RESTORING CARBON, WATER, AND TEMPERATURE CYCLES

Tom Goreau

Biodiversity for a Livable Climate Conference on Restoring Water Cycles To

Reverse Global WarmingOctober 17 2015

FLORESTA DA TIJUCARIO DE JANEIRO

ONE MAN PLANTS A FOREST

BEFORE AND AFTERGREENING THE DESERT

JORDAN, GEOFF LAWTON

CARBON, WATER,TEMPERATURE

• HIGH SOIL CARBON CAUSES HIGH WATER RETENTION, MORE FERTILE SOILS

• THERE ARE MANY WAYS TO MANAGE SOILS TO INCREASE SOIL CARBON

• SOIL CARBON COMES IN MANY FORMS, RANGES THA LAST FROM VERY SHORT TO VERY LONG TIMES

• BLACK SOIL CARBON LASTS LONGEST

WHOLE WATERSHED MANAGEMENT

• PREVENT SOIL EROSION• RECYCLE NUTRIENTS ON LAND• KEEP THEM OUT OF RIVERS, LAKES, AND

THE OCEAN WHERE THEY CAUSE HARMFULLY ALGAE BLOOM AND KILL CORAL REEFS AND FISHERIES

BALISUBAK

VETIVER GRASS, THE WORLD’S BEST EROSION CONTROL PLANT

ROOTS GROW STRAIGHT DOWNNEVER BECOMES A WEED

COMPLETELYSTOPS EROSION.BEST ROOFINGTHATCHBECAUSE OF NATURAL INSECTICIDE,SEWAGE TREATMENT,NUTRIENT TRAPPING,CARBON SINK,RENEWABLEBIOMASSPRODUCTION

WATER & TEMPERATURE

• MORE THAN HALF OF SOLAR RADIATION ON LAND EVAPORATES WATER, ABSORBING HUGE AMOUNTS OF HEAT AND LOWERING LAND TEMPERATURE

• ABOUT 60% OF RAIN WATER ON LAND IS RETURNED TO THE ATMOSPHERE, RATHER THAN RUNNING OFF

• 80-90% OF THIS IS PLANT TRANSPIRATION RATHER THAN PHYSICAL EVAPORATION

RESTORE WETLANDS• SWAMPS, BOGS, MARSHES, SALT MARSHES,

SEAGRASSES, & MANGROVES ARE MAJOR CARBON SINKS, BUILDING SOILS THAT CAN BE NEARLY PURE ORGANIC CARBON.

• WE ARE NOW RAPIDLY DESTROYING THEM BY DRAINING, ADDING THE CARBON TO THE ATMOSPHERE

• WE MUST REVERSE THIS COURSE

BEAVERS CONTROLLED NORTH AMERICAN HYDROLOGY UNTIL HUNTERS DROVE THEM TO EXTINCTION, GREATLY

INCREASING SOIL EROSION & NUTRIENT LOSS

WATER & TEMPERATURE

• MORE THAN HALF OF SOLAR RADIATION ON LAND EVAPORATES WATER, ABSORBING HUGE AMOUNTS OF HEAT AND LOWERING LAND TEMPERATURE

• ABOUT 60% OF WATER ON LAND IS RETURNED TO THE ATMOSPHERE, RATHER THAN RUNNING OFF

• 80-90% OF THIS IS PLANT TRANSPIRATION RATHER THAN PHYSICAL EVAPORATION

GOREAU & DE MELLO, 1985AMAZON RAINFOREST

BRAZIL

GOREAU, 2014

RESTORING VEGETATION RESTORES WATER CYCLES

• INCREASES TRANSPIRATION, CAUSING MORE RAIN• REDUCES SURFACE WATER RUNOFF, SOIL EROSION,

AND RUNOFF• INCREASES RECHARGE OF GROUNDWATER AND

AQUIFERS BECAUSE WATER FLOWS DOWN ROOTS INTO THE GROUND

• RESTORES SPRINGS AND STREAMS