“HOW PLANTS COOL THE PLANET”
A masterfully done, well-researched and eminently shareable video that reveals major gaps in mainstream climate coverage.
On March 24, 2023, Jimi Eisenstein released the animated video “How Plants Cool The Planet.”
The video received 13,000 views in its first six weeks on YouTube.
For those of us who understand that climate change calls for a holistic and biological approach, it is hard to imagine a more eloquent and inspired manifesto. The purpose of this article is to encourage you to share the video and spread the word about its important and timely message.
Among YouTube comments, this one from Eric Brooks is typical: “This is excellent. It's such a brief, concise explanation packed full with vital information.” And from Leanne Skipsey: “Fantastic resource, Jimi. Thank you for creating it, the information in it is really accessible and important for people to know.”
In just over five minutes, the viewer is treated to a gentle barrage of logic and common sense, set to the ear candy that is “Waltz Pizzicato” and “Lyrical Waltz” by one Eddie Honcha.
The opening line draws the viewer in by raising the environmental issue everyone is talking about--climate change--but then offers a solution that few people have thought about: Plants!
“In a time of rising temperatures and climate instability, most of the attention goes to greenhouse gases. But there is another way often overlooked to stabilize the climate and cool the planet: Plants.”
To the tune of lilting stringed instruments, “How Plants Cool the Planet” leads the viewer through five parts with masterfully selected words that manage to tell the whole story in five minutes.
Transpiration
“Part 1. Transpiration” tells how plants cool the air by emitting water, and lots of it. It is transpiration, not just shade, that makes a forest feel cool.
Condensation Nuclei
“Part 2. Condensation Nuclei” talks about how plants emit bacteria that causes condensation, making cloud formation possible.
Clouds
“Part 3. Clouds” talks about how clouds cool the air by reflecting the sun’s heat. They also bring gentle and consistent rainfall, thus extending the rainy season and further nurturing plant growth, in a virtuous cycle.
In this way, plants prevent floods, droughts and wildfires, which are the worst effects of climate change. It is floods, droughts and wildfires--not warmer temperatures--which are the worst effects of climate change. (YESSSS!!! Very important point!)
Sequestration
“Part 4. Sequestration” is about how plants take carbon out of the atmosphere and store it in plant tissues and the soil. Carbon can stay in the soil for decades and even centuries, stimulating even more plant growth.
The Ocean
“Part 5. The Ocean” completes the holistic picture by explaining how sea-based photosynthesizers (seaweed, algae and cyanobacteria absorb atmospheric carbon, while shellfish and bony fishes store carbon in the form of calcium carbonate (CaCO3), all of which is possible if we have healthy marine ecosystems, reefs, estuaries and kelp forests.
PLEASE WATCH
Please watch the video. How Plants Cool the Planet. It takes five minutes. “That was easy!”
Now, share it with friends, family, community leaders and policymakers.
GRATITUDE
This video was made with support from Fenwick Foundation.
https://fenwickfoundation.org
Ecosystem Restoration Alliance helped with research, networking, and serving as a fiscal sponsor to make Fenwick Foundation's donation possible.
ERA members Jimi Eisenstein, Charles Eisenstein, Peter Bruce-Iri and Rob de Laet wrote the script.
RESOURCES
Here is a link to the video.
The Jimi Sol YouTube Channel has an impressive 31,400 subscribers and many excellent videos.
https://www.youtube.com/@JimiSol
Support Jimi on Patreon: https://patreon.com/jimi
Visit Jimi’s website:
https://jimisol.net
SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH
The video “How Plants Cool the Planet” cites the following research, during the video and in the show notes:
Most water plants take up comes out through the leaves: https://cid-inc.com/blog/transpiratio...
For every molecule of CO2 sequestered, several hundred molecules of water are evaporated: https://www.nature.com/scitable/knowl...
Temperatures have been measured to be cooler in forests: https://www.google.co.nz/books/editio...
Plants house condensation-nucleating bacteria: https://www.nature.com/articles/ngeo1037
When water condenses at cloud level, it releases the heat it absorbed during evaporation: https://www.usgs.gov/special-topics/w...
Up to half of this heat released during condensation radiates back into space: https://journals.ametsoc.org/view/jou...
Clouds create a net cooling effect: https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/fea...
Healthy ecosystems absorb water into the soil which replenishes groundwater: https://www.nrdc.org/experts/lara-bry...
Plants sequester carbon and put it underground: https://amazingcarbon.com/PDF/JONES-L...
Sequestered carbon can stay underground for hundreds of years: https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/...
The ocean food web is based on plants: https://www.noaa.gov/education/resour...
Marine ecosystems seed clouds: https://www.publish.csiro.au/EN/pdf/E...
Marine ecosystems sequester carbon in the form of shells: https://royalsocietypublishing.org/do...
Tree-planting based on large quantitative targets can backfire: https://link.springer.com/article/10....