A climate change solution that's right under our feet | Asmeret Asefaw Berhe

Prevoditelj: Zeljana Maric Ferli Recezent: Sanda L

So one of the most important solutions

Jedno od najvažnijih rješenja

to the global challenge posed by climate change

za globalni izazov koji predstavljaju klimatske promjene

lies right under our foot every day.

leži pod našim nogama svakoga dana.

It's soil.

Radi se o tlu.

Soil's just the thin veil that covers the surface of land,

Tlo je tanki veo koji prekriva površinu zemlje,

but it has the power to shape our planet's destiny.

ali ima moć da promijeni sudbinu našeg planeta.

See, a six-foot or so of soil,

Vidite, oko dva metra tla,

loose soil material that covers the earth's surface,

rastresitog materijala koji prekriva površinu planeta,

represents the difference between life and lifelessness in the earth system,

predstavlja razliku između života i beživota u Zemljinom sustavu,

and it can also help us combat climate change

i može nam pomoći boriti se protiv klimatskih promjena

if we can only stop treating it like dirt.

ukoliko ga prestanemo samo bezosjećajno gaziti.

(Laughter)

(Smijeh)

Climate change is happening,

Klimatske promjene su u tijeku,

the earth's atmosphere is warming,

Zemljina atmosfera se zagrijava

because of the increasing amount of greenhouse gases

zbog povećanog udjela stakleničkih plinova

we keep releasing into the atmosphere.

koje ispuštamo u atmosferu.

You all know that.

Svi to znate.

But what I assume you might not have heard

Ono što pretpostavljam da još niste čuli

is that one of the most important things our human society could do

jest da se jedna od najvažnijih stvari koje čovječanstvo može učiniti

to address climate change

u borbi protiv klimatskih promjena,

lies right there in the soil.

nalazi u samom tlu.

I'm a soil scientist who has been studying soil since I was 18,

Ja sam znanstvenica koja proučava tlo otkad sam napunila 18 godina,

because I'm interested in unlocking the secrets of soil

jer me zanima otkriti sve tajne tla

and helping people understand this really important climate change solution.

i pomoći ljudima razumjeti ovo važno rješenje protiv klimatskih promjena.

So here are the facts about climate.

Evo nekoliko činjenica o klimi.

The concentration of carbon dioxide in the earth's atmosphere

Koncentracija ugljičnog dioksida u Zemljinoj atmosferi

has increased by 40 percent

se povećala za 40%

just in the last 150 years or so.

u samo posljednjih 150 godina.

Human actions are now releasing 9.4 billion metric tons of carbon

Ljudska aktivnost zaslužna je za otpuštanje 9,4 milijarde metričkih tona

into the atmosphere,

ugljika u atmosferu,

from activities such as burning fossil fuels

od aktivnosti kao što su izgaranje fosilnih goriva,

and intensive agricultural practices,

intenzivna poljoprivreda

and other ways we change the way we use land,

i drugi načini kojima mijenjamo kako koristimo zemlju,

including deforestation.

što uključuje i uništavanje šuma.

But the concentration of carbon dioxide that stays in the atmosphere

Ali, koncentracija ugljičnog dioksida koji ostaje u atmosferi

is only increasing by about half of that,

povećava se za samo polovicu toga,

and that's because half of the carbon we keep releasing into the atmosphere

i to je zato jer polovica ugljičnog dioksida koji ispuštamo u atmosferu

is currently being taken up by land and the seas

ostaje vezana u moru i tlu

through a process we know as carbon sequestration.

kroz proces koji se naziva sekvestracija ugljika.

So in essence, whatever consequence you think we're facing

Ukratko, kakve god posljedice mislite da trenutno vidimo

from climate change right now,

uzrokovane klimatskim promjenama,

we're only experiencing the consequence of 50 percent of our pollution,

mi vidimo posljedice tek polovine zagađenja koje proizvodimo,

because the natural ecosystems are bailing us out.

jer nas spašavaju prirodni ekosustavi.

