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The TechMobility Podcast
AI-Directed Microgrids, Robot Baseball Umpires and Natural Climate Solutions
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Technology and tradition collide in this fascinating exploration of how innovation disrupts established systems—sometimes for better, sometimes creating unforeseen challenges.
Massachusetts' well-intentioned EV truck regulations have created a peculiar standstill: dealers can't sell the diesel trucks businesses need until they sell electric trucks that customers don't want and infrastructure can't support. With just 301 electric trucks among 186,000 medium/heavy-duty vehicles in the state, this regulatory mismatch demonstrates the "messy middle" of decarbonization efforts when policy outpaces practicality.
Meanwhile, a quiet revolution brews in our electrical grid. AI-driven microgrids promise to transform electricity distribution by creating self-contained power generation systems that respond to threats in nanoseconds—long before human operators could detect problems. These systems reduce waste, lower costs, and protect against catastrophic failures, potentially offering a resilient alternative to our century-old hub-and-spoke power network.
America's pastime isn't immune to technological disruption either. Major League Baseball is testing robot umpires (the Automated Ball Strike system) during spring training, allowing teams to challenge calls to better understand how the system works. Unlike human umpires whose strike zones might evolve during a game, the AI system maintains perfect consistency, creating both opportunities and challenges for players—particularly catchers who must adapt their strategies accordingly.
Perhaps most promising are natural climate solutions that leverage existing ecosystems to address greenhouse gas emissions. These approaches could remove up to seven gigatons of carbon annually by 2030—nearly one-third of what's needed to achieve Paris Agreement targets. From forests to wetlands to regenerative agriculture, these solutions typically cost less than technological alternatives while providing additional benefits to biodiversity, soil health, and water quality.
What technological change are you most excited or concerned about? Call our hotline at 872-222-9793 to share your thoughts on how innovation is reshaping our world.
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Welcome to the Tech Mobility Podcast.
Speaker 2:I'm Ken Chester On the docket. Ai-driven microgrids, robot umpires come to Major League Baseball. And just what are natural climate solutions? As always, you're invited to add your voice to the conversation, ask a question, share an opinion or even suggest a topic for future discussion by calling or texting the TechMobility hotline, that number, 872-222-9793, or, if you prefer, you can email the show directly. Talk at techmobilityshow. Also, be sure to subscribe, follow and like us on social media, our YouTube channel and our two podcasts, the Tech Mobility Podcast and Tech Mobility Topics From the Tech Mobility News Desk.
Speaker 2:I've been criticized by some of my regular listeners that I have been drinking the Kool-Aid of the EV world and that I think EVs are perfect and there's nothing wrong, and I should tell the other side and tell some of the shortcomings. If you've been listening to me over these past years, you will know that I have, in fact, talked about the various shortcomings. One notable thing that sticks out in my mind just over a year ago, when I talked about my eventful, unfortunately trip to Chicago in a pure electric and everything I had to go through to get there and still was late and it added three hours to my trip, having to go 40 miles out the way to begin with and then had to plan which high, high speed chargers to stop at, and that was with one. The chargers were available to, the chargers were working, three I didn't have to wait in line and it's still. Each stop took an hour and it were roughly a hundred miles apart, and that the EV I was driving only had a range of 173 miles. So I couldn't afford to miss 173 miles. So I couldn't afford to miss, yeah, that there cured me from owning or looking to have an EV as my next vehicle, but maybe the one after that.
Speaker 2:Here's another case where the regulation is actually ahead of the technology, and in this case we're coming from my home state of Massachusetts, the Bay State, and it doesn't have to do actually with cars or trucks, it has to do with heavy trucks, and the quote is from the Boston Globe. The technology has not kept up. Truck sales in mass are at a standstill over new EV requirements. Manufacturers say they cannot meet the state's new rules. Here's the bottom line. Here's what's going on. There's a showdown between state regulators and truck manufacturers that basically said starting January 1st 2025, there's a requirement that electric vehicles must make up 7% of new and medium and heavy duty trucks sold in the Bay State, but dealers say the industry isn't ready and buyers, worried about the cost and logistics of charging, remain wary of electric vehicles for many applications.
