Asmeret Asefaw Berhe: A climate change solution that's right under our feet
Asmeret Asefaw Berhe is a soil and global-change scientist and educator passionate about all things related to the science and beauty of soils. Full bio
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posed by climate change
that covers the surface of land,
our planet's destiny.
that covers the earth's surface,
and lifelessness in the earth system,
combat climate change
of greenhouse gases
our human society could do
studying soil since I was 18,
the secrets of soil
really important climate change solution.
in the earth's atmosphere
9.4 billion metric tons of carbon
such as burning fossil fuels
the way we use land,
that stays in the atmosphere
we keep releasing into the atmosphere
by land and the seas
as carbon sequestration.
you think we're facing
of 50 percent of our pollution,
are bailing us out.
working against us right now.
of these natural ecosystems
from the atmosphere
degradation because of human actions.
by these natural ecosystems
business-as-usual path that we've been.
metric tons of carbon in the soil.
the amount of carbon
into the atmosphere currently.
than there is in vegetation and air.
of the world's vegetation,
and the giant sequoias,
on the face of the earth,
up in the atmosphere, combined,
in the amount of carbon stored in soil
in maintenance of the earth's atmosphere.
a storage box for carbon, though.
that's in soil at any given time
coming in and out of the soil.
through the process of photosynthesis,
from the atmosphere
their bodies enter the soil.
formerly living organisms
carbon dioxide into the atmosphere,
such as methane and nitrous oxide,
we all need to survive.
such a fundamental component
a long-term storage of carbon.
maybe a year or two
if it was left on the surface
even thousands and more.
makes this possible,
in physical association with minerals,
to the surfaces of the minerals.
with soil minerals,
can't easily degrade it.
into the atmosphere as greenhouse gases.
to climate change mitigation.
is healthy, fertile, soft.
a lot of water and nutrients.
and diverse habitat for living things
on the earth system.
from the tiniest of the microbes,
and fiber needs for all animals,
that we should be treating soil
unprecedented rates of degradation
that include deforestation,
of agricultural chemicals,
are currently considered degraded.
potential to support plant productivity.
to provide the food and other resources
on the face of the earth.
just in the last 200 years or so,
into the atmosphere
which we're releasing carbon
at high latitudes.
of the global soil carbon reserves.
a permanently frozen ground underneath,
in these soils over long periods of time
to photosynthesize during the short,
turns cold and dark,
to efficiently break down the residue.
in these polar environments
of thousands of years.
for microbes to come in
decompose all this carbon,
of billions of metric tons of carbon
in the form of greenhouse gases.
greenhouse gases into the atmosphere
positive feedback loop
that there is a solution
of soil degradation and climate change.
in simultaneously working
climate-smart land management practices.
in a way that's smart
how much carbon we store in soil.
deep-rooted perennial plants,
from agricultural practices,
of agricultural chemicals and grazing
whenever possible,
such as compost and even human waste.
is not a radical idea.
for fertile soils
since time immemorial.
to accomplish exactly this goal.
is known as the "4 per 1000" effort,
stored in soil by 0.4 percent annually,
land management practices
of the global emissions
into the atmosphere.
is not fully successful,
in that direction,
that are healthier, more fertile,
and resources that we need
from the atmosphere
climate change mitigation.
call a win-win solution.
with the respect that it deserves:
as the basis of all life on earth,
as a carbon bank
to control our climate.
global challenges of our time:
to provide food and nutritional security
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Asmeret Asefaw Berhe - Soil scientistAsmeret Asefaw Berhe is a soil and global-change scientist and educator passionate about all things related to the science and beauty of soils.
Why you should listen
As Asmeret Asefaw Berhe tells it: "My research investigates: 1) how the soil system controls the earth's climate, in particular how otherwise thermodynamically unstable organic compounds can remain in soil for up to millennia, and 2) the dynamic two-way relationship between human communities and the soil system that we depend on for our food and nutritional security, and the socio-political implications of land degradation.
"I have a strong commitment towards education, outreach and mentoring. I am driven to ensure that scientific education and careers are equally accessible to people from all walks of life, and that academic workplaces are free from bias and harassment."
Asmeret Asefaw Berhe | Speaker | TED.com