Clear the Air
A New Framework for Understanding Climate Change
To understand climate change, start with water: endlessly renewable, but only if it is unpolluted, the soil holds it & historic weather cycles return.
Historically, loss of vegetation is a result of over-grazing, soil ruined by poor farming practices & broken water cycles.
Thousands of years ago, the Middle East, Indo-China, Central America, et. al. had ample water, vegetation and food (animals and crops).
Overgrazing and/or intensive farming left the earth bare. Plants no longer transpired water (to lower temperatures) and fixed carbon.
Deteriorated soil no longer absorbed water.
Rain eroded topsoil.
Aquifer levels fell.
Rain diminished, breaking the water cycle.
Desertification resulted.
Great empires—Sumerian, Khmer, Mayan, Incan—weakened (and sometimes fell) due to self-inflicted ecological catastrophes.
Since then, our evolving lifestyles have created an ever-increasing ruinous cycle of heat.
Source: Walter Jehne © Alisdair Ferrie 2020
Climate challenges are different depending on regions of the world & the state of their natural climate
Global Map of Land by Humidity / Aridity
While specific implementations need tailoring to local environments - six broad sets of actions can remedy our previous mistakes
- Stop run off
- Halt erosion
- Avoid chemicals
- Boost biology:
- Inoculation
- Compost
- Regenerative practices
- Holistic/managed grazing
- Punish arson
- Mow, cut or graze crops, grasslands and forest floor
- Keep big trees
- Infill native planting
- Shelterwoods
- Stop further destruction
- 365 day cover
- Less chemicals and tilling
- Multi cropping
- Livestock on land
- Pre-monsoon dry seeding
- ZBNF etc
- Organic
- More veggies
- Grass fed meat
- Reduce wastage
- ‘Lowest mile’
Discover more about the six actions to save the planet.
