Chapter 1: What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
It's TED Talks Daily. I'm Elise Hu. Today, we're going to focus on a natural weapon against climate change. In fact, if they didn't exist, the planet would have likely already crossed the point of no return with regard to global temperature rise.
In her talk from the 2021 Countdown Summit, UN Undersecretary General Vera Songwe warns us of the devastation that could come if we don't protect the peatlands. There is a play by one of my favorite writers, Nobel laureate Wole Shoinka, I would like to tell you about, The Swamp Dwellers.
Chapter 2: What natural weapon against climate change is discussed?
The Swamp Dwellers are about a blind beggar who attempts to buy a piece of swampland because he believes that the swamps will provide him with a better livelihood. However, the villagers in that swamp believe that deep in the forest of the swamp lies a deity whose job is to protect them from all misfortune. There is another swamp that protects us from misfortune.
and holds the promise of humanity's survival. Those are the pitlands of the Congo Basin. The pitlands of the Congo Basin are a lush, vast expanse of weeds, shrubs and trees that absorb carbon from the atmosphere. They spanned 145,000 kilometers. The pit formations began 10,000 years ago, when man moved from hunter-gatherer to farmer. Nature, I guess, figured I'd better stop protecting myself.
A couple of years ago, scientists discovered that these tropical pitlands are probably the largest carbon sink in the world. They store 30 billion tons of carbon.
Chapter 3: Why are the peatlands of the Congo Basin vital for our planet?
If they did not exist, we would have probably already stepped beyond the threshold of 1.5 degrees of warming. However, the pitlands are under threat. We have, of course, oil explorations being contemplated. Logging licenses have already been awarded. And many of the communities that live around the pitlands have just this for survival.
We have all collectively seen, in the Amazon forest, burning down because of economic interest. turning these forests from carbon sink to carbon source. We have witnessed in Indonesia the swamps drained for palm oil plantations, turning them from carbon sink to carbon source. It would be devastating if the same fate were to befall the pitlands of the Congo Basin.
The pitlands are a passion of mine. I believe they must be protected. But we must also, in this fight against climate change, ensure that responsibility and accountability are adequately apportioned. The world emits over 54 billion tons of carbon. The pitlands of the Congo Basin absorb a large majority of that. Africa emits 1.2 billion tons of carbon a year.
And the communities that live around the pitlands have no access to basic services. Education, health care, clean drinking water, an adequate meal, good transportation, technology, the peatlands are an economic asset which, if valued appropriately, could provide the stepping stone for these communities to improve their livelihoods.
Nature has acted already as a store of value for the peatlands, a kind of Federal Reserve. Now imagine if we had a price for carbon at 50 dollars, with 30 billion tons of carbon sequestered in the pitlands. We're talking at 1.5 trillion. A pitland development fund could help us today to address whether the stubborn and seemingly persistent development challenges that the continent faces today.
This is not just about decarbonization. This is also about development with dignity. This is about equity. It is about justice. And it is about transparency. Indeed, Africa has not contributed enormously to the climate crisis. But we have visibly contributed enormously to keeping the planet alive. We can therefore not expect that as the blind beggar,
we continue to plead for assistance to achieve a better livelihood. And we certainly cannot be like Wole Showinka's swamp dwellers, who wait patiently while the world overlooks and undermines Africa's contribution to climate change. Science has recognized Africa's contribution. I ask you to join me in recognizing Africa's contribution.
And collectively, we must ask the markets to recognize and adequately reward Africa's contribution by putting a price on carbon. TED Talks Daily is hosted by me, Elise Hu, and produced by TED. Theme music is from Allison Leighton-Brown, and our mixer is Christopher Fasey-Bogan.
We record the talks at TED events we host or from TEDx events, which are organized independently by volunteers all over the world. And we'd love to hear from you. Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or email us at podcasts at TED.com. Genomics pioneer Robert Green says many parents want their healthy newborn's DNA screened for diseases that may or may not show up later in life.
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