America’s life expectancy falling further behind that of other rich countries. Many factors are causing this trend, but increasing ultra-processed food consumption It plays an important role in premature and preventable deaths. WE agricultural subsidies Promote the production of cash crops such as corn and soybeans, which are often processed into processed foods or used to produce animal feed and biofuels.

Meanwhile, the relative lack of subsidies for healthy crops such as fruit and vegetables means farmers are economically disincentivized from growing them. This harms Americans’ health by encouraging the production and consumption of unhealthy foods, but it also perpetuates a host of negative effects. environmental damages Negatively affecting human health, including the rapidly worsening climate crisis.

The Farm Bill, which expires this year, provides a needed opportunity to repair our food system, improve human health, and directly address the climate crisis, while providing stronger economic support for small and independent farmers.

One of my most important jobs as a family physician is to teach patients how to live a healthy lifestyle. including various national and international nutritional guidelines American Heart Association And EAT Lancet CommissionIt calls for increased consumption of whole and plant-based foods, while also encouraging reduced consumption of red meat, dairy products and ultra-processed foods. I constantly emphasize the importance of these changes to my patients, but our food system presents an uphill battle. Many of my young patients grew up on a diet consisting largely of processed foods. Even for teenagers and young adults, these deeply ingrained habits are becoming increasingly common. serious physical lossIt causes various chronic diseases such as obesity, high blood pressure and diabetes to occur at surprisingly young ages.

Marginalized communities bear the greatest health burden of the current U.S. food system. Black and Hispanic households experience food insecurity more than twice the rate from white houses. Importantly, food insecurity doesn’t just mean lack of access to adequate calories; It also means a lack of access to food that is both nutritious and affordable. For example, people living in food deserts You may be surrounded by ultra-processed foods from fast food restaurants and grocery stores, and the nearest produce aisle may be miles away. Moreover, BIPOC and Hispanic Americans higher rates of diabetes than white people; Black people consistently have the highest rates of hypertension of any racial group; Women with low education and income levels are more likely to have obesity.

All these chronic conditions increase risk Climate-related health impacts. For example, people with diabetes and obesity are more prone to heat illness; Both heat and poor air quality can worsen heart disease, and those with chronic diseases are particularly vulnerable during natural disasters that hinder access to medicine, dialysis, and other basic needs. forms of health care.

The US food system is also a major driver of climate change. leading medical journals They called it the greatest public health threat to humanity. A recent analysis by the Harvard Center for Health Law and Policy found that: one third The majority of greenhouse gas emissions in the United States come from agriculture. Agricultural practices not only contribute to pollution that warms the planet, but also additional environmental health risksincluding human exposure to infectious diseases such as E. coli, and bird flu, increasing rates of antibiotic-resistant bacteriaair and water pollution, erosion and degradation of topsoilThis will make it even more difficult to produce enough food in the face of climate change.

The U.S. agriculture industry must continue to provide abundant and affordable food to the nation and the world, but it must also adapt to confront the dual threats of the obesity epidemic and climate change. A new Farm Bill could ease this transition with a few key provisions.

Most importantly, the bill needs to change subsidies to encourage food production that is good for both consumers and the planet. Right now, the vast majority of agricultural subsidies Shifting towards commodity crops with relatively high carbon footprints, creating economic incentives for their use in the production of ultra-processed food and animal feed, thus leading to cheaper carbon-intensive animal products such as beef and dairy. These foods often contain high calories, sugar, sodium, and saturated fat, all of which are associated with negative health effects such as diabetes, heart disease, and premature death.

Meanwhile, the healthiest foods, such as fruits, vegetables, beans and lentils, receive minimal subsidies and are therefore artificially more expensive for consumers compared to less healthy options.

A new Farm Bill reducing our carbon footprint by providing better financing Replacing agricultural subsidies for conservation programs, reforming agricultural insurance policies to encourage climate- and water-smart practices so that payments are not tied to crop production, and further research into new low-carbon agricultural technology.

Inevitably, any version of the Farm Bill that includes the above provisions will be accused of further hindering the prosperity of rural America and sacrificing the American farmer at the expense of meeting climate goals. This is a common but disingenuous argument that fails to explain who currently benefits from agricultural subsidies. Actually, largest and richest farmsGrowers of most commodity crops are by far the largest beneficiaries of existing subsidies. Farmers of color, new farmers, and those growing fruit and vegetables tend to get a very small slice of the pie. The new Farm Bill should improve Americans’ health and combat climate change while shifting subsidies from wealthy, corporate farms to small, independent growers.

Doctors and climate scientists have been sounding simultaneous alarms for decades. The twin crises of diet-related chronic diseases and climate change are seriously damaging our health and are poised to worsen without urgent, large-scale changes in government policies. Either way, the onus is often placed on individuals to eat a better diet and take personal action to limit their carbon footprint, but it’s time we recognize the need for systemic change.

The Farm Bill is typically renegotiated every five years, creating high returns and long-term impacts from each new version. We cannot afford to wait until 2029 for policies that will facilitate a green, healthy and equitable transition from a food system that harms our health and accelerates climate change.

Logan Harper, MD, is a family physician with expertise in climate and health policy who lives and works in Denver, Colorado.