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Matthew Hayek

@matthewhayek.bsky.social
9.2K followers 355 following 505 posts

NYU Associate Professor of Environmental Studies. Climate, animals, land use, and food systems. MatthewHayek.com

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Matthew Hayek @matthewhayek.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
Another great perspective from @jandutkiewicz.bsky.social. "without factory farms there would be far less meat and it would be far more expensive...if the MAHA movement were remotely coherent, it would push for this less-but-better meat vision" newrepublic.com/article/2141...
newrepublic.com
MAHA’s Meat Obsession Exposes the Movement’s Delusions
Robert F Kennedy Jr. and his acolytes say we should eat more meat, but that would only worsen the very problems Make America Healthy Again claims it is trying to solve.
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Matthew Hayek @matthewhayek.bsky.social · 30/07/2026
I've both called out industry influence in science (with receipts) and been accused of it (without receipts). Industry influence in science is an issue. But this bad-faith finger pointing is why you have to prove that it's happening *and* show how arguments themselves are unscientific.
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Matthew Hayek @matthewhayek.bsky.social · 21/07/2026
I'm searching for a talented person who can help my lab do communications across social and traditional media, with emphasis on social media videos! This is an in-person position limited to NY, CT, or NJ. Please share far and wide! URL to apply: apply.interfolio.com/189699
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Matthew Hayek @matthewhayek.bsky.social · 16/07/2026
Fish farming is rising even further. While the industry projects further efficiency improvements, there is no way to meet further growth without harvesting even more forage fish from the ocean, to serve as feed ingredients - fishmeal and fish oil sentientmedia.org/fishmeal-fee...
sentientmedia.org
Fishmeal Feeds Livestock Farming — Sometimes at the Expense of Marine Ecosystems
Some pig and poultry farmers incorporate tiny fish into feed because of the nutritional benefits, but critics warn that overextraction of these fish could disrupt the marine food web.
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Marina Bolotnikova @mbolotnikova.bsky.social · 08/07/2026
🧵The first peer-reviewed meta-analysis of leather's carbon footprint, by Mikaila Roncevich & @matthewhayek.bsky.social, finds that leather's emissions are about 70% higher than previously thought & WAYY higher than vegan leather (both synthetic & bio-based). Gift link: www.vox.com/future-perfe...
vox.com
Leather is not an innocent byproduct of the meat industry
Your leather purse might put out as much carbon as 35 hamburgers. But the alternative doesn’t have to be junky pleather!
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Matthew Hayek @matthewhayek.bsky.social · 02/07/2026
New paper alert! We analyzed the carbon footprint of leather and found that cattle leather GHG emissions are *14 times greater* than non-animal alternatives. 🧵 1/ pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/...
pubs.acs.org
The Carbon Footprint of Leather: A Comprehensive Reassessment Using Global Livestock Data and Meta-Analysis
Product designers and manufacturers lack robust and regionally representative information on the greenhouse gas (GHG) or “carbon” footprints of leather textiles. This study presents a meta-analysis of...
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Matthew Hayek @matthewhayek.bsky.social · 11/06/2026
Screwworm is now infecting cattle in Texas and New Mexico. This disease can spread to wildlife, humans, and pets. How could the parasite's further spread relate to animal confinement laws and the Farm Bill? 1/ 🧵 www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...
theguardian.com
US confirms three new cases of flesh-eating screwworm in livestock
Department of Agriculture says new cases in Texas and New Mexico as officials move to combat parasite’s spread
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Matthew Hayek @matthewhayek.bsky.social · 03/06/2026
Hey food & environment Bluesky: ever wonder why GHG emissions from dairy sometimes look *much* lower than beef, but other times, dairy looks nearly as high-emitting as beef? I explain why on Rhode Island PBS public radio! And the hosts clarify better than I do ;) thepublicsradio.org/possibly-pod...
thepublicsradio.org
What creates more carbon pollution: beef or dairy? - TPR: The Public's Radio
We talk a lot about the carbon pollution that comes along with eating beef, but this week on Possibly we’re asking: what about eating dairy? How do they compare?