Speaker 2:Let me stop right here when it comes to medium duty and heavy duty trucks, honestly, for over the road big rigs, a battery electric makes absolutely, positively, no sense at all. Why? Because the batteries to propel 40, 50, 60 tons are heavy and take a long time to charge, and these are vehicles that need to roll hundreds of miles at a time across the country on a deadline. What makes more sense for a heavy-duty truck is either hydrogen, which is under development, or either burning hydrogen or using hydrogen in a fuel cell. Fuel cell doesn't take the weight, fuel cell doesn't take the volume and it's easily filled up quickly.
Speaker 2:So why the state, in a state that, unlike California, has no infrastructure for medium and heavy-duty EV trucks? What are they thinking? How are you going to expect these makers and these users of vehicles that need these to actually want to buy them, since they're almost double what a diesel goes for in both class 5, class 6, class 7, class 8, which is medium and heavy duty, but there's no infrastructure? If you are a company where your vehicles return to every night means that you would have to build your own charging stations. There's no state money that I'm aware of available to these commercial enterprises in the Bay State to incentivize them to build their own EV charging systems at their depots or truck. You know where they park their trucks, where they maintain their trucks.
Speaker 2:What kind of craziness is this? And it gets worse because of the way the law is written. Those retailers that sell heavy duty trucks can't sell the diesel trucks until they sell a certain amount of EV trucks in order to meet, say, standard. So you've got folks wanting to buy brand new heavy-duty diesel trucks for their business in the Bay State, in the state the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and cannot do it because of state regulations. And worse, even if somebody was willing to buy these trucks at double the price, there's no infrastructure Meaning if they're going much beyond 150, 200 miles in the course of a day, they're up a Creek because there's nothing.
Speaker 2:And if you've ever been to Massachusetts and if you've ever been to Eastern Massachusetts, it is one of the most congested traffic places on the planet. I don't even remember it being that bad when I grew up there. It is one of the most congested traffic places on the planet. I don't even remember it being that bad when I grew up there. It is ridiculous. If you're within 50 miles of Boston it makes Manhattan traffic look like freeway speed. It's horrible. So can you imagine operating either a delivery truck for medium duty or maybe a dump truck or vocational truck of some sort heavy duty, where you need these vehicles and you're going to replace it with a diesel? But because of the way the law is written, the dealers can't sell it to you until they get somebody to buy an EV truck or two. That's the way they're jammed up and the manufacturers ain't being very helpful. They're dumping it back on their dealers, so it's kind of messed up.
Speaker 2:Let me give you some perspective. Of the more than 186,000 registered medium and heavy duty trucks in Massachusetts, only 301 were fully electric or plug-in hybrids, and that was up from 98 a year earlier. By contrast, there are almost 140,000 electric passenger vehicles. Let me say that again. I want you to hear the numbers. There are 186,000 registered medium and heavy duty trucks in Massachusetts. 301 were fully electric, plug-ins, 301. Major companies they show in this article. They give an example of a local soil and excavation waste hauler.
Speaker 2:He can't buy new trucks. He added nine diesels last year. He wants to buy some more this year to replace because he's running a fleet of 50. He can't do it. The dealers won't sell it to him because they need to sell some evs in order to even out to meet the state regulations. And that's the problem, and worse. These new heavy-duty EV trucks only have one-third the range of the diesels.
Speaker 2:The numbers don't add up and, like I said, unlike California that at least has an infrastructure for medium and heavy-duty trucks across the state, massachusetts doesn't have anything like that, nothing. And even if they wanted to do it tomorrow, it would take years. And, trust me, unlike parts of California, most of eastern Massachusetts and part of central Massachusetts, where I'm from, land is prohibitively expensive. It is ridiculous. So where would they even get the land without state help to even build these facilities and how could they make that work? And how can they get these trucks in and out of some of the most congested real estate in the United States of America to make it even work at all in the United States of America, to make it even work at all? Like I said, people, if you've been listening to me for a while.
