Asmeret Asefaw Berhe: A climate change solution that's right under our feet
Asmeret Asefaw Berhe: Rješenje za klimatske promjene nalazi se pod našim nogama
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
predstavljaju klimatske promjene
that covers the surface of land,
prekriva površinu zemlje,
our planet's destiny.
sudbinu našeg planeta.
that covers the earth's surface,
koji prekriva površinu planeta,
and lifelessness in the earth system,
i beživota u Zemljinom sustavu,
combat climate change
protiv klimatskih promjena
bezosjećajno gaziti.
of greenhouse gases
our human society could do
koje čovječanstvo može učiniti
studying soil since I was 18,
otkad sam napunila 18 godina,
the secrets of soil
really important climate change solution.
rješenje protiv klimatskih promjena.
in the earth's atmosphere
u Zemljinoj atmosferi
9.4 billion metric tons of carbon
otpuštanje 9,4 milijarde metričkih tona
such as burning fossil fuels
izgaranje fosilnih goriva,
the way we use land,
kako koristimo zemlju,
that stays in the atmosphere
koji ostaje u atmosferi
we keep releasing into the atmosphere
dioksida koji ispuštamo u atmosferu
by land and the seas
as carbon sequestration.
sekvestracija ugljika.
you think we're facing
mislite da trenutno vidimo
of 50 percent of our pollution,
zagađenja koje proizvodimo,
are bailing us out.
working against us right now.
biti će u daljnjem porastu.
of these natural ecosystems
prirodnih ekosustava
from the atmosphere
degradation because of human actions.
ozbiljno ugrožavaju.
by these natural ecosystems
nastaviti spašavati
business-as-usual path that we've been.
metric tons of carbon in the soil.
3,000 milijardi metričkih tona ugljika.
the amount of carbon
into the atmosphere currently.
than there is in vegetation and air.
nego u biljkama i zraku.
of the world's vegetation,
and the giant sequoias,
divovske sekvoje,
on the face of the earth,
zamisliti na planetu,
up in the atmosphere, combined,
nalazi u atmosferi, zajedno,
in the amount of carbon stored in soil
ugljika koja se nalazi u tlu
in maintenance of the earth's atmosphere.
ravnoteže Zemljine atmosfere.
a storage box for carbon, though.
that's in soil at any given time
u bilo kojem trenutku
coming in and out of the soil.
koji ulazi i izlazi iz tla.
through the process of photosynthesis,
from the atmosphere
ugljični dioksid iz atmosfere
their bodies enter the soil.
tijela vraćaju se u tlo.
formerly living organisms
carbon dioxide into the atmosphere,
ugljični dioksid u atmosferu,
such as methane and nitrous oxide,
kao što su metan i dušikov oksid,
we all need to survive.
potrebne da preživimo.
such a fundamental component
klimatskih promjena
a long-term storage of carbon.
dugotrajan spremnik za ugljik.
maybe a year or two
možda godinu ili dvije
if it was left on the surface
raspadajućeg sloja,
even thousands and more.
ili čak tisuća godina i više.
makes this possible,
in physical association with minerals,
u kombinaciji s mineralima
to the surfaces of the minerals.
with soil minerals,
can't easily degrade it.
ne mogu ga degradirati.
into the atmosphere as greenhouse gases.
atmosferu u vidu stakleničkih plinova.
to climate change mitigation.
klimatske promjene.
is healthy, fertile, soft.
ugljika je zdrava, plodna i mekana.
a lot of water and nutrients.
vode i hranjivih tvari.
and diverse habitat for living things
najraznolikija staništa
on the earth system.
from the tiniest of the microbes,
od najmanjih mikroba
and fiber needs for all animals,
hranom i vlaknima svih životinja,
that we should be treating soil
kako bismo trebali tretirati tlo
unprecedented rates of degradation
kvalitetu kao nikad prije,
that include deforestation,
koje uključuju uništavanje šuma,
of agricultural chemicals,
poljoprivrednih kemikalija,
are currently considered degraded.
trenutno se smatra degradiranim.
potential to support plant productivity.
sposobnost da podrži rast biljaka.
to provide the food and other resources
da proizvedemo hranu i druge resurse
on the face of the earth.
just in the last 200 years or so,
u posljednjih 200 godina
into the atmosphere
12 puta više ugljika,
which we're releasing carbon
at high latitudes.
višim zemaljskim širinama.
of the global soil carbon reserves.
svjetskih rezervi ugljika.
a permanently frozen ground underneath,
trajno smrznutog tla ispod površine,
in these soils over long periods of time
tijekom dugog niza godina,
to photosynthesize during the short,
za fotosintezu u kratkim,
turns cold and dark,
to efficiently break down the residue.
učinkovito razgraditi naslage.
in these polar environments
ovim polarnim predjelima
of thousands of years.
atmosferskim zagrijavanjem,
for microbes to come in
decompose all this carbon,
of billions of metric tons of carbon
stotine milijardi metričkih tona ugljika
in the form of greenhouse gases.
greenhouse gases into the atmosphere
stakleničkih plinova u atmosferu
positive feedback loop
koji je zatvoreni krug
našu klimatsku budućnost.
that there is a solution
i da postoji rješenje
of soil degradation and climate change.
degradacije tla i klimatskih promjena.
in simultaneously working
climate-smart land management practices.
osviještenom uporabom zemljišta.
in a way that's smart
na pametan način, tako da
how much carbon we store in soil.
ugljika u samome tlu.
deep-rooted perennial plants,
dubokih korijena,
from agricultural practices,
druge poljoprivredne prakse,
of agricultural chemicals and grazing
pesticida i korištenja tla za ispašu,
whenever possible,
kad god je to moguće,
such as compost and even human waste.
kompost, čak i ljudski izmet.
is not a radical idea.
nije radikalna ideja.
for fertile soils
since time immemorial.
civilizacije od pamtivijeka.
to accomplish exactly this goal.
nastoji postići upravo ovaj cilj.
is known as the "4 per 1000" effort,
pod nazivom "4 za 1000",
stored in soil by 0.4 percent annually,
u tlu za 0,4% godišnje,
land management practices
osviješten proces obrade zemljišta
of the global emissions
trećinu svjetskih emisija
into the atmosphere.
izgaranjem fosilnih goriva.
is not fully successful,
ne bude u potpunosti uspješan,
in that direction,
kretati u pravome smjeru,
that are healthier, more fertile,
and resources that we need
i resurse koje trebamo
from the atmosphere
dioksid iz atmosfere
climate change mitigation.
call a win-win solution.
nazivaju "win-win" situacijom.
with the respect that it deserves:
s poštovanjem koje ono zaslužuje,
as the basis of all life on earth,
da održi sav život na Zemlji,
as a carbon bank
da služi kao spremnik za ugljik
to control our climate.
da kontrolira našu klimu.
global challenges of our time:
izazova našeg vremena,
to provide food and nutritional security
hranu i nutritivnu sigurnost
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