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Matthew Hayek @matthewhayek.bsky.social · 27/05/2026
This agricultural protectionist bill is so unpopular that Democrats & Republicans sank it multiple times. Now, its few supports want to sneak it into the Farm Bill. @jeffsebo.bsky.social & I share why it's a threat to animals, environment, workers & states' rights. www.agri-pulse.com/articles/247...
agri-pulse.com
Opinion: This hidden provision in the farm bill could wipe out hundreds of state laws
Matthew Hayek and Jeff Sebo, associate professors at New York University, argue that a House farm bill provision limiting state authority over agricultural products could invalidate more than 600 exis...
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Matthew Hayek @matthewhayek.bsky.social · 21/05/2026
Our new statement urges countries not to weaken ambition w/ revised "temperature neutrality" goals & metrics that justify them. Methane is a powerful lever, and high-emitting countries can do more than simply keep emissions stable. We have the tech & knowledge insideclimatenews.org/news/2005202...
insideclimatenews.org
Top Climate Scientists Accuse the Livestock Industry of Pushing Fuzzy Math to Downplay Its Climate Warming Emissions - Inside Climate News
An alternative emissions-calculating methodology underpins revised, less ambitious methane-reduction targets.
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Matthew Hayek @matthewhayek.bsky.social · 15/05/2026
Beyond animal welfare, passing this law as part of the Farm Bill threatens to overturn hundreds of state laws on the welfare, health, safety, and wildlife impacts of livestocks and animal food products [Gift link in Kenny's thread]
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Matthew Hayek @matthewhayek.bsky.social · 07/05/2026
Prolonged active listening, with a light touch of nonjudgmental education on policies, helps voters realize they're more aligned with progressive platforms than they thought. Great perspective on recent research & election successes by @georgemonbiot.bsky.social www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
theguardian.com
Imagine a technique that can heal Britain of division and keep out the hard right. I call it ‘radical listening’ | George Monbiot
In my constituency, a group of volunteers chats with people – most of whom find they are to the left of their voting intentions, says Guardian columnist George Monbiot
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Matthew Hayek @matthewhayek.bsky.social · 23/04/2026
Meat and dairy producers haven't been serious about climate change. Yet high-profile climate event planners regularly invite them to speak. Chances are extraordinarily high that, while they will posture as responsible, they will exaggerate & lie. www.newscientist.com/article/2523...
newscientist.com
98 per cent of meat and dairy sustainability pledges are greenwashing
The food industry has made big promises to reduce emissions and become more sustainable, but a review concludes that many of the pledges are not backed up by evidence
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Matthew Hayek @matthewhayek.bsky.social · 31/03/2026
A thorough, careful, damning blog article on issues with the French Planet-Score. "By refusing to publish its methodology...Planet-Score deviates from the standards of the scientific approach it claims to embody" @tombrychevalier.bsky.social tombrychevalier.com/2026/01/04/r...
tombrychevalier.com
Réponse de Planet-score à notre article : une défense qui confirme nos critiques
Le 3 janvier 2026, Planet-Score a publié une réponse à notre enquête, parue sur Bon Pote le 12 novembre 2025, intitulée « PlanetScore : l’étiquette qui verdit la viande rouge ? ». Cette répon…
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Michael Minter @micminter.eurosky.social · 27/03/2026
Thanks to @matthewhayek.bsky.social and co. for today's climate dialogue in CONCITO about the true environmental costs of food production. Strong evidence on the benefits of reducing livestock and promoting plant-rich diets, and good discussion on how to make it happen 🌱 #dkgreen #foodsystems
Matthew Hayek, Rune-Christoffer Dragsdahl, Christian Bugge and Simone Højte discussing how to promote sustainable food systems in Denmark, Europe and abroad
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Michael Minter @micminter.eurosky.social · 20/03/2026
Happy to host this climate dialogue with Matthew Hayek on "The true cost of meat and Denmark's role within the global food system" in CONCITO next Friday at 14:00-15:30 🌍🌡️ #dkgreen #dkfood #foodsystems
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Matthew Hayek @matthewhayek.bsky.social · 20/03/2026
Come see me present on food system environmental costs if you're in Copenhagen next Friday, March 27! Register for a seat here: forms.office.com/Pages/Respon...
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Matthew Hayek @matthewhayek.bsky.social · 17/03/2026
It's easy to forget when the stories about the Trump admin buying off its opponents arise, that's it's *our money*. These geniuses think that instead of us *receiving* money from a foreign company & also getting cheap energy, we should *pay our own money* to...lose energy. It's madness.
