The American president has proposed easing import tariffs on beef in response to rising prices in the United States. However, this proposal has sparked criticism, particularly from Green Queen, a media outlet focused on food system innovation and sustainability. The outlet argues that the president’s plan overlooks a major factor behind the price increase: climate change. Beef production is a significant contributor to greenhouse gas emissions, primarily due to methane from cow flatulence. Additionally, the expansion of cattle farming has led to widespread deforestation, which exacerbates the climate crisis. A study published in February highlights that between 2001 and 2022, deforestation linked to the growth of pastures—mainly for beef production—accounted for about 42% of global deforestation. According to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), more than 460 million hectares of forests—slightly more than the entire area of the European Union—have been lost since 1990. Trees play a critical role in climate regulation, acting as the second-largest natural carbon sink after oceans. They absorb about 7.14 billion tons of CO2 annually, more than the United States emits in a year. Forests also influence rainfall patterns and provide livelihoods for nearly a third of the world’s population, as noted by The Guardian. While deforestation has slowed in Brazil, and many countries are launching reforestation programs, the FAO report indicates that these efforts have not kept pace with the scale of forest loss. Geographer Joy Kehinde Adebisi, writing in The Conversation, emphasizes the importance of planting the right species in the right places to ensure reforestation is effective. A recent study suggests that preventing deforestation and wildfires is more beneficial and less costly than trying to restore what has already been lost. However, politically, it may be easier to reforest abandoned pastures than to regulate large corporations or implement new fire prevention programs, according to Anthropocene. Joice Ferreira, a researcher in Brazil and co-author of the study, warns that investing in new forests without protecting existing ones is a "bottomless pit." The United Nations has adopted its first declaration on the rise in sea levels, accepted by all member states on September 24, including the United States. The agreement states that rising waters will not alter the political borders of countries threatened by submersion. Countries will retain their political sovereignty even if parts of their territory disappear, according to The Christian Science Monitor. This agreement is seen as a rare "victory for multilateralism," as noted by Grist. Meanwhile, the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (AMOC), a powerful ocean current, appears to be slowing down. If it were to stop, Europe could face extremely harsh winters and prolonged droughts, as described by New Scientist. Scientists are now setting up an early warning system to monitor freshwater inputs from melting Greenland ice in near real-time. In a related development, a green sea turtle laid eggs on a California beach, marking the first recorded natural nesting of marine turtles on the U.S. west coast, according to SFGate and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). This event is seen as a sign of ocean warming.