1
00:00:03,303 --> 00:00:05,439
- Ami Eckard-Lee: You know
what's cool about trees?
2
00:00:05,506 --> 00:00:08,342
They breathe in
what we breathe out,
3
00:00:08,408 --> 00:00:10,043
and we breathe in
what they breathe out.
4
00:00:10,110 --> 00:00:11,211
It's a cycle.
5
00:00:11,278 --> 00:00:14,181
Part of the carbon cycle,
to be exact.
6
00:00:14,248 --> 00:00:17,417
But there's so much more to the
carbon cycle than just people,
7
00:00:17,484 --> 00:00:19,019
plants, and animals.
8
00:00:19,086 --> 00:00:21,989
The Sun plays a role,
the ocean is involved,
9
00:00:22,055 --> 00:00:25,125
and the soil beneath your feet
is a huge factor.
10
00:00:25,192 --> 00:00:27,628
The carbon cycle
affects the atmosphere,
11
00:00:27,694 --> 00:00:30,430
the weather, and the climate.
12
00:00:30,497 --> 00:00:32,666
When the carbon cycle
is balanced,
13
00:00:32,733 --> 00:00:34,434
ecosystems run smoothly.
14
00:00:34,501 --> 00:00:36,870
But how does
an imbalanced carbon cycle
15
00:00:36,937 --> 00:00:39,273
impact the environment?
16
00:00:39,706 --> 00:00:41,375
[bright music]
17
00:00:44,278 --> 00:00:46,947
Ecosystems function
almost like a machine.
18
00:00:47,014 --> 00:00:48,448
Everything has its role,
19
00:00:48,515 --> 00:00:50,551
and if something deviates
from its role,
20
00:00:50,617 --> 00:00:53,287
the whole system is impacted.
21
00:00:53,353 --> 00:00:56,623
Maybe that's why it's called
an eco- system.
22
00:00:56,690 --> 00:00:58,692
Let's meet up
with an ecosystem scientist
23
00:00:58,759 --> 00:01:02,563
to learn more about
carbon's role in an ecosystem.
24
00:01:02,629 --> 00:01:07,501
So, when did carbon start
to become, like, a problem?
25
00:01:07,568 --> 00:01:09,603
- Nate Lawrence: It was about
the Industrial Revolution.
26
00:01:09,670 --> 00:01:11,972
Whenever a whole lot of carbon
that had been built up
27
00:01:12,039 --> 00:01:14,441
in fossil fuels
over millions of years
28
00:01:14,508 --> 00:01:17,611
started to be burned
to fuel society.
29
00:01:17,678 --> 00:01:18,779
So, we started burning things
30
00:01:18,846 --> 00:01:21,815
like coal and oil
and natural gas.
31
00:01:21,882 --> 00:01:24,318
And when we do that, we're
releasing a whole lot of carbon
32
00:01:24,384 --> 00:01:26,253
that's been stored
for millions of years
33
00:01:26,320 --> 00:01:28,522
into the atmosphere
all at once.
34
00:01:28,589 --> 00:01:30,290
And that big pulse of carbon
35
00:01:30,357 --> 00:01:33,427
is the primary driver
of climate change today.
36
00:01:33,493 --> 00:01:36,230
So, now, when we think about
what's driving the increase
37
00:01:36,296 --> 00:01:38,599
in carbon dioxide
in the atmosphere,
38
00:01:38,665 --> 00:01:41,902
a source of carbon dioxide would
be something that's causing
39
00:01:41,969 --> 00:01:44,905
the amount of carbon dioxide
in the atmosphere to go up.
40
00:01:44,972 --> 00:01:46,440
- Okay.
- So, for example,
41
00:01:46,507 --> 00:01:48,308
burning those fossil fuels.
42
00:01:48,375 --> 00:01:51,445
A carbon sink would be something
like a growing plant.
43
00:01:51,512 --> 00:01:54,882
So, as the plant is growing,
it's sequestering carbon
44
00:01:54,948 --> 00:01:56,683
that used to be
in the atmosphere
45
00:01:56,750 --> 00:02:00,053
and is now, for the time
being, tied up in that plant.
