Ideas change everything

The hidden wonders of soil

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Jane Zelikova |

Countdown Summit

• October 2021

From nourishing our foods to storing massive amounts of carbon, soil is teeming with diverse microbial life that could slow global warming. Climate change scientist Jane Zelikova calls for agricultural practices that protect Earth's soil by growing climate-adapted crops that don't mess with the microbes. "Soils are the literal foundation of life on this planet -- the reason that we eat and the climate solution just waiting to be unlocked," she says.

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From nourishing our foods to storing massive amounts of carbon, soil is teeming with diverse microbial life that could slow global warming. Climate change scientist Jane Zelikova calls for agricultural practices that protect Earth's soil by growing climate-adapted crops that don't mess with the microbes. "Soils are the literal foundation of life on this planet -- the reason that we eat and the climate solution just waiting to be unlocked," she says.

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About the speaker

Ecosystem scientist

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Jane Zelikova studies the impacts of climate change in natural and managed landscapes with a focus on engineered and natural carbon sequestration.

This talk was presented at an official TED conference.

Read our curation guidelines.