This document discusses using large-scale environmental restoration to combat global warming by putting carbon back into soils through natural processes. It argues that restoring forests, agriculture, grasslands and degraded lands can store carbon while providing sustainable energy and food. Specifically, the document advocates enhancing natural carbon sinks like soils to safely reduce atmospheric CO2 levels to 260 ppm through restoring ecosystems, which is the best solution and can be done quickly through decentralized grassroots efforts.

1. DOWN TO EARTH
SOLUTION TO GLOBAL
WARMING
PUT THE CARBON BACK IN
THE GROUND WHERE IT
WILL DO THE MOST GOOD

2. GEOTHERAPY: HOW TO REVERSE
GLOBAL WARMING
GLOBAL BIOGEOCHEMICAL RESTORATION
TO STABILIZE CO2 AT SAFE LEVELS IN TIME
TO AVOID SEVERE CLIMATE CHANGE
IMPACTS TO EARTH’S LIFE SUPPORT
SYSTEMS
Tom Goreau
Global Coral Reef Alliance

3. MARCOTT ET AL., 2013

4. TO PREVENT RUNAWAY GLOBAL
CLIMATE CHANGE
• CO2 MUST BE REDUCED TO SAFE LEVELS
• GEOENGINEERING IS UNPROVEN, EXPENSIVE,
TEMPORARY, AND HAS MANY DANGEROUS
CONSEQUENCES
• CO2 REMOVAL IS BEST DONE BY INCREASING
NATURAL CARBON SINKS
• WHERE CAN WE PUT IT? SOILS
• WHAT IS THE SAFE CO2 LEVEL? 260 PPM
• HOW FAST CAN IT BE DONE? DECADES

5. GEOTHERAPY
• RESTORATION OF OUR PLANET’S NATURAL LIFE
SUPPORT SYSTEMS
• ACCURATE SCIENTIFIC DIAGNOSIS OF GLOBAL
BIOGEOCHEMICAL PROBLEMS TO PRESCRIBE
COURSE OF CORRECTIVE ACTION TO RESTORE
HEALTH
• DEVELOPED 1990 BY THE LATE RICHARD
GRANTHAM

7. GOREAU, 1992

8. GOREAU, 1992

9. GOREAU, 1992

10. GOREAU, 1990

11. 800,000 YEARS OF CLIMATE DATA, ROHLING, 2008

12. GOREAU, 2014

13. LEVITUS ET AL., 2012

14. DISCOVERY BAY, JAMAICA
PHOTO BY TOM GOREAU

15. T. GOREAU, 1964

16. NOAA

17. LEVERMANN ET AL., 2013

18. GREEN CARBON TAX THAT SOLVES
THE PROBLEM
• CHARGE EACH POLLUTER THE REAL COST
OF CARBON STORAGE IN VEGETATION
AND SOIL PAID DIRECTLY TO THOSE
WHO STORE IT (GOREAU, 1987; MYERS
& GOREAU, 1991)
• LOW COST, HIGH BENEFITS

19. LARGE SCALE
ENVIRONMENTAL
RESTORATION IS THE BEST
WAY TO STABILIZE CO2 AT
SAFE LEVELS

20. FALSE ECONOMICS:
BOGUS PRICES
• EUROPEAN CARBON MARKET FAILED BECAUSE
THEY GAVE AWAY MORE FREE CO2 PERMITS TO
BIG POLLUTERS THAN THEY COULD PRODUCE,
CAUSING THE VALUE TO COLLAPSE, AND MAKING
POLLUTION VIRTUALLY FREE
• US AND MOST MAJOR POLLUTERS HAVE NO
CARBON MARKET AT ALL

22. ECONOMIST’S AND POLITICIAN’S
CARBON TAXES
• INCREASE PRICES TO REDUCE
CONSUMPTION, REQUIRES VERY HIGH TAXES
BECAUSE ENERGY USE IS NOT ELASTIC, IT IS
VERY EXPENSIVE & INFLATIONARY
• GIVES MONEY TO POLITICIANS AND
CONSUMERS TO WASTE WITHOUT SOLVING
THE CO2 PROBLEM!

23. “YOU CAN RUN, BUT YOU CAN’T HIDE. WHEN
YOU RUN TO THE ROCK,
THE ROCK WILL BE MELTING.
WHEN YOU RUN TO THE SEA,
THE SEA WILL BE BOILING.
WHERE YOU GOING TO RUN TO?”
DOWNPRESSOR MAN
by
Peter Tosh
Jamaica’s greatest songwriter

25. LARGE SCALE
ENVIRONMENTAL
RESTORATION IS THE BEST
WAY TO STABILIZE CO2 AT
SAFE LEVELS

26. Soil Organic Carbon. UNEP/WCMC 2008

30. AFTER GOREAU, 1990 ORIGINAL BY PETER GOREAU

31. AFTER GOREAU, 2014

32. GOREAU, 1995

33. GOREAU, 1995

34. HUBBARD BROOK FOREST
NEW HAMPSHIRE
GOREAU, 1982

35. AMAZON
RAINFOREST
GOREAU & DE MELLO, 1985
BRAZIL

36. GOREAU & DE MELLO, 1985

37. PHOTO BY JAMES RICHARDSON
ANCIENT AMAZONIAN TERRA PRETA DO INDIO (BIOCHAR)

38. LARGE SCALE
ENVIRONMENTAL
RESTORATION IS THE BEST
WAY TO STABILIZE CO2 AT
SAFE LEVELS

39. LARGE SCALE ENVIRONMENTAL
RESTORATION
THE ONLY WAY THAT CO2 CAN BE REDUCED IN
TIME TO AVERT EXTINCTION OF CORAL REEFS
LOSS OF COASTS AND ISLANDS, & WORSE
GREATLY ENHANCE FORESTS, AGRICULTURE,
GRASSLANDS, AND RESTORE DEGRADED
AREAS WHILE STORING CARBON AND
PROVIDING SUSTAINABLE CARBON-NEGATIVE
ENERGY

40. WE KNOW HOW TO DO IT!
PUT THE CARBON BACK IN THE GROUND
WHERE IT CAME FROM
GROW OUR WAY OUT OF GLOBAL
WARMING
PUT IT BACK IN SOIL WHERE IT WILL DO
THE MOST GOOD THE FASTEST POSSIBLE
JOIN THE UNDERGROUND GRASS-ROOTS
MOVEMENT!

41. DECEMBER 5

42. UNITED NATIONS FOOD AND
AGRICULTURE ORGANIZATION (FAO)