46
00:02:00,120 --> 00:02:02,356
So, a sink is
drawing carbon down.
47
00:02:02,422 --> 00:02:04,892
A source is putting carbon up.
48
00:02:04,958 --> 00:02:07,594
- A carbon sink
is a large reservoir
49
00:02:07,661 --> 00:02:09,930
that absorbs more carbon
from the atmosphere
50
00:02:09,997 --> 00:02:11,365
than it releases.
51
00:02:11,431 --> 00:02:16,737
Some examples of carbon sinks
are oceans, forests, and soils.
52
00:02:16,803 --> 00:02:19,239
CO2 dissolves directly
into seawater,
53
00:02:19,306 --> 00:02:20,841
and ocean currents
distribute it
54
00:02:20,908 --> 00:02:22,809
and store it in deeper waters.
55
00:02:22,876 --> 00:02:26,647
Forests absorb carbon
from the atmosphere
56
00:02:26,713 --> 00:02:28,215
through photosynthesis.
57
00:02:28,282 --> 00:02:30,484
The trees then use this carbon
to grow,
58
00:02:30,551 --> 00:02:33,687
so it's stored in the trunk,
branches, leaves, and roots.
59
00:02:33,754 --> 00:02:36,423
And forests help store carbon
in the soils too.
60
00:02:36,490 --> 00:02:39,159
Carbon is released into the soil
through plant roots,
61
00:02:39,226 --> 00:02:40,694
where it's then stored.
62
00:02:40,761 --> 00:02:42,029
Another way carbon enters
the soil
63
00:02:42,095 --> 00:02:44,298
is through the decomposition
of organic matter,
64
00:02:44,364 --> 00:02:45,832
such as plants and animals.
65
00:02:45,899 --> 00:02:49,002
These carbon sinks work together
to absorb carbon
66
00:02:49,069 --> 00:02:50,938
from the atmosphere
and store it.
67
00:02:51,004 --> 00:02:54,474
But what happens when one carbon
sink is storing too much,
68
00:02:54,541 --> 00:02:56,643
and another isn't storing
enough?
69
00:02:56,710 --> 00:03:00,314
- We've been a big driver
of release of carbon
70
00:03:00,380 --> 00:03:03,851
from these long-term pools
through human activities.
71
00:03:03,917 --> 00:03:07,988
We cut down a lot of trees,
we disturb a lot of soil.
72
00:03:08,055 --> 00:03:09,223
So, the oceans are taking up
73
00:03:09,289 --> 00:03:11,992
a lot of excess carbon dioxide
from the atmosphere,
74
00:03:12,059 --> 00:03:13,160
which is good.
75
00:03:13,227 --> 00:03:14,561
It means it's not
in the atmosphere
76
00:03:14,628 --> 00:03:15,729
causing climate change,
77
00:03:15,796 --> 00:03:17,364
but it also leads
to more acidic seawater,
78
00:03:17,431 --> 00:03:19,733
threatening a lot of ocean life.
79
00:03:19,800 --> 00:03:23,170
- Human practices have had a
major impact on the carbon cycle
80
00:03:23,237 --> 00:03:25,239
due to excessive
carbon emissions,
81
00:03:25,305 --> 00:03:27,374
making the cycle unbalanced.
82
00:03:27,441 --> 00:03:29,943
Now, there's too much carbon
in the atmosphere
83
00:03:30,010 --> 00:03:31,311
and in our oceans,
84
00:03:31,378 --> 00:03:33,780
but not enough carbon
being stored in other sinks,
85
00:03:33,847 --> 00:03:36,016
like forests and soils.
86
00:03:36,083 --> 00:03:38,986
So, what can we do to help
rebalance the carbon cycle?
87
00:03:39,052 --> 00:03:40,721
- So, there's an
ecological principle
88
00:03:40,787 --> 00:03:44,024
that says that the more diverse
our ecosystems are,
89
00:03:44,091 --> 00:03:45,192
they should be more effective
90
00:03:45,259 --> 00:03:48,095
at capturing energy
from the Sun,
91
00:03:48,161 --> 00:03:49,997
and thereby pull some of that
carbon dioxide
92
00:03:50,063 --> 00:03:51,999
out of the atmosphere
and help mitigate
93
00:03:52,065 --> 00:03:54,067
some of the impacts
of climate change.
