In a state that is renowned for its supreme agriculture, I was shocked to learn that Iowa’s poverty rate is 12.4 percent. All of the land around us is used to grow food, yet we still have people going hungry. When I saw a sign that read, “End Climate Change, End Extreme Poverty,” I wondered how that correlated with environmental advocacy. I learned that despite the expertise of our farmers, it is likely that crop yields will continue to diminish because of climate change.

Protecting people cannot be accomplished without protecting the environment, and vice versa. We also cannot fix the environmental problems we face when 12.4 percent of our workforce is going hungry. It is time that we stop isolating these issues and accept them as mutually perpetuating conditions. Let’s embrace a safe, sustainable and responsible future, and let’s do it together.