Speaker 2:This road to EVs, be it passenger cars, pickups, vans, medium-duty heavy-duty trucks the commercial trucking industry is what they call. In the midst of what they call the messy middle. They're trying to decarbonize and they're looking at a whole bunch of different options. And what makes economic sense, what makes fleet sense, maintenance sense, operational sense? For the fleet In Massachusetts this makes no sense and both heavy truck sellers and heavy truck buyers are jammed up because people who need the heavy-duty trucks can't buy them and the folks who want to sell them to them got to sell some EVs first. It's crazy. Ai-driven microgrids promised up-end electricity distribution in the United States. You are listening to the Tech Mobility Show.
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Speaker 2:Social media is the main place to be these days, and we are no exception.
Speaker 2:I'm Ken Chester of the Tech Mobility Show. If you enjoy my program, then you will also enjoy my weekly Facebook videos, from my latest vehicle reviews to timely commentary of a variety of mobility and technology-related topics. These short features are designed to inform and delight you. Be sure to watch, like and follow us on Facebook. You can find us by typing the Tech Mobility Show in the search bar. Be sure to subscribe to our Facebook page.
Speaker 2:Social media is the place to be these days. We're no exception. I'm ken chester, the tech mobility show. If you enjoy my program, then you will also enjoy my weekly instagram videos, from the latest vehicle reviews to timely commentary on a variety of mobility and technology related topics. These short features are designed to inform and delight you be sure to watch, like and follow us on Instagram. You can find us by typing the Tech Mobility Show in the search bar. For those of you that listen to podcasts, we have just the one for you. Hi, I'm Ken Chester. Tech Mobility Topics is a podcast where I upload topic-specific videos each week Shorter than a full show.
Speaker 5:These bite-sized programs are just the thing, particularly if We'll be right back. You're looking at a new design that puts style and technology in total harmony. It's america's all-new aerodynamic sedan, the 84 ford tempo. New functional ideas led to tempo's sporty form, making it one of america's most aerodynamic sedans. Inside there's more rear room than a Mercedes 300D, and Tempo has the world's most advanced automotive computer, which continually monitors the new 2300 high-swirl combustion engine. This computerized regulation helps maximize fuel efficiency and helps give a surprisingly quick power response. There's road-gripping, front-wheel drive and dedication to quality, like close body-fit tolerances that you can compare with any European sports sedan. Tempo, style and technology in total harmony this is the tempo of your life.
Speaker 2:And you're giving it a voice. Where do I even start to unpack all this? First of all, the Ford Tempo was a compact car available in a two-door and a four-door model by the Ford Motor Company. This commercial was from 1984, so 41 years ago. And you notice they hit all the highlights for an economy car. They wanted you to think that you were getting a vehicle that would be comparable in some ways to an extremely expensive car, which was a reach for Ford. They wanted you to think that their four-cylinder engine was the marvel, the eighth marvel of the world, and they wanted you to think it was particularly well-made. Back in that day, automakers were going through really quality 101. There was a lot of upheaval at the Ford Motor Company in the early 1980s. The domestic auto industry was trying to fight off. The Japanese imports got Congress involved. They were trying to downsize and build cars at a profit at that size, which was a continuing challenge, and on top of all that, build something that America would be willing to buy and trust that the likes of Chrysler, ford and General Motors could build a well-made, economical small car. And if the previous decade was any hint or indication, the answer was no and they were going to fight it out for another 10, 15 years before they finally figured it out. But the 80s, they hadn't figured it out yet.
