Hidden in plain sight. Global heating, the small water cycle, and the social contract

Abstract

ABSTRACT Greenhouse gases do not generate heat. Bare ground is the furnace: vegetation and the water cycle provide the air-conditioning. Heat is emitted as infrared radiation; greenhouse gases in the atmosphere absorb some of this outgoing radiation which then heats the atmosphere or is reabsorbed by the land and, mainly, the oceans. So, control of greenhouse gas emissions is necessary and urgent – but it will not be enough to arrest global heating and does nothing for the water cycle. Clearance of natural landscapes for agriculture has driven global heating and disrupted the water cycle. Regenerative agriculture combats these hazards by avoiding bare soil, not ploughing, adopting a diverse crop rotation including perennial grasses and legumes, and creating windbreaks and wetlands. Speedier uptake of these society-saving practices requires a new social contract. The war in Ukraine provides an opportunity as well as urgent need.