But don't get too comfortable,

Nemojte se previše opustiti,

because we have two major things working against us right now.

jer trenutno dvije stvari rade protiv nas.

One: unless we do something big,

Prvo, osim ako ne napravimo nešto veliko

and then fast,

i brzo,

emissions will continue to rise.

emisija stakleničkih plinova biti će u daljnjem porastu.

And second: the ability of these natural ecosystems

Drugo, sposobnost ovih prirodnih ekosustava

to take up carbon dioxide from the atmosphere

da uzmu ugljični dioksid iz atmosfere

and sequester it in the natural habitats

i vežu ga u prirodna staništa,

is currently getting compromised,

drastično se smanjuje,

as they're experiencing serious degradation because of human actions.

jer ih ljudske aktivnosti ozbiljno ugrožavaju.

So it's not entirely clear

Nije sasvim jasno

that we will continue to get bailed out by these natural ecosystems

hoće li nas prirodni ekosustavi nastaviti spašavati

if we continue on this business-as-usual path that we've been.

ukoliko nastavimo dalje ovako.

Here's where the soil comes in:

Evo što tlo može učiniti.

there is about three thousand billion metric tons of carbon in the soil.

U Zemljinom tlu nalazi se oko 3,000 milijardi metričkih tona ugljika.

That's roughly about 315 times the amount of carbon

To je otprilike 315 puta više ugljika

that we release into the atmosphere currently.

negoli trenutno ispuštamo u atmosferu.

And there's twice more carbon in soil than there is in vegetation and air.

U tlu ima dvostruko više ugljika nego u biljkama i zraku.

Think about that for a second.

Razmislite o tome na trenutak.

There's more carbon in soil

U tlu ima više ugljika

than there is in all of the world's vegetation,

nego u svim biljkama na svijetu,

including the lush tropical rainforests and the giant sequoias,

što uključuje i tropske prašume, divovske sekvoje,

the expansive grasslands,

sve prostrane pašnjake,

all of the cultivated systems,

sve kultivirane sustave

and every kind of flora you can imagine on the face of the earth,

i sve vrste biljaka koje možete zamisliti na planetu,

plus all the carbon that's currently up in the atmosphere, combined,

i još sav ugljik koji se trenutno nalazi u atmosferi, zajedno,

and then twice over.

i onda dvostruko toliko.

Hence, a very small change in the amount of carbon stored in soil

Dakle, jako mala promjena u količini ugljika koja se nalazi u tlu

can make a big difference in maintenance of the earth's atmosphere.

može uvelike utjecati na održavanje ravnoteže Zemljine atmosfere.

But soil's not just simply a storage box for carbon, though.

Samo, tlo nije samo spremnik za ugljik.

It operates more like a bank account,

Funkcionira više kao bankovni račun

and the amount of carbon that's in soil at any given time

i količina ugljika u tlu u bilo kojem trenutku

is a function of the amount of carbon coming in and out of the soil.

jest funkcija količine ugljika koji ulazi i izlazi iz tla.

Carbon comes into the soil through the process of photosynthesis,

Ugljik ulazi u tlo procesom fotosinteze,

when green plants take carbon dioxide from the atmosphere

kad zelene biljke uzimaju ugljični dioksid iz atmosfere

and use it to make their bodies,

i koriste ga za razvoj vlastitih tijela.

and upon death, their bodies enter the soil.

Nakon smrti, njihova tijela vraćaju se u tlo.

And carbon leaves the soil

A ugljik napušta tlo

and goes right back up into the atmosphere

i vraća se natrag u atmosferu

when the bodies of those formerly living organisms

kad se tijela tih organizama

decay in soil by the activity of microbes.

razgrade u tlu uz pomoć mikroorganizama.

See, decomposition releases carbon dioxide into the atmosphere,

Njihovo raspadanje otpušta ugljični dioksid u atmosferu,

as well as other greenhouse gases such as methane and nitrous oxide,

zajedno s drugim stakleničkim plinovima, kao što su metan i dušikov oksid,

but it also releases all the nutrients we all need to survive.

ali i ispuštaju tvari koje su nam potrebne da preživimo.

