Utilizing Plant Biology to Mitigate the Climate Crisis
Information
We are in the early stages of a profound and perilous global human crisis, the climate crisis, caused by global warming. It is caused by the continuously increasing levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. The many negative consequences of global warming include increased premature mortality, species extinction at a massive scale, and immense economic damages. The climate crisis is amplified by rapid human population growth, which is expected to peak at 10.4 billion people in the 2080s. Concomitantly, even without considering further intensification to meet the nutritional demands of more than 2 billion additional human beings, industrial agriculture is also one of the major sectors responsible for greenhouse gas emissions and environmental degradation. Key measures for addressing this enormous and interconnected cluster of problems are intimately linked to plant biology and biotechnology. Most notably these are climate adaptation of crops to provide sufficient food, feed and fiber for a growing global human population despite a changing climate, agricultural emission reduction, and large-scale carbon sequestration to remove CO2 from the atmosphere. This session will explore cutting-edge research in plant and soil science that leverages the potential of plants to reduce atmospheric carbon dioxide levels, decrease agricultural greenhouse gas emissions and improve agricultural resilience.
Equity and Inclusion: This session proposal actively embraces equity, and inclusion in several ways:
Global and Cross-Cultural Representation: The session will feature speakers from diverse geographical regions, ensuring that climate change solutions are explored from multiple environmental contexts, including both developed and developing countries. By featuring speakers and participants from diverse cultural backgrounds, the session encourages cross-cultural exchange and collaboration. This inclusivity ensures that participants from different regions feel represented and valued, and that the solutions discussed are relevant to communities around the world.
Interdisciplinary Expertise: The session will include experts from multiple scientific disciplines such as plant genetics, crop science and soil science.
Balanced Selection of Speakers: The session organizers will ensure gender balance and
Equal Focus on Local and Global Issues: The session will emphasize solutions that can benefit both large-scale industrial agriculture and smallholder farmers, and can have a role in global climate justice.
Inclusive Participation: The session will be designed to be accessible to a broad audience, including students, early-career scientists, policymakers, and community leaders. During the Q&A sessions, we will make efforts for equitable audience participation.