Environment

Over the last 100 years the average temperature on Earth has warmed by 1°C. We need to limit global warming to 1.5°C above pre-industrial level as in comparison to 2°C. If we don’t achieve to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, our planet and the life on it will suffer:

• 99% instead of 70% of coral reefs will die.
• double the likelihood that insects, vital pollinators, lose half their habitat.
• ice-less summers in The Arctic Ocean once per century or once per decade.
• 1 meter added in sea-level rise.
• 6 million to 16 million affected by sea-level rise in coastal areas by the end of this century.

One of the biggest problems we need to address is tropical tree cover. Since humans started cutting down forests, 46 percent of trees have been felled, according to a 2015 study in the journal Nature. Still, every year we lose 10 million hectares of forests. Regenerating our forest can provide 23 percent of the climate mitigation needed over the next decade to meet goals set in the Paris Agreement in 2015.

Animals are greatly threatened by the climate crisis, since with global warming of 1.5°C to 2°C the majority of terrestrial species ranges are projected to shrink dramatically. For example, coral reefs (sessile animals in symbiosis with plant-like algae) are particularly vulnerable to climate change. They are projected to decline to 10% to 30% of former cover at 1.5°C warming and to less than 1% of former cover at 2°C warming with devastating consequences for all species. Without the coral reefs the ocean will not be able to absorb as much carbon dioxide as now, leaving more CO2 in the atmosphere and therefore accelerating global warming.

Climate change is only one of a long list of pressures for wildlife including threats like:

• exploitation of animals
• pollution and other biochemical poisonings
• extreme climatic events
• wildlife diseases
• collisions with human-made structures
• anthropogenic barriers to dispersal
• war and other civil conflicts

Human activity has altered almost 75 percent of the earth’s surface, squeezing wildlife and nature into an ever-smaller habitat on the planet. The average abundance of native species in most major areas with comparable climate conditions has fallen by at least 20 per cent, potentially affecting ecosystem processes and services. These pressures will greatly increase species' vulnerabilities to rarity and extinction.

Agriculture, food production and related deforestation are major drivers of climate change. Large scale changes such as deforestation, soil erosion or machine-intensive farming methods all contribute to increased carbon concentrations in the atmosphere. Soil loss through tillage and its associated impacts, is one of the most important of today’s environmental problems. Agricultural lands occupy about 40- 50% of the Earth’s land surface, which is why regenerative agriculture (e.g. permaculture, agroecology) is urgently needed to address the climate crisis.

Regenerative agriculture proposes farming and grazing practices that, among other benefits, reverse climate change by rebuilding soil organic matter and restoring degraded biodiversity. By using technologies that regenerate and revitalize the soil and the environment, carbon can be drawn down and water cycles and ultimately the land to improve.

Regenerative Agriculture is :

• dynamic
• holistic
• incorporating permaculture and organic farming practices
• including conservation tillage
• mulch and cover crops
• crop rotation, mixed crops
• composting
• mobile animal shelters and pasture cropping
• increasing food production
• farmers’ income
• increasing topsoil and carbon sequestration

Everyone of us can have an impact on our individual and organizational level, focusing and deciding on our actions and beliefs. Support the environment through Copalana projects to make a difference through our own contribution.