Our planet is in crisis. We only have one home, and yet we treat it as though, once we've destroyed it, we can just move onto another planet and start all over again. We all know that isn't happening any time soon, so let's look at something truly extraordinary that we can do to revitalize our land.
President Obama's Clean Power Plan sets achievable standards to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 32 percent from 2005 levels by 2030. However, just reducing carbon dioxide emissions isn't enough. We also have to draw down the carbon and return it to where it belongs -- into the soil. This is called carbon farming. It's something we should all be aware of and learn more about. Here's a video made by my dear friend Ryland Engelhart of Kiss The Ground. It clearly explains how carbon works and how perfectly nature can heal herself -- with a little help from her friends.
This is a great, universal message. Soil is nature's storage shed. We just need to replenish it. And now is the moment to help.
This is an historic moment as it's the first time replenishing carbon in the soil has been formally linked with climate change. We have a major opportunity to support Governor Brown in funding Healthy Soils -- $160 million of the $2 billion from the Greenhouse Gas Reductions Fund could go to land management practices that would rebuild healthy soil so we can grow more nutritious food, fight the drought, and take carbon out of the air to help reverse climate change. We need to ensure that the maximum amount is dedicated to this project and for that we need to hear the voice of everyone dedicated to saving our planet. By signing this petition we can influence the way California elected officials fund sustainable soil programs as part of their climate change initiative. Most of the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Funds are currently only allocated to programs that reduce emissions. If we succeed, California will be at the forefront of fighting climate change by being one of the first to fund a program which will regenerate the soil by returning carbon to the very place it belongs -- that beautiful, rich, dark soil which gives life to us and our planet.
The benefits of Carbon Farming include Carbon Sequestration, reduced erosion and soil loss, improved soil structure, increased soil fertility, reduced soil salinity, healthier soils, vegetation and animals, increased biodiversity, buffering against drought and greater water efficiency. It's truly a win win situation.
This is our moment. Be a true friend of the earth. Let's turn our passion and our words into actions. Please sign this petition and help save our glorious planet.