Our Planet is Gasping for Breath; Here are some things that are already being done!

Issue # 1:  February, 2021 Abandoned Farmland Restoration

 

According to Project Drawdown, there are almost half a billion hectares of farmland that have been abandoned due to land degradation. More importantly, they estimate that by 2050 between 189 and 296 million hectares could be restored and converted to regenerative annual cropping. The result would be a lifetime of net profits for farmers and tons of carbon removed from the atmosphere!

This Project Drawdown restoration can mean the return of native vegetation, the establishment of tree plantations, or the introduction of regenerative farming methods.  It represents a lot of hard work, but farming is that way already.  It sure beats the results of walking away from these fields and abandoning them to let them become wastelands!

To establish the importance of doing this remediation, an estimate of the results of this crisis, made by the United Nations in 2019, is that there will be at least 821 million people, or more, on this earth who will be chronically food insecure.  We can only imagine the number of people who will be involved since the Pandemic started! These people are in the middle of a “Perfect Storm!”  Essentially, it looks like this:  crops are failing, people are dying, live stock is dying, transportation to suppliers and buyers is very limited, prices are soaring and incomes are rapidly dropping!

Bringing abandoned lands back into productive use can also turn them into carbon sinks!  What can YOU do?  I would say be aware and look for opportunities to support these ventures. Together we can make a difference which will help all of us!

This post is part of a series on Project Drawdown, which conducts an ongoing review and analysis of climate solutions—the practices and technologies that can stem and begin to reduce the excess of greenhouse gases in our atmosphere. Learn more about how you can take action at https://www.drawdown.org/solutions