Gene Rosow

Where’s the Dirt in Copenhagen?!! - Part 2

Demonstrators have been chanting:

"Hey! Hey! Hey!

It's getting warm down here...

...because of all the carbon in the at-mo-sphere!"

How we manage carbon is key to dealing with climate change. And dirt is key to managing carbon. Soil is the key life support system for ecological functions: biomass production in agriculture and forestry; storing, filtering and transforming nutrients, substances and water; biodiversity of habitats, species and genes; the physical and cultural environment of all human activity; the source of raw materials....you get the idea.

A change in climate alters all processes in soil. The result? Serious consequences for environment and society. According to leading scientists at the Joint Research Center of the European Commission: "Policies and strategies supporting the effective management of soil can really make a difference for the mitigation of climate change."

To which your faithful Dirt Road Warrior says "Amen."

The most concrete (wait, make that dirt-coolest) result of Copenhagen may be an agreement that recognizes this thinking and does something about it:  It's called "Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation" or REDD.

It is basically a way in which countries will be paid for preserving Dirt! - through the preservation of  forests, peat soils, fields and wetlands - payment to be made on a scale based on the contribution to reducing CO2 and greenhouse gas emissions. The final draft just went out to the ministers of 200 countries, and as of this writing it seems that they are real close to a deal. We'll know by the end of the week. Forget dirt poor, dirt rich is where it's at!

Better REDD than dead. Can you dig it!

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