Bologna. Global warming is galloping “at a faster speed than expected”. For this reason “it is not enough to just reduce emissions”, but we need to focus on “CO2 sequestration” from the atmosphere.
And to do so, the only “feasible” method is the one offered naturally by forests. Which therefore must be “managed well: it is not enough to plant new trees. They must be cared for, not abandoned. I also say this to politicians”. This is the warning launched by Riccardo Valentini, professor of Forest Ecology at the University of Tuscia and Nobel Peace Prize winner in 2007, who yesterday opened the inauguration ceremony of the 214th academic year of the National Academy of Agriculture in Bologna.
“By 2030 we will still have 1,5 degrees more temperature, whatever we do - Valentini points out - our future is marked, we will have to adapt and secure the agricultural and economic system. But short-term investments are needed, we can no longer wait: everything will happen in 10 years”.
The scientist explains how there is “a direct correlation between the tons of CO2 released into the atmosphere and the increase in temperature. This is why we talk about 'carbon neutrality' and this goal must be achieved in the short term, that is, by 2050, to be able to reach the end of the century with a stabilized temperature increase of around 1,5 degrees”. To do this, Valentini says when interviewed by 'Dire', “we must not only reduce emissions, but also absorb carbon to compensate for it and eliminate it”. To date, carbon sequestration technologies are “difficult to implement”, so the only method “is forests”. CO2 emissions into the atmosphere, explains the scholar, are due for 86% to industries and for 14% to tropical deforestation. Of these, however, 46% remains in the atmosphere while 31% is already reabsorbed by forests and 23% by the oceans.
From 2005 to 2021, in Italy alone, forests have increased the amount of carbon sequestered. But it is not enough, warns Valentini. “They must be managed well,” he urges, “planting new trees is not enough: they must be cared for and not abandoned.” Furthermore, it is necessary to “manage the forests we already have well, otherwise we risk losing them due to pathogens or fires: leaving a forest without touching it means transforming it into a carbon ‘bomb’.” From studies done on plants, the scholar emphasizes, it has been seen that “pruning is a means of saving water resources. It is therefore possible to calibrate the management of trees with pruning, saving water and maintaining the capacity to absorb carbon.”
From this point of view, agriculture is also “a great opportunity”, despite being responsible for 37% of greenhouse gas emissions globally, considering not only production but also packaging, transport and waste disposal.
“With good practices in agriculture, emissions can be reduced and absorption increased,” explains Valentini. “Orchards, for example, are sustainable from the start due to their high capacity to sequester carbon.” In the meantime, also due to the effect of the “carbon tax” adopted by the EU on foreign products such as fertilizers, aluminum, steel, electricity and cement, the market for forestry credits is growing to compensate for the most energy-intensive production and obtain the green stamp. “It is a problem that needs to be regulated,” warns Valentini. “The situation is chaotic, there are no regulations for the use of forests for credits.” Against this “green washing,” Valentini’s idea is to create agricultural-livestock-forestry districts that compensate for themselves. A first case study was carried out in Viterbo and it was seen that “the agricultural and livestock impact is more than compensated by good forestry practices.”
Cantelli Forti: “There are those who speculate on the climate alarm, for example the producers of veg hamburgers”
The provocation of the president of the National Academy of Agriculture: "The fear is that speculations will be extrapolated from the debate on climate change through movements and people with economic interests behind them"
Behind the debate on emissions and climate change there is the risk of a “colossal speculation” to the detriment of the agricultural and livestock sector. For example, by “companies that make proteins from vegetables with which to create vegan hamburgers”. This is the provocation launched by Giorgio Cantelli Forti, president of the National Academy of Agriculture, who yesterday opened the inauguration ceremony of the new academic year. “I wanted to make a very provocative speech,” confirmed Cantelli Forti, interviewed by 'Dire' at the end of the celebration, “I do not deny it, and as a citizen I am also very concerned about the issues that arise from human activities” linked to global warming and climate change.
But as an Academy "we must carry forward a discussion linked to scientific truth - claims Cantelli Forti - to draw conclusions that can control, correct and solve the problem". The fear is therefore that from the debate on climate change, "which has a basis in truth - says the president of the Ana - speculations are extrapolated instead through movements and people with economic interests behind them, such as companies that make proteins from vegetables with which to create the vegan hamburger". In this way, Cantelli Forti claims, "we risk disrupting a system that is feeding the world, of which we know the safety and non-safety aspects, with something that will have to be assessed whether it is safe or not. This would be a disaster on a global level, because we know that certain economic forces and ideologized thinkers create damage and trouble". For this reason the Academy "wants to draw attention to the scientific world that can provide certain data, compared to many fantasies that are expressed with a no to everyone. Like the no vax", says Cantelli Forti.
In other words, insists the president of the National Academy of Agriculture, even agriculture today is a victim of "movements of opinion" and is singled out "as one of the main evils of the world. Globalization has produced a colossal speculative system to replace agriculture and livestock with protein products made in the laboratory from plants. Production costs are currently prohibitive, but it is a war industry. Can we ensure the food safety of these new products? A study on the risks and benefits of these proteins is necessary". Cantelli Forti speaks of a "worrying drift" and maintains that "from these situations, denialist ideologies also arise". The president of the Ana also has something against biodynamic agriculture, which "cannot be compared to organic" because "it is a practice detached from the scientific method, which is based on esoteric practices".
During the ceremony, the Academy also awarded the 'Filippo Re' prize, now in its second edition. Created together with Image Line, and with the support of Ilsa, the prize is worth 2.500 euros and went to three young researchers: Andrea Fiorini of the Università Cattolica Sacro Cuore; Livia Paleari of the University of Milan; Anna Panozzo of the University of Padua. "This year we wanted to reward the combination of agriculture and the environment," explains Gaetano Spadoni of Image Line, "these three young researchers have published scientific 'papers' that have explored the issues related to innovation in agriculture, to allow us to better understand new agricultural practices related to environmental sustainability." Fiorini analyzed how to reduce emissions from agricultural practices; Paleari developed an app to allow companies to better manage fertilization; Panozzo focused on the productivity of olive groves.
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