94
00:03:54,134 --> 00:03:55,269
- Okay.
- So, behind us,
95
00:03:55,335 --> 00:03:57,404
we see one example of what
that can look like.
96
00:03:57,471 --> 00:03:59,239
This is a silvopasture.
97
00:03:59,306 --> 00:04:02,643
It's grazed by sheep.
- Ami: What's silvopasture?
98
00:04:02,709 --> 00:04:04,745
- Nate: Silvo, Latin for tree.
99
00:04:04,811 --> 00:04:07,614
So, silvopasture
is a tree pasture.
100
00:04:07,681 --> 00:04:09,516
The trees are chestnuts,
101
00:04:09,583 --> 00:04:12,152
so the trees both produce
something that we can eat,
102
00:04:12,219 --> 00:04:15,255
and they also provide shade
for the sheep.
103
00:04:15,322 --> 00:04:16,957
We can't change
what has happened
104
00:04:17,024 --> 00:04:18,792
in the last 150 years.
105
00:04:18,859 --> 00:04:21,762
So, now,
we're hoping to implement
106
00:04:21,828 --> 00:04:23,797
different types of ag practices,
107
00:04:23,864 --> 00:04:25,966
produce our food a little bit
differently,
108
00:04:26,033 --> 00:04:28,936
and if we get it right,
the soil health that we've lost,
109
00:04:29,002 --> 00:04:31,839
we can actually start to regain.
110
00:04:31,905 --> 00:04:33,507
- Let's talk
to Daniel Hayden,
111
00:04:33,574 --> 00:04:35,342
a citizen
of the Comanche Nation,
112
00:04:35,409 --> 00:04:37,845
who can tell us about
Indigenous farming practices
113
00:04:37,911 --> 00:04:42,382
that have been climate smart
and sustainable for generations.
114
00:04:42,449 --> 00:04:43,550
Hey, Daniel!
115
00:04:43,617 --> 00:04:45,252
I have so many questions
for you.
116
00:04:45,319 --> 00:04:46,954
What's the biggest difference
117
00:04:47,020 --> 00:04:48,989
between Indigenous
farming practices
118
00:04:49,056 --> 00:04:52,025
and modern farming practices?
119
00:04:52,092 --> 00:04:53,427
- Daniel Hayden: So,
Indigenous farming practices
120
00:04:53,493 --> 00:04:56,263
in North America
were very different
121
00:04:56,330 --> 00:05:00,501
from our modern Western
agricultural systems,
122
00:05:00,567 --> 00:05:02,703
predominantly because
of the lack of tillage.
123
00:05:02,769 --> 00:05:04,938
Practices like tillage
are very destructive
124
00:05:05,005 --> 00:05:07,674
and degrading to the environment
long term.
125
00:05:07,741 --> 00:05:10,344
There's so much that time
and history has gone
126
00:05:10,410 --> 00:05:11,645
into the creation of soil.
127
00:05:11,712 --> 00:05:14,181
And we've seen such
a rapid degradation of that
128
00:05:14,248 --> 00:05:16,149
through farming practices.
129
00:05:16,216 --> 00:05:18,652
What makes Indigenous farming
practices more sustainable,
130
00:05:18,719 --> 00:05:20,554
I think, is the legacy
131
00:05:20,621 --> 00:05:23,991
of how Indigenous people
were listening to the land.
132
00:05:24,057 --> 00:05:26,593
A lot of Indigenous culture
is based in land
133
00:05:26,660 --> 00:05:28,495
and in the environment.
134
00:05:28,562 --> 00:05:32,466
- What's an example of an
Indigenous farming practice?
135
00:05:32,533 --> 00:05:34,868
- The Three Sisters has been
this genius idea
136
00:05:34,935 --> 00:05:38,372
that, you know, developed
for centuries through time
137
00:05:38,438 --> 00:05:40,574
and, you know,
still practiced now, obviously.
