A bigger lever?

Reducing emissions of CO2 and sequestering carbon is articulated widely as the main tool to mitigate climate change. But according to Australian soil microbiologist and climate scientist, Walter Jehne, CO2 only accounts for 4% of the drivers of heat dynamics.

The hydrological cycle, (the way that water moves through the environment) drives 95% of the planet’s heat dynamics. This gives us a much bigger lever for mitigating climate change. And for those not convinced, a big part of the remedy for both approaches is very similar – getting atmospheric carbon back into the soil.

These pages focus on the dynamics of direct cooling. They are under construction.

1. How direct cooling works

Some places are hotter than others. This might be because of latitude, or elevation. But often neighbouring properties can differ significantly in temperature. Walter Jehne reports that locations in Canberra with lots of trees and be 12 degrees cooler than nearby treeless landscapes. (page under construction)

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2. The science of direct cooling

Walter Jehne outlines 10 dynamics that drive the hydrological cycle that helps to explain how we can cool the planet. Click here for the first on these 10 dynamics.

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3. Greening deserts

Deserts are increasing globally, but also efforts to green deserts are intensifying. more>>

 

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4. Cooling farms

Regenerative agriculture focuses on soil health and how to integrate more carbon into soils. (page under construction)

 

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5. Urban cooling

While the built environment only accounts for one percent of global land cover, the places we live differ widely in their heat dynamics. (page under construction)

 

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6. Greening the desert of the mind

Sometimes the human mind is more arid than the harshest desert. We become captured by other peoples’ thinking and the ideologies that drive our economic and social constructions. This page explores the problem and solutions. (page under construction)

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