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Matthew Hayek @matthewhayek.bsky.social · 16/03/2026
I don't see manure pollution covered by enough scientists Industrial livestock reduces climate emissions per weight of meat, milk... But it massively increases the concentration of manure seeping into nearby groundwater, rivers, reservoirs. What are the costs of damages here? How do they compare?
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Matthew Hayek @matthewhayek.bsky.social · 27/02/2026
Great piece by @naomioreskes.bsky.social. I've personally had more success with philanthropic funding than gov grants, but I work in an (unnecessarily) controversial area of researching food and climate. When public funding dwindles, we all lose. www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
science.org
Private money cannot replace public funding of science
Who should pay for American science? In the current political climate, many are looking to the private sector to compensate for cuts in public funding. At the Harvard School of Public Health—particula...
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Matthew Hayek @matthewhayek.bsky.social · 14/02/2026
When they don't realize the picture on the right actually has a greater carbon opportunity cost 😪💔
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Matthew Hayek @matthewhayek.bsky.social · 08/02/2026
Great going @jandutkiewicz.bsky.social "the bagel’s cream cheese, made velvety with carob bean gum and shelf-stable & mold-free with potassium sorbate, is ultraprocessed. But the idea that ultraprocessed foods are categorically unhealthy is an oversimplification." www.nytimes.com/2026/02/08/o...
nytimes.com
Opinion | We Shouldn’t Want to Eat Like Our Great-Great-Grandparents
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Matthew Hayek @matthewhayek.bsky.social · 06/02/2026
Nice to see some higher-profile coverage of what entomologists have been saying for years: if you're keeping honeybees, esp without sufficient plantings, you're outcompeting native bees, who are the pollinators that really need saving. www.washingtonpost.com/climate-envi...
washingtonpost.com
Column | Good news: We saved the bees. Bad news: We saved the wrong ones.
Honeybees have never been in danger of extinction. But scientists are finding that they can accelerate the demise of native bee populations.
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Matthew Hayek @matthewhayek.bsky.social · 02/02/2026
Ben Bikman is another one of the "Scientific Review Authors", the ad hoc committee behind our new Dietary Guidelines. Here's a video of him lying about vegetarians having smaller brains www.tiktok.com/@dr_idz/vide...
tiktok.com
TikTok video by Dr Idz (MBBS, MRes, Dip IBLM)
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Marina Bolotnikova @mbolotnikova.bsky.social · 30/01/2026
I have many thoughts on this paper but for starters, these proponents of the UPF concept have a lot of nerve basically arguing "it is the empirical evidence that's wrong for contradicting our theory," as though they have some long-accepted theory about the world like gravity or natural selection
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Jan Dutkiewicz @jandutkiewicz.bsky.social · 28/01/2026
The ultraprocessed food conversation has well and truly jumped the shark. Now its proponents are opposing fortification, urging us to ignore the nutritional properties of foods, & conflating the extent and purpose of processing. Put this schema out of its misery already. www.bmj.com/content/392/...
bmj.com
Misleading narrative of “healthy” ultraprocessed foods
A focus on “healthy” ultraprocessed foods is overstating benefits, legitimising industry narratives, and obscuring the priority of reducing overall consumption, argue Leandro Rezende and colleagues ...
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Matthew Hayek @matthewhayek.bsky.social · 30/01/2026
This paper, brought to you by the nutrition team who created the NOVA system & "ultraprocessed" foods, argues "don't worry about nutrients, bc even the idea of healthy processing food contradicts our narrative; any evidence that says otherwise is wrong". 1/ www.bmj.com/content/392/...
bmj.com
Misleading narrative of “healthy” ultraprocessed foods
A focus on “healthy” ultraprocessed foods is overstating benefits, legitimising industry narratives, and obscuring the priority of reducing overall consumption, argue Leandro Rezende and colleagues ...
