Rattan Lal interview by Josie Watson
320 Gigatons Drawdown by 2100: A "Win, Win, Win” Strategy
https://www.facebook.com/groups/Soil4Climate/permalink/2280436375561437
Eminent soil scientist, Dr. Rattan Lal, Director of the Ohio State University Carbon Management and Sequestration Center, in an exclusive interview with Soil4Climate’s International Policy Liaison, Josie Watson, at the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (UN FAO) headquarters in Rome on World Soil Day, December 5, 2018, said restoring degraded soils and vegetation can, by the year 2100, draw down 320 gigatons (billion metric tons) of carbon from the atmosphere — the equivalent of lowering the atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration by 150 to 160 parts per million (ppm). Enumerating many co-benefits of this approach, including addressing the issues of poverty and food security, Lal calls soil restoration a “win, win, win” strategy.
TRANSCRIPT
Soil4Climate: How much drawdown of carbon dioxide into soil is possible, in the world?
Dr. Rattan Lal: That's a very important and relevant question, especially on World Soil Day.
We have estimated, along with many other colleagues, the possibility is about 150 to 160 gigatons of carbon cumulative until 2100. So, between now and 2100, maybe about 160 gigatons, which is approximately 75 to 80 parts per million (ppm) of CO2 (carbon dioxide) drawdown. Now, this includes all soils, including degraded soils, desertified soils, and so forth.
But, even if we take the recent estimates of how much carbon has been depleted from the soils of the world, and that means we can replace that much back, that’s about 135 gigatons. So, the estimate of the world soil sink capacity for carbon between now and 2100, for the next 80 years, is somewhere between 130 to 150 gigatons of carbon, which is a very sizable amount.
If you combine this with also what can be sequestered in the vegetation, that’s another 150 to 160 gigatons. So total, put together, we have a possibility of putting carbon in the terrestrial biosphere, soil and vegetation, about 320 gigatonnes of carbon, which is equal to about 150 to 160 parts per million CO2 drawdown from the atmosphere.
This is a great opportunity. Not only that, it’s a natural process, it’s also cost-effective, and it has many co-benefits.
Therefore, it’s very important that we support the activity of the (United Nation’s) Global Soil Partnership (GSP) and other initiatives that have been started throughout the world including (France’s) 4-per-1000 and AAA (Adaptation of African Agriculture).
I think this is a thing that we should encourage the policymakers meeting right now in Poland to really discuss, support, and undertake.
We should encourage our policymakers that this process of restoring degraded soils and ecosystems — desertified land — is a “win, win, win” option.
It’s a bridge to the future. It buys us time until the no-carbon and low-carbon fuel sources take effect.
At the same time, it is the best option to achieve the sustainable development goals of ending hunger, ending poverty, improving life on the terrestrial ecosystem, empowering women — women are the most important farming community in developing countries.
So, soil carbon sequestration, terrestrial carbon sequestration, is something we cannot afford to miss. I will strongly support GSP (UN FAO Global Soil Partnership) to follow up with this activity.
In last year, the congress that was held here at the FAO headquarters was a very successful event, and I hope a similar event can be done in the future.
END
Soil4Climate Interview with Dr. Rattan Lal on World Soil Day
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7WB72kyaCBw