Enlisting Nature to Stem Climate Change:Capturing carbon in our NW cities, farms & forests

Atmospheric carbon dioxide levels are dangerously high and continue to rise. Dramatic reductions in carbon emissions are essential, but even the most optimistic scenarios leave CO2 at levels likely to cause impacts such as radical sea level rise. Restoring climate stability requires a second solution, mobilization of the power of plant photosynthesis to capture and store carbon in biological systems.
This biocarbon approach is applicable across the landscape, including forests, farm lands and urban/suburban… Show more areas, and can benefit many additional aspects of our economy and our environment, such as creating jobs, preventing pollution of our waterways and providing productive uses for organic "waste" materials.
In this Sustainable Path Town Hall Symposium we'll learn about the Northwest Biocarbon Initiative, biocarbon storage potential in regional agriculture and urban landscapes.
The moderator will be Patrick Mazza, research director at Climate Solutions Patrick has been central to Climate Solutions' Northwest Biocarbon Initiative and has authored a detailed report on this issue. Patrick will introduce the topic of biocarbon and its importance for fighting climate change. He will also moderate a Q&A/discussion period.
One speaker is Dr. Chad Kruger, the director of the Washington State University Center for Sustaining Agriculture & Natural Resources, and leader of CSANR's award winning Climate Friendly Farming Project. He will address the ways in which forestry and agricultural practices in our region can be improved to enhance carbon storage and other services that nature provides. He will also discuss the creative ways in which biological waste streams can be used to provide economic and societal benefits.
The second speaker is Professor Nancy Rottle, from the Landscape Architecture department at the University of Washington, who directs the Green Futures Research and Design Lab. She will focus on how the urban environment can be modified in various ways (such as urban forests, parks, green roofs, rain gardens, pocket wetlands, urban agriculture) to promote carbon uptake while providing simultaneous benefits such as storm water filtration and reduction, urban cooling, flood protection, recreation and healthy food.

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