President Maria Eugênia Escobar represented SBCS at the opening of the Latin American Symposium and Carbon Carbon Caribbean from June 25-27 at the Tomorrow Museum in Rio de Janeiro (RJ). About 400 people participated in the event with the objective of debating soil health, emphasizing that carbon rich soils favor food production, improve the ability to adapt agricultural systems to address climate change and reduce the emission of greenhouse gas to atmosphere through carbon kidnapping.
Organized by the Brazilian Agricultural Research Company (Embrapa), in partnership with national and international organizations, the Latin American and Caribbean Soil Carbon Research Symposium brought together academics and professionals linked to the agrarian sciences, rural producers, public policy formulators and civil society representatives to discuss measurement methodologies, monitoring, reporting and verification of soil carbon, and markets carbon and related public policies.
During the opening of the event, the president of SBCS stressed that we live a time when climate urgency demands robust scientific responses and local solutions with global range. “In this scenario, Latin America and the Caribbean play a central role: we are one of the priority regions for our potential for carbon sequestration and, at the same time, the challenges we face – degraded soils, climate vulnerability, food insecurity,” said Maria Eugenia.
The opening lecture was given by researcher Deborah Bossio, who addressed the theme of soil carbon and its interface with climate, biodiversity and food security. Deborah Bossio is chief scientist of food systems and soil science at The Nature Conservancy (TNC), an organization that develops work on environmental conservation. She also acts as a member of the Technical and Scientific Committee of initiative 4 by 1000, which promotes the role of agriculture in the mitigation of climate change.
The president of SBCS also referred to initiative 4 by 1000 as inspiration to see the soil as a strategic solution. “If we raise carbon on the soil by just 0.4% per year, we can counterbalance much of anthropogenic emissions. But for ISS we need high quality scientific research, adjusted to our various edapoclimatic conditions, and promoted by universities – true human resources formation and innovation centers,” he said.
Maria Eugênia also highlighted experiences such as the no -Floor Plantio System, Integration Livestock Floresta and Agroforestry Systems and pasture recovery as successful strategies in Brazil that deserve international prominence. “SBCS, as a scientific society, seeks to strengthen these paths: we promote knowledge production, technical training, governments dialogue and regional exchange. We strongly support universities – often invisible – as protagonists of this agenda, both in research and in the formation of new generations and the transfer of technology. That this symposium enlarge networks, stimulate innovations and trigger regional initiatives that put the soil in the center of the center Climate solutions. SBCs reiterates its commitment to science, sustainability and the future of Latin America and the Caribbean, ”said Maria Eugenia.
On the eve of the event, the 24th, the president of SBCS also participated in the workshop of the Latin American and Caribbean region of the Soil Carbon International Research Consortium (Soil Carbon IRC).
