A climate change solution that's right under our feet | Asmeret Asefaw Berhe

There's two times more carbon in the earth's soil than in all of its vegetation and the atmosphere -- combined. Biogeochemist Asmeret Asefaw Berhe dives into the science of soil and shares how we could use its awesome carbon-trapping power to offset climate change. "[Soil] represents the difference between life and lifelessness in the earth system, and it can also help us combat climate change -- if we can only stop treating it like dirt," she says.

[batya]

Soil management has been practiced throughout the ages. Sustainable farming can restore some land. Responsible stewardship of our waste products and efficient energy use can get us further. Plant trees.

[sourlemon]

I don't get why 125 people disliked this video. This video is very informative and should get on the trending page of youtube. This deserves millions of views. Thank you for uploading this 😄

[nirvanamadpaul]

WORLD PLANTING DAY.. GRAB SOME SEEDS AND SPREAD THE GROWTH

[axisapex]

Go tree planting in the summer time Plenty of people do it. ITS NOTHING NEW. I've planted 40, 000 trees in 2 weeks and got payed 7 to 8 cents per tree planted and sometimes if your flown in by helicopter 15 to 25 cents per tree .. You can make more per tree to where you are planting. AND ANYONE CAN DO IT. AND LOTS OF PEOPLE DO.

[society_for_praising_appli]

Thanks Asmeret. I learned a lot.
There's a Doctor Magid Ali who talks about the metaphor of the gut being a sort of garden for our person, where we absorb nutrients. I'm grateful for your presentation.

[AlexnaderSupertramp]

We must recognize this is a very real problem. I live in a medium-sized town in Tennessee. And in the last 8 years, we have expanded the city limits. We have cut down over 15, 000 Acres of forest and trees fields and marshes. The average ambient temperature it's nearly one and a half degree higher than it was one year ago. I can personally feel the difference driving from my work which is nothing but concrete roads in a few trees. 6 miles to my house and the temperature will drop by 2 degrees or more. Because there is no structures there's no parking lots it's nothing but forest and Fields. It is our duty to looking to expand vertically versus horizontally. We must convince Society to replant what we have destroyed. And that vertical construction is the wave of the future the salvation of our planet

[gzpo]

Loved your presentation, thank you! 💖😎

[carolyngracetoday]

This sounds like something reasonable to address the issue. Thank you!

[funny-video-YouTube-channel]

Great idea. This could work if we manage to re-generate the soil in the farming and forestry areas. Good soil needs moisture, we need a system of small irrigation channels for that.


Holland and Arles in France is a good example for such a landscape, where wetland farms were created by humans and the soil is more productive than ever. They grow all the possible thins in there. It's like Holland in the south of France.

[warriorxz]

I feel like people just watch these videos and encourage others to do it but they never do it themselves

[Back_To_Basics]

Absolutely vital information and eye opening to say the least. Thank you!

[jacobusvdmerwe]

You are so right, people need to listen and act to what you say lady. Your message is so possitive..we need to plant more yrees etc.

[chaser]

As a conservationist i don't understand why environmentalists always go after grazing. Its well known overgrazing is bad, but grazing at light, moderate, or sometimes heavy rates for short periods of time, such as hollistic grazing management is beneficial for the soil. So a couple of things I want to say is there are ecosystems that need grazing to maintain fragile habitat, especially when one considers control of invasive species. Also grazing is important part of nutrient cycling, and accelerating the process of breaking down above ground carbon to be stored in the soil. Everybody says the solution is to plant trees because they sequester the most carbon, but nobody talks proper management of our forests. How a dense canopy of trees has lead to unhealthy forests that are likely to burn up. As far as I can tell most environmental activists steal the limelight from what is real science only so they can push an agenda to make themselves feel good that they did something.