138
00:05:40,641 --> 00:05:43,977
- Wait, wait,
what are the Three Sisters?
139
00:05:44,044 --> 00:05:47,080
- Daniel: Corn, beans,
and squash.
140
00:05:47,147 --> 00:05:48,482
So, the Three Sisters
specifically
141
00:05:48,549 --> 00:05:51,185
were grown together
on a mound of soil.
142
00:05:51,251 --> 00:05:54,321
Each crop sort of plays
their own functional purpose.
143
00:05:54,388 --> 00:05:56,023
So, corn grows really tall.
144
00:05:56,089 --> 00:05:59,293
And because of that, beans,
the other sister,
145
00:05:59,359 --> 00:06:02,563
are able to grow up the corn
and also below ground.
146
00:06:02,629 --> 00:06:04,698
They're adding soil nutrients.
147
00:06:04,765 --> 00:06:06,900
Squash, the big leaves
of the squash
148
00:06:06,967 --> 00:06:09,970
typically are nice
for shading out weeds.
149
00:06:10,037 --> 00:06:11,905
Practices like the
Three Sisters, for example,
150
00:06:11,972 --> 00:06:14,842
have been shown to be more
productive in some cases
151
00:06:14,908 --> 00:06:17,845
than just growing corn, beans,
and squash by themselves.
152
00:06:17,911 --> 00:06:19,379
These resilient systems
153
00:06:19,446 --> 00:06:22,816
are ones
that can maintain themselves
154
00:06:22,883 --> 00:06:26,720
while being adaptive to things
like climate change.
155
00:06:26,787 --> 00:06:28,655
- By adapting
our farming practices
156
00:06:28,722 --> 00:06:30,657
to work with the landscape,
157
00:06:30,724 --> 00:06:32,893
rather than attempting
to alter the landscape,
158
00:06:32,960 --> 00:06:34,661
we can cultivate environments
159
00:06:34,728 --> 00:06:38,332
that are beneficial
to the crops, soil, and people.
160
00:06:38,398 --> 00:06:40,133
So, can you tell me
what kind of farm
161
00:06:40,200 --> 00:06:41,602
do you work on here?
162
00:06:41,668 --> 00:06:43,203
- Rylee Nelson:
It's a grass-fed beef farm.
163
00:06:43,270 --> 00:06:45,839
So, we raise our
grass-fed beef herd here
164
00:06:45,906 --> 00:06:47,374
through rotational grazing.
165
00:06:47,441 --> 00:06:48,775
And then,
we also have some sheep
166
00:06:48,842 --> 00:06:50,611
that we raise alongside them.
167
00:06:50,677 --> 00:06:51,945
- You talked about
rotational grazing.
168
00:06:52,012 --> 00:06:53,380
What does that actually mean?
169
00:06:53,447 --> 00:06:55,782
- Rylee: We move the cattle
every single day in the summer.
170
00:06:55,849 --> 00:06:57,784
We use a polywire in a reel
to move them,
171
00:06:57,851 --> 00:07:00,354
so they'll get a new area
of pasture each day.
172
00:07:00,420 --> 00:07:02,556
So, we need that soil
to be healthy
173
00:07:02,623 --> 00:07:06,760
because it builds up
the diversity of our plants
174
00:07:06,827 --> 00:07:08,695
and makes sure that our cattle
are getting
175
00:07:08,762 --> 00:07:11,899
all their needed nutrients
from our pastures.
176
00:07:11,965 --> 00:07:14,735
We need to do our job
as not only producers,
177
00:07:14,801 --> 00:07:16,303
but consumers as well,
178
00:07:16,370 --> 00:07:20,874
to maintain that healthy soil
and continue to improve it.
179
00:07:20,941 --> 00:07:22,276
- How can you tell
the difference
180
00:07:22,342 --> 00:07:24,144
between healthy
and unhealthy soil?
181
00:07:24,211 --> 00:07:26,346
- So, our soil is healthy,
182
00:07:26,413 --> 00:07:29,683
and I can tell that
because there's no erosion.