One of the things that makes soil such a fundamental component

Ono što čini tlo tako važnim čimbenikom

of any climate change mitigation strategy

svake strategije u borbi protiv klimatskih promjena

is because it represents a long-term storage of carbon.

jest to što predstavlja dugotrajan spremnik za ugljik.

Carbon that would have lasted maybe a year or two

Ugljik koji bi trajao možda godinu ili dvije

in decaying residue if it was left on the surface

ukoliko bi ostao na površini raspadajućeg sloja,

can stay in soil for hundreds of years, even thousands and more.

može trajati u tlu nekoliko stotina, ili čak tisuća godina i više.

Soil biogeochemists like me

Biogeokemičari tla poput mene

study exactly how the soil system makes this possible,

proučavaju upravo to kako je ovo moguće,

by locking away the carbon in physical association with minerals,

da uklonimo ugljik u kombinaciji s mineralima

inside aggregates of soil minerals,

unutar agregata zemljinih minerala

and formation of strong chemical bonds

i stvaranjem snažnih kemijskih veza

that bind the carbon to the surfaces of the minerals.

koje vežu ugljik na površinu minerala.

See when carbon is entrapped in soil,

Vidite, kad je ugljik zarobljen u tlu,

in these kinds of associations with soil minerals,

vezan na minerale iz tla,

even the wiliest of the microbes can't easily degrade it.

čak ni najotpornije bakterije ne mogu ga degradirati.

And carbon that's not degrading fast

Ugljik koji ne degradira brzo

is carbon that's not going back into the atmosphere as greenhouse gases.

jest ugljik koji se neće vratiti u atmosferu u vidu stakleničkih plinova.

But the benefit of carbon sequestration

Najveća dobrobit sekvestracije ugljika

is not just limited to climate change mitigation.

nije samo to što sprječava klimatske promjene.

Soil that stores large amounts of carbon is healthy, fertile, soft.

Zemlja koji sadrži velike količine ugljika je zdrava, plodna i mekana.

It's malleable. It's workable.

Odlična je za obradu.

It makes it like a sponge.

Postaje kao spužva.

It can hold on to a lot of water and nutrients.

Može sadržavati velike količine vode i hranjivih tvari.

Healthy and fertile soils like this

Ovakva zdrava i plodna zemlja

support the most dynamic, abundant and diverse habitat for living things

podržava najdinamičnija i najraznolikija staništa

that we know of anywhere on the earth system.

koja možemo zamisliti na planetu.

It makes life possible for everything from the tiniest of the microbes,

Omogućava život za sve, od najmanjih mikroba

such as bacteria and fungi,

kao što su bakterije i gljivice,

all the way to higher plants,

do razvijenih biljaka,

and fulfills the food, feed and fiber needs for all animals,

i ispunjava sve potrebe za hranom i vlaknima svih životinja,

including you and I.

uključujući vas i mene.

So at this point, you would assume that we should be treating soil

Vjerujem da pretpostavljate kako bismo trebali tretirati tlo

like the precious resource that it is.

kao prirodno bogatstvo, što ono i jest.

Unfortunately, that's not the case.

Nažalost, to nije tako.

Soils around the world are experiencing unprecedented rates of degradation

Tla širom svijeta gube kvalitetu kao nikad prije,

through a variety of human actions that include deforestation,

zbog različitih ljudskih aktivnosti koje uključuju uništavanje šuma,

intensive agricultural production systems,

intenzivnu poljoprivredu,

overgrazing,

pretjeranu ispašu,

excessive application of agricultural chemicals,

pretjerano korištenje poljoprivrednih kemikalija,

erosion and similar things.

eroziju i druge probleme.

Half of the world's soils are currently considered degraded.

Polovina tla na planeti trenutno se smatra degradiranim.

Soil degradation is bad for many reasons,

Degradacija tla je loša zbog više razloga.

but let me just tell you a couple.

