Thomas Goreau - Reversing Global Warming

DOWN TO EARTH SOLUTION TO GLOBAL

WARMING

PUT THE CARBON BACK IN THE GROUND WHERE IT

WILL DO THE MOST GOOD

GEOTHERAPY: HOW TO REVERSE GLOBAL WARMING

GLOBAL BIOGEOCHEMICAL RESTORATION TO STABILIZE CO2 AT SAFE LEVELS IN TIME

TO AVOID SEVERE CLIMATE CHANGE IMPACTS TO EARTH’S LIFE SUPPORT

SYSTEMSTom Goreau

Global Coral Reef Alliance

MARCOTT ET AL., 2013

TO PREVENT RUNAWAY GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGE

• CO2 MUST BE REDUCED TO SAFE LEVELS

• GEOENGINEERING IS UNPROVEN, EXPENSIVE, TEMPORARY, AND HAS MANY DANGEROUS CONSEQUENCES

• CO2 REMOVAL IS BEST DONE BY INCREASING NATURAL CARBON SINKS

• WHERE CAN WE PUT IT? SOILS

• WHAT IS THE SAFE CO2 LEVEL? 260 PPM

• HOW FAST CAN IT BE DONE? DECADES

GEOTHERAPY• RESTORATION OF OUR PLANET’S NATURAL LIFE

SUPPORT SYSTEMS

• ACCURATE SCIENTIFIC DIAGNOSIS OF GLOBAL BIOGEOCHEMICAL PROBLEMS TO PRESCRIBE COURSE OF CORRECTIVE ACTION TO RESTORE HEALTH

• DEVELOPED 1990 BY THE LATE RICHARD GRANTHAM

GOREAU, 1992

GOREAU, 1992

GOREAU, 1992

GOREAU, 1990

800,000 YEARS OF CLIMATE DATA, ROHLING, 2008

GOREAU, 2014

LEVITUS ET AL., 2012

DISCOVERY BAY, JAMAICAPHOTO BY TOM GOREAU

T. GOREAU, 1964

NOAA

LEVERMANN ET AL., 2013

GREEN CARBON TAX THAT SOLVES THE PROBLEM

• CHARGE EACH POLLUTER THE REAL COST OF CARBON STORAGE IN VEGETATION AND SOIL PAID DIRECTLY TO THOSE WHO STORE IT (GOREAU, 1987; MYERS & GOREAU, 1991)

• LOW COST, HIGH BENEFITS

LARGE SCALE ENVIRONMENTAL

RESTORATION IS THE BEST WAY TO STABILIZE CO2 AT

SAFE LEVELS

FALSE ECONOMICS:BOGUS PRICES

• EUROPEAN CARBON MARKET FAILED BECAUSE THEY GAVE AWAY MORE FREE CO2 PERMITS TO BIG POLLUTERS THAN THEY COULD PRODUCE, CAUSING THE VALUE TO COLLAPSE, AND MAKING POLLUTION VIRTUALLY FREE

• US AND MOST MAJOR POLLUTERS HAVE NO CARBON MARKET AT ALL

ECONOMIST’S AND POLITICIAN’S CARBON TAXES

• INCREASE PRICES TO REDUCE CONSUMPTION, REQUIRES VERY HIGH TAXES BECAUSE ENERGY USE IS NOT ELASTIC, IT IS VERY EXPENSIVE & INFLATIONARY

• GIVES MONEY TO POLITICIANS AND CONSUMERS TO WASTE WITHOUT SOLVING THE CO2 PROBLEM!

“YOU CAN RUN, BUT YOU CAN’T HIDE. WHEN YOU RUN TO THE ROCK,

THE ROCK WILL BE MELTING.

WHEN YOU RUN TO THE SEA,

THE SEA WILL BE BOILING.

WHERE YOU GOING TO RUN TO?”

DOWNPRESSOR MAN

by

Peter Tosh

Jamaica’s greatest songwriter

LARGE SCALE ENVIRONMENTAL

RESTORATION IS THE BEST WAY TO STABILIZE CO2 AT

SAFE LEVELS

Soil Organic Carbon. UNEP/WCMC 2008

AFTER GOREAU, 1990 ORIGINAL BY PETER GOREAU

AFTER GOREAU, 2014

GOREAU, 1995

GOREAU, 1995

GOREAU, 1982

HUBBARD BROOK FORESTNEW HAMPSHIRE

GOREAU & DE MELLO, 1985

AMAZONRAINFOREST

BRAZIL

GOREAU & DE MELLO, 1985

ANCIENT AMAZONIAN TERRA PRETA DO INDIO (BIOCHAR)

PHOTO BY JAMES RICHARDSON

LARGE SCALE ENVIRONMENTAL

RESTORATION IS THE BEST WAY TO STABILIZE CO2 AT

SAFE LEVELS

LARGE SCALE ENVIRONMENTAL RESTORATION

THE ONLY WAY THAT CO2 CAN BE REDUCED IN TIME TO AVERT EXTINCTION OF CORAL REEFS

LOSS OF COASTS AND ISLANDS, & WORSE

GREATLY ENHANCE FORESTS, AGRICULTURE, GRASSLANDS, AND RESTORE DEGRADED

AREAS WHILE STORING CARBON AND PROVIDING SUSTAINABLE CARBON-NEGATIVE

ENERGY

WE KNOW HOW TO DO IT!PUT THE CARBON BACK IN THE GROUND

WHERE IT CAME FROM

GROW OUR WAY OUT OF GLOBAL WARMING

PUT IT BACK IN SOIL WHERE IT WILL DO THE MOST GOOD THE FASTEST POSSIBLE

JOIN THE UNDERGROUND GRASS-ROOTS MOVEMENT!

DECEMBER 5

UNITED NATIONS FOOD AND AGRICULTURE ORGANIZATION (FAO)