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Alexander J. Stein @ajstein.bsky.social · 14/01/2026
The "Clean Food Facts" campaign of the Center for Consumer Freedom, which is funded by the meat industry, is an #astroturfing effort targeting #plantbased meat alternatives thru manipulative strategies: the illusion of credibility, emotional #manipulation and… (1/2) doi.org/10.1108/978-...
doi.org
Savouring Truth: Exposing Disinformation in the World of Alternative Meats
This chapter analyses the deceptive tactics employed by the Center for Consumer Freedom’s (CCF) Clean Food Facts campaign, an astroturfing effort targeting
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Matthew Hayek @matthewhayek.bsky.social · 12/01/2026
The DGAC, the official, legitimate science behind Dietary Guidelines, which RFK rejected, came to an unambiguous conclusion: "The systematic review findings emphasize the health benefits of increasing beans, peas, & lentils while reducing red & processed meats" 1/ www.nytimes.com/2026/01/10/o...
nytimes.com
Opinion | The New Food Pyramid, Brought to You by Big Meat
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Matthew Hayek @matthewhayek.bsky.social · 12/01/2026
Proud to announce that I'll be the Inaugural Coordinator of NYU's new Food Impact Program! foodimpact.org/about/ Please register and come to our launch even on February 6, online or in-person at NYU foodimpact.org/fip-launch-e...
foodimpact.org
FIP Launch Event
How Can We Build a Better Food System? A Roundtable Discussion With Becca Franks, Matthew Hayek, David Kanter, and Christopher Schlottmann, Featuring opening remarks from Dale Jamieson Vegan Recept…
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Jan Dutkiewicz @jandutkiewicz.bsky.social · 12/01/2026
"To the extent the guidelines ... represent an agenda, it is not simply to facilitate a particular outcome favored by meat corporations but also to invert good governance liberalism." @gnrosenberg.bsky.social & I on the new food pyramid for @newrepublic.com. newrepublic.com/article/2051...
newrepublic.com
How the New Food Pyramid Fits Into the Broader Conservative Project
Trump and MAHA have found a way to shrink government that Reagan never thought of: discredit it entirely.
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Marina Bolotnikova @mbolotnikova.bsky.social · 09/01/2026
The point I wish I'd made clearer in our coverage: It's not that the new guidelines happen get some stuff right & some stuff wrong, but rather they fundamentally lack methodological rigor, don't pre-register their questions or criteria for answering them, & therefore, as Matt says, cherry-pick 1/
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Matthew Hayek @matthewhayek.bsky.social · 09/01/2026
More is coming to light about how we got the inconsistent & contradictory new guidelines. Much of it came about because the evidence was cherry-picked. 1/
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Matthew Hayek @matthewhayek.bsky.social · 09/01/2026
More here from @kcklatt.bsky.social , plus a gift article from @mbolotnikova.bsky.social about how rushed, contradictory, and vibes-based the new Dietary Guidelines are.
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Matthew Hayek @matthewhayek.bsky.social · 08/01/2026
We got the upside-down dietary guidelines from political maneuvering, not a science-based process. It has a scientific committee, touted as backing this report, but it likely installed to justify pre-held beliefs of RFK Jr & MAHA, who love animal products 1/ www.businessinsider.com/rfk-new-diet...
businessinsider.com
No sugar, more fat: RFK Jr's 5 big changes to the American food pyramid
Kennedy said his new guidelines undo previous advice. Full fat dairy is back, sugar is out, and highly processed foods come under fire.
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Matthew Hayek @matthewhayek.bsky.social · 01/01/2026
My New Year's resolution is improve how I start Bluesky threads. I forget to announce what they're about. So: please check out this thread if you're either highly critical or gung-ho about the merits of the Green Revolution, "land-sparing" and maximizing yields using industrial agriculture.
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Matthew Hayek @matthewhayek.bsky.social · 30/12/2025
I liked this conversation. I recommend it. But, in the hopes that listening to it doesn't just reaffirm people's prior attitudes, I want to highlight where @mikegrunwald.bsky.social & @adamcalo.bsky.social seem to talk past each other, regarding what causes deforestation, where and at what scale. 1/
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Matthew Hayek @matthewhayek.bsky.social · 17/11/2025
To add to @jandutkiewicz.bsky.social's commentary, while Tyson agreed to halt its "climate friendly beef" in the suit settlement, there is still an open door: an expert would have to be agreed upon by all parties to allow "climate-friendly beef" or any similar climate-branded product to go to market
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Matthew Hayek @matthewhayek.bsky.social · 10/11/2025
It's not the processing. It's how we process - added salt, saturated fat, sugars, and refined starches, often in the same food package. The arguments in this article to the contrary are not convincing me otherwise 1/ www.npr.org/2025/11/10/n...
npr.org
People want to avoid ultra-processed foods. But experts struggle to define them
The evidence that ultra-processed foods are bad for us is piling up. But efforts to reduce their role in our diets face a big hurdle: experts can't agree on what they are and which to target.