183
00:07:29,750 --> 00:07:30,884
If you look at the soil,
184
00:07:30,951 --> 00:07:32,953
there's a lot of organic matter
on the top,
185
00:07:33,020 --> 00:07:35,289
which shows us that their manure
and everything
186
00:07:35,355 --> 00:07:37,191
is going back into the soil
187
00:07:37,257 --> 00:07:39,860
and it's not running off
into our waterways.
188
00:07:39,927 --> 00:07:43,030
Also, we can see lots of
different variety of grasses,
189
00:07:43,096 --> 00:07:45,599
which is important to us,
and that shows us that
190
00:07:45,666 --> 00:07:48,802
there is different root
structures in the grass.
191
00:07:48,869 --> 00:07:51,338
On our farm, there's always
something in the soil
192
00:07:51,405 --> 00:07:53,073
which is holding that soil down
193
00:07:53,140 --> 00:07:55,108
and keeping that root structure
in the ground,
194
00:07:55,175 --> 00:07:57,477
which is gonna really sequester
that carbon
195
00:07:57,544 --> 00:07:58,779
and hold in those nutrients
196
00:07:58,846 --> 00:08:02,049
that are otherwise getting lost
on these other farms.
197
00:08:02,115 --> 00:08:05,586
And that would be really helpful
to building up our soil health.
198
00:08:05,652 --> 00:08:07,387
[cattle lowing]
- They agree.
199
00:08:07,454 --> 00:08:09,690
- Yeah!
[both laughing]
200
00:08:12,960 --> 00:08:14,595
- Improving the health
of our soils
201
00:08:14,661 --> 00:08:16,864
can seem like a daunting task.
202
00:08:16,930 --> 00:08:18,265
I mean, we're literally
talking about
203
00:08:18,332 --> 00:08:21,068
changing the ground
beneath our feet.
204
00:08:21,134 --> 00:08:24,071
But there are so many ways
for us to get involved
205
00:08:24,137 --> 00:08:25,739
in protecting soils.
206
00:08:25,806 --> 00:08:28,442
A great place to start is by
looking at the foods you eat
207
00:08:28,509 --> 00:08:30,577
and knowing
where they came from.
208
00:08:30,644 --> 00:08:33,480
Support farms that are using
sustainable practices
209
00:08:33,547 --> 00:08:37,684
like agroforestry, rotational
grazing, and organic methods.
210
00:08:37,751 --> 00:08:39,086
If you want
a more direct approach,
211
00:08:39,152 --> 00:08:41,288
you can plant your own
carbon-sequestering plants
212
00:08:41,355 --> 00:08:42,990
at home or in your community.
213
00:08:43,056 --> 00:08:45,492
If you have a garden plot,
try planting crops
214
00:08:45,559 --> 00:08:48,929
that maintain their root system
and will grow back next year,
215
00:08:48,996 --> 00:08:50,397
and try companion planting
216
00:08:50,464 --> 00:08:53,600
for a bountiful harvest
that's good for the soil.
217
00:08:53,667 --> 00:08:55,836
All of these are great ways
to contribute
218
00:08:55,903 --> 00:08:58,372
to improving soil health
in your community.
219
00:08:58,438 --> 00:09:00,908
So, now, each time you prepare
your dinner plate
220
00:09:00,974 --> 00:09:02,843
or relax under the shade
of a tree,
221
00:09:02,910 --> 00:09:06,647
you know that you helped store
more carbon in the soil
222
00:09:06,713 --> 00:09:08,382
where it belongs.
223
00:09:13,921 --> 00:09:15,355
Oh, hi, there.
224
00:09:15,422 --> 00:09:16,690
That's how it felt.
[all laughing]
225
00:09:16,757 --> 00:09:18,025
I really can't do that, okay?
226
00:09:18,091 --> 00:09:19,426
- Producer: It's like
a Full House--
227
00:09:19,493 --> 00:09:21,195
- Oh, I didn't see you there!
[laughing]
228
00:09:21,261 --> 00:09:22,930
Is that the end?