[dianadonlon]

So glad TED is promoting healthy soil! FYI "Soil Solutions to Climate Problems" is a 4 minute video (narrated by Michael Pollan) that was screened at the Paris Climate Conference in 2015: @

[nikolademitri]

This was really interesting, thank you! I’m probably going to go off on a diatribe here, bc I appreciate this information deeply, and anything like this, bc education on this is so very important, it’s invaluable, and I don’t think most people actually understand just how serious this problem is sometimes. I like the suggestions here, just as I like so many of the suggestions I hear from scientists of probably more than a dozen fields, *but when it comes to climate change, the only solution, the solution that comes before all others, is political action.* All of us DO have a role to play, I agree, but what worries me is that many of my more liberal friends, and/or liberals I hear/see talk about this issue, are too concerned with the lifestyle choices and behaviors of individuals, such as going vegan, using paper straws, planting trees, getting hybrid or electric cars, etc, as if that’s really the key to solving the global climate crisis, and it’s just not.

I’m not against any of these things in practice, or any other ethical steps that an individual may take to lessen their personal carbon footprint, but my problem is that my very well meaning liberal friends who think this is the best way forward are typically overlooking, and/or often unaware of, the power of people coming together to collectively demand, nay, *to force change.* This isn’t just my concern bc I think the left, as in leftists/progressives, have a better approach, though that’s obviously a part of it.. I think it’s the only approach, *because the personal carbon reduction effort isn’t even close to being enough to address the problem.* That alone certainly isn’t the only reason we must organize and act collectively, but it *should* be reason enough for liberals (and any conservatives/right wingers who accept the science) to consider a more radical approach to the problem, bc if we accept the science, then we’re implicitly accepting that massive changes have to happen, and that they have to happen VERY soon... as in we have about a decade to start acting, if we want to prevent serious problems. If you’re expecting market solutions to suddenly show up and save us before things start getting way worse, then I don’t think you understand the problem.

I’m not trying to pick on anybody, or say that everyone should be thinking about this issue *exactly* like myself/other leftists, but I am absolutely suggesting that the solutions being offered by leftists (or progressives, if you prefer) are the the only solutions that actually address this problem to it’s fullest extent, or at least that the best plans I’ve seen for addressing this problem, by far, are coming from progressives/leftists, primarily bc they’re the only people addressing every relevant part of this problem. Looking at this issue through a critical lens (which we’re hopefully always doing, as much as is possible) must mean examining all relevant contextual aspects related to it, which means *we absolutely have to be thinking about the various systems and structures that produced this problem, and that reproduce and sustain it, and what kind of systemic and structural changes could and/or would be sufficient to remedy this problem, both short term and long term.* When one truly does this, they will necessarily come to the conclusion that we need broad systemic and structural changes to address climate change, and perhaps more importantly, they’ll understand that individual action simply is not going to save us, and that we need to band together to demand change, no matter what it takes, bc failure means no future for our children and grandchildren, let alone great suffering for those of us who are still going to be around a few decades. As far as the “how” you force that change, just look at the history of the last 200 or so years: you organize, and engage in mass protest, sit ins, strikes, and any method of direct action necessary to force what is just and necessary.. and make no mistake, this is an issue of justice for humanity/life in general vs a grossly unjust status quo that values profit uber alles...

Anyway, I’ll leave it there. I could have gone on and been more specific, but this is already too long as it is.. I’m not trying to tell anyone what or how to think, but I am suggesting listening to how the far left talks about this, reading what they think about it, and understanding why leftists/progressives are so insistent on systemic and structural changes as being an absolutely necessity to solve this problem. If anyone is curious, just ask, and I’ll gladly point you in the direction of relevant content on this matter. Let’s solve this problem, y’all. Remember, there’s no “Planet B”...

♾🏴❤️✊🏾✊🏿✊🏼✊🏽❤️🏴♾

[armandodesousa]

That is what followers of Permaculture have unwittingly been practicing.Right on!

[khaludi]

Wow what a great presentation, am very very much delighted and proud to see you at this position and also happy that you are still on the soil arena. Khalid, your old soil class mate

[wisconsinfarmer]

I nearly soiled myself listening to this.

[jacobopstad]

I'd really like to know more about the perennial plants that would be the best for this.

[ecocentrichomestead]

How much do we have to beat on this fact before a significant amount of humans get it? I learned bout the importance of healthy soils and forests 30 years ago!