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Geotherapy Not Geoengineering, Please

by gmoke Tue Mar 30th, 2021 at 06:31:07 PM EST

Geotherapy not geoengineering, please.

"Geotherapy refers to the process of restoring the earth's health by strengthening natural biogeochemical and physiological mechanisms that regulate the earth's planetary life support systems and control global temperature, sea level, atmospheric composition, soil fertility, food, and fresh water supplies."
Source:  Geotherapy:  Innovative Methods of Soil Fertility Restoration, Carbon Sequestration, and Reversing CO2 Increase
https:/www.taylorfrancis.com/books/geotherapy-thomas-goreau-ronal-larson-joanna-campe/e/10.1201/b13 788

Geoengineering "is the deliberate large-scale intervention in the Earth's climate system, in order to moderate global warming" and "the most prominent subcategories of climate engineering are solar radiation management and carbon dioxide removal."
Source: https:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Climate_engineering

Geotherapy is based on working with existing natural systems and starts local, adapting to the different biomes in which a geotherapeutic technique works.  Geoengineering tends to be global from the get go and the "engineering" is emphasized much more than the "geo," at least so far.  Geotherapy is systems solutions, working within ecological boundaries.  Geoengineering is engineering, tools based, and usually mechanistic.

The resources I used to learn about geotherapy are
Geotherapy:  Innovative Methods of Soil Fertility Restoration, Carbon Sequestration, and Reversing CO2 Increase
https:
www.taylorfrancis.com/books/geotherapy-thomas-goreau-ronal-larson-joanna-campe/e/10.1201/b13 788k

Proceedings of the recent conferences organized by Biodiversity for a Livable Climate on a wide variety of geotherapeutic solutions
https:
bio4climate.org/conferences

John Todd's history of his lifetime building healthy and healing ecologies, Healing Earth:  An Ecologist's Journey of Innovation and Environmental Stewardship
https:/www.northatlanticbooks.com/shop/healing-earth

According to the Guardian (https:/www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/mar/20/our-biggest-challenge-lack-of-imagination-the-sc ientists-turning-the-desert-green), John Todd is working with a Dutch company, the Weathermakers (http://theweathermakers.nl), developing a plan to make the Sinai Desert green.  They are using John's "eco machines," greenhouses with an extremely biodiverse environment reflecting "the aggregate experience of life on Earth over the last 3.5bn years."  They will distill salt water while growing plants, fish, and animals, all powered by the sun.   "The idea is that you may have 100 of these structures," says John Todd. "And they're spending five years in one site and then they're moved, so these little ecologies are left behind."

One proof of such a regreening the desert concept is a permaculture experiment near the Dead Sea over a decade ago
http://solarray.blogspot.com/2007/06/you-can-fix-all-worlds-problems-in.html

Another is Wadi Attir (http://www.sustainabilitylabs.org/wadiattir/home/) in the Negev Desert, a Bedouin sustainable farm.

The Weathermakers are also following the successful methods Li Rui developed in regreening the loess plateau of northern China in the 1990s, collaboratoring with John D Liu who documented the process for TV and film and is now associated with the Ecosystem Restoration Camps (https:ecosystemrestorationcamps.org), part of a growing group of environmental restoration and regeneration projects now launched around the world.

Just as focusing on cities drove climate politics from Copenhagen to the Paris agreement, I believe ecovillage restoration will drive practical climate solutions using geotherapy, which works at every scale from a flower pot on a window sill to thousands of hectares of land, in the next few years.  

Here are some upcoming events which offer ways to participate in the action:
Smart Village Summit (https:
us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZUrduGgpz8pG9WyihU6tdCcuuq1F20NY6hn),  powered by Future Thinkers and RegenVillages.
This monthly virtual summit is for people interested in the many aspects of Smart Villages and ProtoB communities. We'll be joined by experienced guests to discuss earth regeneration, permaculture, community building, governance, education, social dynamics, funding, economics, organization and leadership, affordable housing, natural building, information sharing, innovation, technology and other important subjects.
March 31, 2021 04:00 PM GMT (Vancouver)
April 28, 2021 04:00 PM GMT (Vancouver)
May 26, 2021 04:00 PM GMT (Vancouver)

Global Just Recovery Gathering (https:justrecoverygathering.org), April 9 to 11, is a three-day online event featuring interactive workshops, cultural sessions, and hands-on trainings. The events will include appearances by Greta Thunberg, Malala Yousafzai, Naomi Klein, Brianna Fruean and  others.  Build your skills, strengthen relationships, and hear from a powerful line-up of climate leaders, artists, and musicians in every corner of the world.

The GEN Ecovillage Summit - Living Solutions for a Regenerative World (https:summit2021.ecovillage.org) will take place from April 9-15, 2021 and will showcase how ecovillages contribute to the mitigation of climate crisis and function as resilient communities of practise bringing concrete solutions and actions for earth restoration, economic revival, social regeneration and cultural celebration.