Dozvolite mi da ih spomenem nekoliko.

One: degraded soils have diminished potential to support plant productivity.

Prvo, degradirano tlo ima smanjenu sposobnost da podrži rast biljaka.

And hence, by degrading soil,

Stoga, degradirajući tlo,

we're compromising our own abilities to provide the food and other resources

mi uništavamo vlastitu sposobnost da proizvedemo hranu i druge resurse

that we need for us

koje trebamo za nas

and every member of living things on the face of the earth.

i sva ostala živa bića na planetu.

And second:

Drugo,

soil use and degradation, just in the last 200 years or so,

obrada i degradacija tla u posljednjih 200 godina

has released 12 times more carbon into the atmosphere

otpustile su u atmosferu 12 puta više ugljika,

compared to the rate at which we're releasing carbon

u usporedbi s količinom

koju trenutno ispuštamo u atmosferu.

into the atmosphere right now.

I'm afraid there's even more bad news.

Imam i još gore vijesti.

This is a story of soils at high latitudes.

Radi se o priči o tlu na višim zemaljskim širinama.

Peatlands in polar environments

Tresetna tla u polarnim predjelima

store about a third of the global soil carbon reserves.

sadrže oko trećine svjetskih rezervi ugljika.

These peatlands have a permanently frozen ground underneath,

Ova tresetna tla imaju sloj trajno smrznutog tla ispod površine,

the permafrost,

tzv. permafrost,

and the carbon was able to build up in these soils over long periods of time

i ugljik se u ta tla vezao tijekom dugog niza godina,

because even though plants are able to photosynthesize during the short,

zato jer iako su biljke sposobne za fotosintezu u kratkim,

warm summer months,

toplim ljetnim mjesecima,

the environment quickly turns cold and dark,

okoliš brzo postaje mračan i hladan,

and then microbes are not able to efficiently break down the residue.

a onda mikrobi ne mogu dovoljno učinkovito razgraditi naslage.

So the soil carbon bank in these polar environments

Tako se banka ugljika u ovim polarnim predjelima

built up over hundreds of thousands of years.

izgradila tijekom stotina tisuća godina.

But right now, with atmospheric warming,

Ali upravo sada, atmosferskim zagrijavanjem,

the permafrost is thawing and draining.

permafrost se topi i cijedi,

And when permafrost thaws and drains,

a kad se permafrost topi i cijedi,

it makes it possible for microbes to come in

mikrobi mogu ući u njega

and rather quickly decompose all this carbon,

i brzo razgraditi ovaj ugljik,

with the potential to release hundreds of billions of metric tons of carbon

potencijalno otpuštajući stotine milijardi metričkih tona ugljika

into the atmosphere in the form of greenhouse gases.

u atmosferu u obliku stakleničkih plinova.

And this release of additional greenhouse gases into the atmosphere

To otpuštanje dodatnih stakleničkih plinova u atmosferu

will only contribute to further warming

samo će doprinijeti daljnjem zagrijavanju

that makes this predicament even worse,

koje će još pogoršati situaciju,

as it starts a self-reinforcing positive feedback loop

jer započinje proces koji je zatvoreni krug

that could go on and on and on,

koji može trajati i trajati,

dramatically changing our climate future.

i drastično promijeniti našu klimatsku budućnost.

Fortunately, I can also tell you that there is a solution

Nasreću, mogu vam reći i da postoji rješenje

for these two wicked problems of soil degradation and climate change.

za ova dva velika problema degradacije tla i klimatskih promjena.

Just like we created these problems,

Kao što smo stvorili ove probleme,

we do know the solution,

znamo i rješenje za njih.

and the solution lies in simultaneously working

Rješenje jest da istovremeno

to address these two things together,

rješavamo oba problema

through what we call climate-smart land management practices.

kroz ono što nazivamo klimatski osviještenom uporabom zemljišta.

What do I mean here?

Što pod time mislim?

I mean managing land in a way that's smart

To znači da tlo moramo obrađivati na pametan način, tako da

about maximizing how much carbon we store in soil.

pokušamo maksimizirati prisutnost ugljika u samome tlu.

