Looking for Big Ag’s Influence in the Dietary Guidelines
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From Stephanie Feldstein, Population and Sustainability Program Director |
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You may be most familiar with the Dietary Guidelines for Americans from the MyPlate tool, a simple infographic created to help people make healthier choices. But the guidelines have a much broader scope: They drive our country’s dietary health, shape more than $40 billion in federal spending, and have sweeping impacts on food-related greenhouse gas emissions.
Last month the Center filed a lawsuit seeking information about the development of the 2025-2030 dietary guidelines, including related communications with the beef industry. The lawsuit followed the release of the Make America Healthy Again Commission’s report, which falsely calls the dietary guidelines “compromised” and promotes consumption of beef, dairy, and lard despite their association with increased risk of heart disease, diabetes, cancer, and premature death.
The report read like it could have been written by the beef and dairy industry. That’s why we’re making sure that the new dietary guidelines, which could be released any day, haven’t been co-opted by Big Agriculture. Read on to learn more about how the beef industry is rewriting climate science for kids, where microplastics pollution is showing up now, and more. |
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Crowded Planet: A new analysis of more than 70,000 wild animal species found that climate change already threatens more than 3,500 of them. The study found that a variety of species, including marine invertebrates like sea stars and snow crabs, have recently experienced population collapse due to climate-related threats such as storms, floods, droughts, and extreme temperatures.
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Pride and the Climate Crisis |
As we celebrate the continued resilience, courage, and progress of the LGBTQIA+ community during Pride month, it’s important to acknowledge the uphill battle many LGBTQIA+ folks face in the climate crisis. Climate change amplifies the economic and health disparities and the lack of social support already rampant throughout society. Queer people experience higher poverty rates, lower income, and lower employment rates due to discrimination — which means they often live in neighborhoods disproportionately affected by the climate crisis and have fewer resources to adapt or recover from climate-related disasters.
Climate and environmental advocates can address these injustices by creating inclusive spaces and amplifying LGBTQIA+ voices and experiences. Policymakers can support voluntary modern family planning, gender-affirming care, and comprehensive sex education, and they can ensure that LGBTQIA+ people have leadership positions and educational opportunities. Here’s one thing you can do: Read more about how climate change disproportionately harms the LGBTQIA+ community in our Gender and the Climate Crisis report. |
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Webinar: Saving Western Snowy Plovers |
Western snowy plovers are small shorebirds who live in sand dunes threatened by developers and human beachgoers. These shy birds are also featured on our Endangered Species Condoms packages. To celebrate the 15th anniversary of the condoms, we’re inviting you to learn from a team of Oregon partners about on-the-ground plover conservation efforts in a webinar on Monday, June 30, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. PT.
Webinar panelists include representatives from the Surfrider Foundation, Center for Biological Diversity, Oregon Parks and Recreation, and Oregon Shores Conservation Coalition. Western snowy plovers are an Oregon icon, and we'll discuss a range of efforts to protect them — including advocacy work, beach cleanups, art projects, and upstream interventions. Here’s one thing you can do: Register now to attend the webinar. (It’s free!) |
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How the Beef Industry Shapes Climate Curriculum |
The beef industry has long spent significant time and money shaping the public’s perception of beef. And the industry isn’t just targeting adults. As Sentient recently reported, it’s influencing kids with a beef curriculum for classrooms. The materials are embedded across grade levels and, unsurprisingly, fail to mention that the best way to reduce cattle-related emissions is to eat less beef.
“That this industry — notorious for environmental harms and adverse health issues — has set its sights on children doesn’t bode well for our educational system,” Jennifer Molidor, the Center’s senior food campaigner, told Sentient. “With every effort to promote sustainable food, less cattle production should be part of the equation.” Here’s one thing you can do: Read about how students, parents, and staff can build a wildlife-friendly school food culture in our Wildlife-Friendly Guide to Sustainable School Food. |
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Plastic Pollution Found in Dolphin Breath |
Microplastic pollution has been found deep in the ocean, at the top of Mount Everest, and almost everywhere in between. In fact, a new study found that microplastics are also in the breath of bottlenose dolphins. Researchers said that the microplastics exhaled by these dolphins are similar in chemical composition to those identified in human lungs.
In humans, the chemicals in microplastics affect lung function, reproduction, and cardiovascular and brain health, and they may also cause cancer. Because dolphins are mammals, researchers speculate that microplastics may affect them in similar ways.
Here’s one thing you can do: The Coca-Cola Company is the world’s largest consumer-facing seller of plastics. Tell Coke to bring back refillable bottles to help curb the plastic pollution crisis. |
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Biodiversity in a Crowded World |
There’s never been another mammal that’s grown as much, as quickly, and with such devastating consequences for other species as humans. From shrinking habitats to rising extinction rates, the consequences are clear: Biodiversity is paying the price for human population pressure. As Center campaigner Kelley Dennings explains in this shareable video, population pressure is a root cause of the environmental crises we face.
By advancing reproductive health, rights and justice and gender equity we can improve the health of people and the planet. When people have access to healthcare, education, and economic opportunity, she explains, they tend to delay having children, have fewer and healthier children, and are more likely to actively manage their reproductive health.
Here’s one thing you can do: Share the video with your circles. (Want to go above and beyond? You can also sign up to distribute our Endangered Species Condoms in your community.) |
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Wildlife Spotlight: Bendire’s Thrasher |
Bendire’s thrashers are medium-sized songbirds who spend much of their time foraging on the ground and often run with their long tails cocked over their backs. Native to the arid lands of the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico, they’re most noticeable during the breeding season, when males sing a rich, variable warble.
But unchecked sprawl and climate change threaten their existence. The 2025 U.S. State of the Birds report named named Bendire’s thrasher one of the country’s 42 Red Alert Tipping Point Species — defined as bird species that have lost more than half their populations within the past 50 years and that require immediate and urgent action to address declines. To support this effort, in May the Center petitioned the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to protect Bendire’s thrashers under the Endangered Species Act.
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Center for Biological Diversity
P.O. Box 710
Tucson, AZ 85702
United States
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