By now, we are well aware of climate change and the devastating effects it is having on Mother Nature around the globe. It has been proven time and time again that climate change is rapidly increasing and it is caused by humans in the wake of growing industries. Everything from coal-fired power plants to various modes of transportation in gas-guzzling vehicles, airplanes, and trains releases greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, therefore warming the planet at a much faster rate than necessary. We've seen the melting polar caps and accelerating temperatures cause enough problems, even the agricultural practices in our nation have been affected. Where do we start to reverse some of the damage that's been done?
A surprising report from last year states that a good way to start is through supporting organic farming. Returning our agriculture to an essentially natural state of farming using ''photosynthesis and biology'' looks to have a promising effect on climate change. Basically, by implementing this new development for agriculture, ''we could sequester more than 100% of current annual CO2 emissions with a switch to widely available and inexpensive organic management practices, which we term 'regenerative organic agriculture''' (Rodale Institute). This form of agriculture focuses on using purely organic practices like ''cover crops, residue mulching, composting and crop rotation'' (Rodale Institute) to replace our current methods of industrial agriculture and the use of hazardous pesticides.
The Rodale Institute is a non-profit organization that specializes in conducting research to improve agriculture; it began the organic movement in the U.S. This organization has basically made its work refuting our current agricultural methods in the name of industry and educating people that organic farming is a proper solution to improve our health and the health of the planet.
Furthermore, by conducting these new regenerative practices in agriculture, ''more than 40 percent of annual emissions could potentially be captured. If, at the same thing, all global pasture was managed to a regenerative model, an additional 71 percent could be sequestered. Essentially, passing the 100 percent mark means a drawing down of excess greenhouse gases, resulting in the reversal of the greenhouse effect'' (Rodale Institute).
So how does this all work? How would ''regenerative organic agriculture'' affect climate change? Listed below are some examples provided by the Rodale Institute study:
• Organically managed soils can convert carbon from a greenhouse gas into a food-producing asset.
• Photosynthesis will provide massive planetary geo-engineering that's tried and tested and available for widespread dissemination right now. It costs little and is adaptable to localities all over the globe. If approved, it can be rolled out and provide multiple benefits beyond climate stabilization.
• The solution is farming like life on Earth matters; farming in a way that restores and even improves on the natural ability of the microbiology present in healthy soil to hold carbon. Regenerative organic agriculture is the solution to climate change we need to implement today.
