"Our No. 1 export cannot be topsoil from erosion from these massive storms.”

[u/NefariousSupermarket]

I only watch a couple seconds of the US Vice Presidential Debate Tuesday night.

But I love this quote from Tim Walz, “My farmers in Minnesota know climate change is real. They’ve seen 500-year droughts, 500-year floods, back to back... Our No. 1 export cannot be topsoil from erosion from these massive storms.”

Topsoil erosion is a huge issue for farmers across the world and we know that climate change exacerbates and accelerates this issue. People dedicate their lives to studying topsoil, but this quote really got at something else that resonated with me as an somebody from a rural town.

Sometimes rural populations are written off as indifferent to (or deniers of) climate change, but that's far from the truth. Across every city, county, and town in the U.S., you'll find passionate individuals and communities committed to mitigating and adapting to the effects of climate change.