Photo Credit: Phil_Good – Adobe Stock
All eyes will be on the City of Light from November 30 to December 11 when 50,000 participants including 25,000 official delegates from 195 member governments, NGOs and Civil Society gather for the 2015 Paris Climate Conference (COP21).
The climate crisis is urgent, but to date the movement has been long on the problems and short on solutions. And, as we know, people need a sense of hope before they’ll act. Center for Food Safety’s new Soil Solutions program offers such hope on climate, and we are excited to announce that we’re taking a team to COP21 in order to highlight an under-recognized and universally applicable solution to addressing the crisis -- rebuilding soil carbon globally.
CFS has been accepted at three official, high-profile United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) events, where our presentations to policy makers will center on: Healthy Soil – Key to Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies. Having a presence at these official civil society events gives CFS an unparalleled opportunity to highlight how rebuilding healthy soils through regenerative agricultural practices can be a major solution to our climate problems. Soil -- that essential and nearly forgotten resource -- provides so many potential solutions right beneath our feet.
Civil Eats profiled our Paris plans last week in a story that also features the food and climate work of super-star chefs Sam Kass and Dan Barber. We are getting updates from the organizers daily, but here are the latest details about these official events:
1) Global Landscapes Forum, December 6th. This is an event focused on food and agriculture’s contribution to climate change. CFS panel and our exhibit area will be in the “Food Security and Livelihoods” pavilion. It appears that we will be the only NGO at the Forum promoting regenerative, agro-ecological systems.
2) On December 10th we will hold an event at the UNFCCC Climate Generations conference where CFS has assembled a panel of experts to discuss the soil carbon opportunity. Panel members include Kris Nichols, a prominent American soil scientist; Hans Herren, co-chair of the seminal International Assessment of Agricultural Knowledge report (IAASTD); Vandana Shiva, author, Soil not Oil, and Million Belay with the group MELCA in Ethiopia.
3) CFS has also been accepted by the Climate Action Zone (ZAC). The Climate Action Zone is going to be held in Centquatre, a cultural center in the heart of Paris’ 19th district. ZAC will emphasize alternatives and solutions. (Date not yet assigned)
Immediately prior to the UNFCCC proceedings we will be releasing a four minute film Soil Solutions to Climate Problems. Narrated by Michael Pollan, the short film introduces the idea of rebuilding soil carbon globally. We’ll also be launching a new website with the film which will provide additional information on soil carbon as well as actions people can take to help rebuild soil health. Please look for the film on the CFS website in mid-November and be sure to share it with your networks!
We’ll have many more updates in the lead up to Paris, but In the meantime, check out our short report Soil & Carbon: Soil Solutions to Climate Problems and follow us on Instagram at soil.solutions.