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Jan Dutkiewicz @jandutkiewicz.bsky.social · 07/11/2025
Brazilian meat giant JBS just settled a false advertising lawsuit with the NYAG for a million dollars. It's a small win, but it shines a light on the pervasiveness of greenwashing by the meat industry, which will only get worse at COP30. My latest @newrepublic.com newrepublic.com/article/2028...
newrepublic.com
The Meat Advertising Case That Should Be Talked About at COP30
JBS’s false advertising settlement comes as Big Ag prepares to spread propaganda at the U.N. climate conference.
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Matthew Hayek @matthewhayek.bsky.social · 05/11/2025
European countries want Brazil to increase forest conservation (it certainly can). But some of the world's best opportunities to spare & restore carbon in native forests—while displacing the least food production—actually lie in Europe. Our analysis shows this: www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
pnas.org
Opportunities for carbon sequestration from removing or intensifying pasture-based beef production | PNAS
Pastures, on which ruminant livestock graze, occupy one third of the earth’s surface. Removing livestock from pastures can support climate change m...
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Matthew Hayek @matthewhayek.bsky.social · 22/10/2025
Lately there have been heightened anxieties about ingesting enough protein, too many contaminants, and too little meat.
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Matthew Hayek @matthewhayek.bsky.social · 21/10/2025
A new study from U of Michigan researchers finds that the diet footprint of cities varies by 3x, primarily driven by variation in where & how beef is sourced & produced. I'm skeptical though, and think that their methods exaggerated real world variation 🧵 1/N www.washingtonpost.com/climate-envi...
washingtonpost.com
Column | Your diet’s impact on the planet depends on where you live. Look up your city.
What you eat, and where you eat it, can have a big impact on how much you’re contributing to climate change, according to a study published Monday.
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Matthew Hayek @matthewhayek.bsky.social · 09/10/2025
Confusing results from EAT-Lancet 2025 about seafood production/consumption that I'd like some help answering! Whether you're part of the commission or just another interested reader in the community. See thread below 🐟 www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...
thelancet.com
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...
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Matthew Hayek @matthewhayek.bsky.social · 03/10/2025
The new Planetary Health Diet has been released by the EAT-Lancet commissions. Despite hearing years of talk about major methodological changes, the new recommendations look...basically the same as first one! Image from the Guardian. Links below
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Matthew Hayek @matthewhayek.bsky.social · 28/09/2025
Similar takeaway here. A common thread was "we're tackling the root causes of climate change", which ranged across structural inequity, military industrial complex, forced labor, or using any agrochemicals. The phrase is a stand-in for funder perceptions & priorities, potentially biases.
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Matthew Hayek @matthewhayek.bsky.social · 16/09/2025
It was a great pleasure working with @scmcclelland.bsky.social at NYU for the past year and a half, and I recommend folks follow her here and on LinkedIn for great research on ag and nature-based solutions to climate change!
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Matthew Hayek @matthewhayek.bsky.social · 13/09/2025
This article doesn't cover real stakes of this ban. Yes, celebrity chefs hawk products. But PFAS aren't all equal. PTFE in pans is relatively inert & foolproof for home cooking provided you use wood utensils. Ceramic just isn't as effective. A ban could backfire & cause more takeout & snacking
nytimes.com
California Wants to Ban ‘Forever Chemicals’ in Pans. These Chefs Say Don’t Do It.
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Colm Duffy @colmduff.bsky.social · 13/08/2025
What if wealthy nations could lock in high methane emissions and still claim climate neutrality? That’s the risk with “temperature neutrality”. Here’s the plain-English version of our new study: medium.com/@colmduffy/h...
medium.com
How one country’s potential climate backslide could block others from feeding themselves, and…
The Dangerous Allure of ‘No Additional Warming’.
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Matthew Hayek @matthewhayek.bsky.social · 18/08/2025
This is encouraging to see amidst a slew of "the rise of meat" articles. www.washingtonpost.com/wellness/202...
washingtonpost.com
Why you should eat more plant-based protein
The evidence for big health benefits has never been clearer. Here’s how to get the right amount.
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