Recently, L Hunter Lovins said that reputable scientists believe we could return to 280 ppm CO2, pre-industrial levels, in 30-60 years IF we used holistic grazing practices on the existing grasslands of the world (https:www.cambridgeforum.org?p=7205).  Now, think about how quickly we could draw down atmospheric carbon IF we added marine ecosystems, which can sequester much more carbon (15 -20 times) more rapidly than terrestrial ecosystems, to the mix all while rapidly reducing our emissions to zero.

We are surrounded by insurmountable opportunities, when we think in terms of geotherapy, not geoengineering, please.


Poll
More geotherapy please?
. yes 50%
. no 0%
. not yes 0%
. not no 0%
. neither yes nor no 0%
. both yes and no 0%
. don't understand the question? 0%
. none of the above 50%

Votes: 2
Results | Other Polls
Display:
Bill Gates backs plan to tackle climate change by blocking out the sun
The researchers believe that a fleet of specially-designed aircraft could spray sulfate particles into the lower stratosphere to cool down our planet and offset the effects of climate change.

A test of the technology has been proposed for this year, the Daily Mail reports, with the Stratospheric Controlled Perturbation Experiment (SCoPEx) seeing a bag of carbonate dust released into the atmosphere 12 miles up.
[...]
At present, there are no aircraft capable of doing this, so they would need to be developed.

The Harvard researchers have claimed that, if it were launched this year, it would cost about $3.5 billion (£2.74 billion), plus $2.25 billion (£1.76 billion) per year.

Enter The Python. The American Jobs Plan , of which the "Made in America Tax Plan": "Revitalize manufacturing, secure U.S. supply chains, invest in R&D, and train Americans for the jobs of the future." ahem ...
Mobilize the next generation of conservation and resilience workers. This $10 billion investment will put a new, diverse generation of Americans to work conserving our public lands and waters, bolstering community resilience, and advancing environmental justice through a new Civilian Climate Corps, all while placing good-paying union jobs within reach for more Americans.
by Cat on Thu Apr 1st, 2021 at 03:47:40 PM EST
And Elizabeth Kolbert, the New Yorker writer whose latest book is about solar geoengineering, Under a White Sky, had never heard the word "geotherapy" until I asked her about it on CSPAN2's "In Depth" interview program at the beginning of March 2021.  She was familiar with the concept but had never heard the word or knew of the peer reviewed book of that title.

Bill Gates also believes that renewables can provide only about 80% of our energy and thus nuclear power is necessary.  I wonder if he's heard about Scotland providing over 97% of its power from renewables over 2020, a little short of its goal of 100%, or Costa Rica which has gotten over 80% of its power from renewables, primarily hydroelectricity, for the last few years.

But then I'm guessing you can't tell billionaires anything they don't want to know.

Solar IS Civil Defense

by gmoke on Thu Apr 1st, 2021 at 05:37:19 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Possibly consider reading his book, which covers a lot of territory...
by asdf on Thu Apr 1st, 2021 at 08:14:04 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Possibly consider consulting some of the resources on geotherapy I included in this post.  They cover territory that, considering the interviews I've seen with Gates on his new book, has yet to explore.

Solar IS Civil Defense
by gmoke on Fri Apr 2nd, 2021 at 05:48:23 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Yep, and he is out there with lots of "solutions" that look pretty questionable. Michael Mann is upset about it.
https://twitter.com/MichaelEMann/status/1378046409841205251?s=20

The problem is immense and multi-dimensional.

by asdf on Fri Apr 2nd, 2021 at 07:15:34 PM EST
[ Parent ]
I've been going to climate lectures at Harvard and MIT since the late 1970s.  Reading Geotherapy and attending some of the Biodiversity for a Livable Climate conferences have convinced me that we can deal with climate change most equitably and economically through geotherapy, which works at every scale and has little to no unforeseen consequences since it operates within ecological limits.

Then again, Michael Mann did not like my suggestion that we could avoid the political deadlock on climate by focusing on the idea of preparing for the next weather emergency, whatever it may be, by building a solar civil defense.  He seems to believe that poiticians have to admit the reality of climate change unequivocally and solutions that skirt around that are not welcome.  At least that was my takeaway from our short conversation once upon a time.

Solar IS Civil Defense

by gmoke on Sat Apr 3rd, 2021 at 06:35:44 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Bill Gates' Geoengineering Plot To Block The Sun Is Scrapped...
The Swedish Space Corporation (SSC) released a statement saying that the Stratospheric Controlled Perturbation Experiment (SCoPEx), which also had secured Harvard funding, will not go ahead as planned in June
[...volcanic eruptions...]
The Saami Council, an advocate group for Sweden's indigenous population, warned that ... SCoPEx could have "irreversible sociopolitical effects" and would do nothing to reduce Carbon emissions, which are touted as the leading cause of climate change.
[...TED Talks to tools...]
David Keith told Reuters that it is only "a setback," and suggested the project could move to the US, where the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine recently published a report calling for $100-200 million to be pumped into ["]solar["] geoengineering over the next five years.
archived cone of silence
by Cat on Wed Apr 7th, 2021 at 03:14:39 AM EST
[ Parent ]


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