Speaker 2:With the evolution of all the new technology that is around us on a daily basis, it would come as no surprise that the US electricity system is also changing rapidly. An important driver of this change is the growing deployment of what they call distributed energy resources, or basically power that this customer provided what the industry calls behind the meter or BTM. Referred to in the industry as DERs, distributed energy resources. They include a diverse set of technologies such as distributed rooftop solar systems, community solar systems, distributed wind systems, electric vehicle charging equipment and battery energy storage. Now, an AI directed microgrids to that mix. This is topic A.
Speaker 2:Let me talk a little bit about microgrids. They are designed to be location-specific, self-contained power generation units that generate power and distribute it in a small locality. In other words, there are no transmission lines in or out. You're not getting power from a centralized power plant somewhere miles away. The benefit of these, whether they are a neighborhood, a separate home or a small community, is that the cost of building, maintaining and running it is a lot less than the traditional hub-and-spoke network approach of the last hundred years for the electrical industry.
Speaker 2:This article comes to us by way of T&D World. It is an electrical industry publication and while we're going to go into the weeds just a little bit I'm not going to take you all the way into the weeds because, one, we don't have the time, and two, I just want to point out a piece of what they're talking about. And what they're talking about, they make a differentiation between AI-powered microgrids, ai-driven microgrids and AI-enhanced microgrids. I'm not going to get into all that. All I'm going to talk about because this is really the thrust of this segment is AI-driven microgrids and why that has the best offer, both the electric utilities and consumers.
Speaker 2:Ai-driven microgrids is they call these, and I'm going to try to explain this here and make sure I've got my paperwork right. Let's see AI. What they call AI-driven uses AI as the predominant force behind the system's functionality. When dealing with gigawatts of small-scale solar and a variety of distributed electric power, ai-driven microgrids is the technology of choice. This application is needed for microgrid technology handling multiple DERs efficiently. Here it is. By definition, ai-driven microgrid is a decision-making engine. It controls the majority of the system's activities and operations in real time. Actually, with an AI-driven microgrid, it's about the management control system, which differs extensively from legacy microgrids.
Speaker 2:Without getting even further into the weeds, it boils down to this the industry believes that an AI-driven microgrid could be beneficial for consumers and the industry in being able to manage, put together, troubleshoot and operate a number of small microgrids. The big problem with what they call a standard microgrid is trying to get it to work within the confines of the utility's needs in connecting to the grid. Right now, you could literally call that a dumb microgrid, because there's a lot of capability it doesn't have, so there's a lot of balancing a lot of typical electrical issues. An AI-driven microgrid has the ability to manage, troubleshoot autonomously, respond to threats and potential blackout situations, protect the network and maximize opportunities. Advantages Less waste of power, lower cost of power, more efficient allocation of power as needed where needed, quicker protection of parts of the grid when there's an overload or a problem, to isolate it so that there's a less chance of a blackout and a less chance of a catastrophic failure. And I'm talking about you, texas. As opposed to human operation today at a central location monitoring the grid as the grid operator, they can respond, but these AI-driven microgrids could respond in nanoseconds, long before even the operators realized that there was a problem. The AI-driven microgrids, properly allocated, properly employed, can help the network resolve a problem before anybody realizes there was a problem. This could be the future, and, from a cost standpoint, way less. And if you're a customer generating your own electricity, it's a godsend, because now they can bundle a lot of these little microgrids and use it as what they call a virtual power plant, which is a whole other conversation that we've had earlier. It's all about resiliency, dependability, safety and protection, and in this case, ai-driven microgrid might be the servo bullet the industry needs right now in modernizing the network, going forward and optimizing what they've got. It's called the automated ball strike system and it promises to upend major league baseball as we know it.
Speaker 2:This is the Tech Mobility Show. Do you listen to podcasts? Seems that most people do. Hi, I'm Ken Chester, host of the Tech Mobility Show. If you missed any of our weekly episodes on the radio, our podcast is a great way to listen. You can find the Tech Mobility Podcast just about anywhere. You can enjoy podcasts. Be sure to follow us from Apple Podcasts, iheart Radio and many platforms in between. We are there. Just enter the Tech Mobility Podcast in the search bar. