Hidden Earth: Rethinking Climate Solutions

When we think about climate solutions, forests usually steal the spotlight. But what about non-forest ecosystems? Tropical savannas are often targeted for Nature-based Solutions (NbS) actions like tree planting. While well intentioned, these approaches can sometimes bring more problems than solutions. In this informal talk, I’ll explore some popular NbS ideas, concepts of savannas ecosystem, and unpack their risks for tropical savannas conservation. Together, we’ll rethink what effective climate solutions look like and why protecting non-forest ecosystems is just as important for our climate.

The ground under your toes isn’t just dead—it’s also alive, reactive, and constantly changing. It’s where living and nonliving worlds meet to keep Earth’s systems in motion. My research explores how roots, microbes, and minerals work together to store carbon and support resilient ecosystems. Geology set the stage, but plants transformed Earth by linking rock weathering to life. Today, land use like agriculture is a global “soil experiment,” accelerating and disrupting key reactions. I study how minerals can protect soil carbon and how changes in plants and environment can strengthen, or weaken, that protection. By uncovering these hidden dynamics, we can manage soils more wisely in a changing world.

Mychorrhizal fungi form symbiotic relationships with most plants on earth, keeping each other alive by exchanging soil nutrients for plant sugars. Their immense networks hold soil together, store carbon, feed the plants that feed us, and might even connect trees below ground. Here, I will share the science on what we know, what we don't know yet, and why it all matters.