“The Soil Story” - a video by “Kiss the Ground”
“The Soil Story” - a video produced by “Kiss the Ground”
22 May 2023
"The Soil Story", a simple and enlightening video produced by “Kiss the Ground” offers an intriguing perspective on tackling climate change.
As we understand it, climate change derives primarily from excess carbon in our atmosphere. But carbon isn't the enemy; it is the building block of life, making up everything alive, including us humans.
The video explains how, for approximately 500 million years, carbon cycled beautifully through the earth and atmosphere allowing life to evolve. However, “recent” human intervention, through the extraction and burning of fossil fuels and poor land management practices, has disrupted this balance by pushing more carbon into the atmosphere. The result is a stark imbalance, with approximately 880 billion tons of carbon dioxide moved into the atmosphere, causing global warming.
While it is essential to cease the burning of fossil carbon, the video presents a pertinent question: where can we put the excess carbon to restore the balance? The answer, intriguingly, is right under our feet - the soil.
Kopald explains how nature can help us restore balance. Through photosynthesis, plants pull in carbon from the air and convert it into carbohydrates. Some of these sugars are transported through their roots to feed microorganisms, utilising this carbon to create healthy, carbon-rich soil.
Scientists have found that applying a thin layer of compost can help regenerate healthy soil, initiating an ongoing feedback loop that brings more carbon into the ground each year. Combined with other regenerative practices, like not tilling the soil, planting trees and cover crops, and planned grazing, we can construct and retain billions of tons of soil carbon. This approach is known as carbon farming, a significant component of regenerative agriculture.
Interestingly, unlike more carbon in the atmosphere, more carbon in the ground benefits us. It contributes to healthy, nutrient-rich soil teeming with life and superior water-holding capacity. Consequently, it leads to more nutritious food and more resilient crops in the face of drought.
In conclusion, "The Soil Story" makes a profound point - how we grow our food, fibre, and fuel can either exacerbate the carbon imbalance in our atmosphere or help rectify it by pulling it down into the ground. It highlights the power of soil and the pivotal role of regenerative agriculture in addressing this global crisis, stressing that our health, the health of our soils, and the health of our planet are intricately linked.
The Land Group
