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| Soil: The Secret Solution to Global Warming Fact Sheet |
- Taking carbon out of the atmosphere by means of soil sequestration can reduce CO2 emissions by up to 10 - 20 per cent. ( Link )
- Global warming and health care are the number 1 and 2 concerns of the citizens of Canada, United States and the U.K.
- Percy Schmeiser is a Saskatchewan canola farmer who was charged with patent infringement by Monsanto in 1997 and brought it all the way to the Supreme Court of Canada. In October of 2000, Schmeiser received the Mahatma Gandhi Award for working for the good of mankind in a non-violent way.
- 1 gigaton is = to 1 billion tons of carbon or 2750 Empire State Buildings or 142,000,000 African elephants.
- The land based carbon cycle works like this: carbon is taken out of the atmosphere by plants and converted to organic matter through photosynthesis. The oxygen in the molecule is released back to the air and the carbon becomes part of the plant’s structure and eventually the soil. ( Link )
- Our chemical use in crop production further inhibits the soil to recover from its depleted carbon position. ( Link )
- A 23-year comparable study by the Rodale Institute in Pennsylvania clearly demonstrates that land farmed organically through methods like no till and winter cover crops, absorb 30% more CO2 than conventionally farmed land. This translates to a decrease of 1.8 metric tonnes of CO2 in the atmosphere per acre of land converted to organic farming methods. ( Link )
- In Canada, by implementing organic farming practices on all conventionally farmed land our CO2 emissions would be reduced by 20% per year from the very first year. If, on an annual basis, we implemented organic farming methods on 5 % of all conventionally farmed land within a decade we would take more than 10% of our CO2 emission out of the atmosphere. ( Link )
- Scientist predict that this generation could be the first in a hundred years to outlive our children’s generation if we do not take preventative action now. ( Link )
- According to the U. S. Department of Agriculture, healthier diets could prevent at least $71 billion per year in medical costs, lost productivity and lost lives. ( Link )
- Not only does this no till method help retain soil organic matter and therefore carbon, Less tillage also decreases emissions of CO2 from farm machinery since the equipment makes fewer runs over the field. C02 sequestration through no-till practices are tripled when combined with the planting of winter cover crops which are used in organic farming to maintain a healthy soil. ( Link )
- The "Zero till" solution has been studied by the Federal Government as one of the ways to sequester carbon and meet their Kyoto targets
- Despite some incentives offered to help with the conversion to no till seeders the government has fallen short of providing direct subsidies to farmers to convert to sustainable soil management systems
- Crops grown on organically farmed land have higher yields during dry seasons or other severe weather conditions. Farming yields did not decrease when the land was converted to organic management like agro-chemical companies argue. Over time the study saw even increased yields of the organically farmed parcels. In other words, sustainable farming practices not only protect our crops better against the weather fluctuations of global warming, but over time allows for yields to improve. ( Link )
- Governments around the world are currently pouring billions of dollars into their agricultural industry through various subsidy programs.
- Canada currently subsidizes the agricultural industry at a rate of 7 billion each year.
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| References and Resources |
Rodale Institute
New Farm
Schmeiser Receives Mahatma Gandhi Award
Percy Schmeiser - The Conflict
Organic Farming Sequesters Atmospheric Carbon and Nutrients in Soils
National CO2 Equestration Calculations based on no-till and covered crop farming
High Costs Of Poor Eating Patterns In the United States
Enhancement of Carbon Sequestration in U.S. Soils
Environmental, Energetic and Economic Comparisons of Organic and Conventional Farming Systems
Health Benefits of Organic Foods - Appendix 1 Page 34
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| Videos |
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| Petition |
Take Action - Sign the Petition!
Sustainably-farmed soil holds 30% more carbon. Tell world leaders to shift existing agricultural subsidies from conventional to organic farming.
Click the link below for your country:
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