And we can accomplish this

To možemo postići tako

by putting in place deep-rooted perennial plants,

da sadimo višegodišnje biljke dubokih korijena,

putting back forests whenever possible,

sadimo šume gdje god je to moguće,

reducing tillage and other disturbances from agricultural practices,

smanjimo oranje i druge poljoprivredne prakse,

including optimizing the use of agricultural chemicals and grazing

uključujući i optimizaciju uporabe pesticida i korištenja tla za ispašu,

and even adding carbon to soil, whenever possible,

čak i dodavanjem ugljika u zemlju, kad god je to moguće,

from recycled resources such as compost and even human waste.

iz recikliranih resursa kao što su kompost, čak i ljudski izmet.

This kind of land stewardship is not a radical idea.

Ovakvo gospodarenje tlom nije radikalna ideja.

It's what made it possible for fertile soils

To je ono što je omogućilo plodnom tlu

to be able to support human civilizations since time immemorial.

da podrži nastanak ljudske civilizacije od pamtivijeka.

In fact, some are doing it just right now.

U stvari, neki to već rade.

There's a global effort underway to accomplish exactly this goal.

Postoji globalni pokret koji nastoji postići upravo ovaj cilj.

This effort that started in France is known as the "4 per 1000" effort,

Ovaj pokret nastao je u Francuskoj, pod nazivom "4 za 1000",

and it sets an aspirational goal

i postavio je kao cilj

to increase the amount of carbon stored in soil by 0.4 percent annually,

povećati udio ugljika u tlu za 0,4% godišnje,

using the same kind of climate-smart land management practices

koristeći upravo klimatski osviješten proces obrade zemljišta

I mentioned earlier.

koji sam ranije spomenula.

And if this effort's fully successful,

Ukoliko ovaj projekt uspije,

it can offset a third of the global emissions

može neutralizirati trećinu svjetskih emisija

of fossil-fuel-derived carbon into the atmosphere.

stakleničkih plinova nastalih izgaranjem fosilnih goriva.

But even if this effort is not fully successful,

Čak i ako ovaj projekt ne bude u potpunosti uspješan,

but we just start heading in that direction,

i ako se samo počnemo kretati u pravome smjeru,

we still end up with soils that are healthier, more fertile,

imat ćemo tla koja su zdravija, plodnija

are able to produce all the food and resources that we need

i sposobnija proizvesti hranu i resurse koje trebamo

for human populations and more,

za ljudsku populaciju i više,

and also soils that are better capable

tla koja su sposobnija

of sequestering carbon dioxide from the atmosphere

vezati na sebe ugljični dioksid iz atmosfere

and helping with climate change mitigation.

i pomoći spriječiti klimatske promjene.

I'm pretty sure that's what politicians call a win-win solution.

Sigurna sam da je to ono što političari nazivaju "win-win" situacijom.

And we all can have a role to play here.

Svi mi imamo ulogu u tome.

We can start by treating the soil with the respect that it deserves:

Možemo početi tretirajući tlo s poštovanjem koje ono zaslužuje,

respect for its ability as the basis of all life on earth,

poštovanjem za svoju sposobnost da održi sav život na Zemlji,

respect for its ability to serve as a carbon bank

poštovanjem za sposobnost da služi kao spremnik za ugljik

and respect for its ability to control our climate.

i poštovanjem za sposobnost da kontrolira našu klimu.

And if we do so,

Ukoliko to učinimo,

we can then simultaneously address

možemo istovremeno riješiti

two of the most pressing global challenges of our time:

dva najveća globalna izazova našeg vremena,

climate change and soil degradation.

klimatske promjene i degradaciju tla.

And in the process, we would be able to provide food and nutritional security

U isto vrijeme, moći ćemo osigurati hranu i nutritivnu sigurnost

to our growing human family.

našoj rastućoj ljudskoj zajednici.

Thank you.

Hvala vam.

(Applause)

(Pljesak)