This TED Talk features soil scientist Asmeret Asafow Burhay, recorded live at TED 2019.

So one of the most important solutions to the global challenge posed by climate change lies right under our foot.

Every day, it's soil. Soilils just a thin veil that covers the surface of land,

but it has the power to shape our planet's destiny. See, a six foot or so of soil,

lose soil material that covers the Earth's surface,

represents the difference between life and lifenessness in the Earth's system.

And it can also help us combat climate change if we can only stop treating it like dirt.

Climate change's happening.

The Earth's atmosphere is warming

because of increasing amount of greenhouse gases,

we keep releasing to the atmosphere.

You all know that.

But what I assume you might not have heard

is that one of the most important things our human society could do to address

climate change lies right there in the soil. I'm a soil scientist, has been studying soil since I was 18,

because I'm interested in unlocking the secrets of soil and helping people understand this really important climate change solution.

So here are the facts about climate.

The concentration of carbon dioxide in the Earth's atmosphere

has increased by 40%, just in the last 150 years or so.

Human actions are now releasing 9.4 billion metric tons of carbon to the atmosphere.

From activities such as burning fossil fuels and intensive agricultural practices

and other ways we change the way we use land, including deforestation.

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