Pollution, biodiversity losses, dead zones, economic and social displacement of small and medium scale farmers, and pesticide intoxications of farm workers are among the well recognized legacies of the past 50 years of industrial agriculture. More recently, global warming has been added to the list. The challenges that lay ahead have to be confronted with a strong foundation in ecology combined with an interdisciplinary approach that recognizes the complex social, economic and political ramifications of proposed solutions. Recent global assessments and international reports have suggested that a paradigm shift is required in agriculture if we are going to reduce agriculture’s contribution to greenhouse gas emissions and reverse the pattern of the last fifty years. This symposium will examine how ecological research has been essential to a better understanding of how industrial agriculture contributes to global warming and could, likewise, contribute to an understanding of how traditional and innovative agreocological systems can mitigate this effect. With a strong interdisciplinary focus, the speakers will examine the ethical ramifications of some of the proposed solutions to global warming, especially those dealing with carbon trading, and the potential contribution of small-scale sustainable agriculture to reversing the warming pattern and buffering against the impacts of global warming. The speakers will also discuss the role of institutions, environmental governance and social movements in fostering change. The symposium will conclude with a synthesis focusing on the critical connections between climate change, agriculture and environmental justice and how ecological research is essential for generating sustainable and just solutions the problem of global warming.