Digging into Minnesota's peat, an underappreciated climate superhero

The Wall of Trees initiative in Nigeria's Makoda village created a four-tiered barrier of windbreak, orchard, woodlot, and economic trees that tripled crop yields and provided income opportunities for 200 women, successfully reversing desertification on 15 hectares over two decades.

For two decades, the Portuguese Society for the Study of Birds has restored native trees on ​​São Miguel Island to increase the food and nesting habitat available for the Azores bullfinch. As a result, the population of the bird increased enough to be downlisted from critically endangered to vulnerable.

In the first half of this episode, the producers discuss "Tradewaters," an organization that disposes of canisters inside refrigerators. These canisters hold potent greenhouse gases. One 30-pound canister can leak up to 131 tons of Co2, or a year's worth of driving for 54 cars. The organization disposes of thousands of canisters across Central America, Chile, South Africa, and India. The practice of disposing of these canisters saves between one to two percent of global Co2 emissions, according to estimates.

Scientists at Oxford University have come up with a process that could turn carbon dioxide into jet fuel. The greenhouse gas, which is a major contributor to climate change, is constantly emitted by the aviation industry and this method would allow for that gas to be recycled into a liquid fuel for flights. Scaling the experiment has its challenges, but the process could result in net-zero emissions from airplanes.

To combat the effects of rising temperatures due to climate change, Los Angeles piloted an experiment called “cool pavements,” where they coat streets with a light-colored sealant to reflect heat. Researchers are studying how effective this method is at reducing the urban heat island effect. Using a mobile sensor station, they found mixed results: While the surface temperature of the road was cooler, a person could feel warmer on the reflective roads. Figuring out how to balance different heat-mitigating strategies could be helpful as cities like Phoenix figure out how to implement cooling infrastructure.

A garden at Boulder, Colorado’s Museum of Natural History is being used to track the effects of smog and educate visitors as well. Called an “ozone garden,” this plot – and other like it around the world – shows researchers and visitors how plants are damaged by ground-level ozone levels. Beyond education, the researchers behind the ozone garden are using it to show how crops and food availability will diminish as climate change continues.

Geoengineering, a term used to cover a broad range of large-scale, drastic measures to combat climate change, has the science and policy communities divided. These measures are currently being explored across the world, and while they could work as a response to climate change, many cite them as temporary band-aids that will only delay the effects of global warming. Many cite the need to understand the complexity of the issue and, rather than bandaging the issue, take a comprehensive, structural approach.

As a response to global climate change, many are turning to farming and agricultural practices as a response. Plants are able to bring carbon dioxide into soil, where some is stored, reducing the overall amount in the air. While initially seen as a silver bullet solution, scientists are now discovering limitations – like overestimating how much carbon can be stored. For small farms, in order to adopt more eco-conscious practices, they need more economic incentives to change their ways.

California has been leading the way in what is becoming an increasingly popular response to climate change: carbon farming. The practice reabsorbs carbon that’s in the air, into the soil, and can be achieved through methods like composting, no-till agriculture, or cover crops. While a promising practice, cost-related concerns and the sustainability and longevity of the response remain in question.

While many organizations and individuals are working on solutions to address climate change worldwide, a company in Iceland is focusing on removing carbon dioxide directly from the air. Although small in scale, this new technology known as direct air capture has made it possible to suck the carbon dioxide from the air and turn the emissions into stone.