quote from Drawdown Insights on a blue background. It states, "We don't need to quit eating meat, we need to quit overeating beef." Below, it continues, "If richer countries cut beef consumption down to one serving a week and filled the gap with other proteins, global emissions could drop by billions of metric tons." At the bottom, there is a link to learn more: drawdown.org/insights.
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Emily Cassidy @enviroem.bsky.social · 28/07/2026
Beef is the coal of the food system. It's one of the most emissions-intensive things we consume, and Americans eat a lot of it -- the equivalent of 6 burgers a week. Cutting back to one serving of beef a week (similar to EAT-Lancet) in all high-income countries would be a huge win for climate.
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Emily Cassidy @enviroem.bsky.social · 28/07/2026
Conventional animal protein production is resource-intensive. Should we eat bugs 🐜🐛 instead? Despite the hype, eating insects or using them for animal feed may not reduce emissions much, if at all. @nicholasdcarter.bsky.social did a great review of the research 👇
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Zeke Hausfather @zekehausfather.com · 24/07/2026
2026 is on track to be the warmest (~35% chance) or second warmest (~63%) year on record, while 2027 is very likely (92% chance) to be the warmest on record on the back of a growing super El Niño event. For more, check out my new Carbon Brief State of the Climate Q2 update: www.carbonbrief.org/...
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Emily Cassidy @enviroem.bsky.social · 23/07/2026
Great gig at a stellar organization 👇🏻
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Reposted by Emily Cassidy
Scott MacFarlane @macfarlanenews.bsky.social · 21/07/2026
NEW: 500+ journalists formally ask White House Correspondents Assoc. "to publicly pledge that it will fight back against the Trump Admin's assault on press freedom" at its dinner with Trump on Friday "Attacks on journalists and press freedom have become even more egregious"
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deenashanker.bsky.social @deenashanker.bsky.social · 17/07/2026
how is every politician not out there talking about the smoke and their plans to reduce emissions
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Emily Cassidy @enviroem.bsky.social · 17/07/2026
Getting ready for school shouldn’t have to look like this 😩
Five year old girl sits on the stairs wearing a white mask over her face to protect her from unhealthy wildfire smoke. She is wearing a light blue dress and is holding a small colorful cat stuffed animal.
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Emily Cassidy @enviroem.bsky.social · 17/07/2026
The air in College Park Maryland smells like burning 😷
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Project Drawdown @projectdrawdown.bsky.social · 14/07/2026
Data centers can't come at the cost of our health and climate progress. In 2020, data centers were less than 2% of U.S. electricity use. Today, they're nearly 5% and growing. This is impacting our health and climate goals. Read more from @amandadsmith.bsky.social 🔗 bit.ly/4bFpi0U
The image is an infographic about data center electricity consumption in the U.S. It highlights a growth from less than 2% to nearly 5% over a decade. Below the text, a graph displays electricity consumption by region, covering 2020–2030. Regions include the United States, China, Europe, Asia excluding China, and the rest of the world. The source is EIA. Bright colors illustrate different regions.The image contains a document titled "Drawdown Insights" discussing the environmental impact of data centers. Key points include high electricity and water use for cooling and being located in resource-scarce areas, affecting local communities. At the bottom, there's an aerial photo of an Amazon Web Services Data Center in the U.S. with credit to Tedder, Creative Commons.
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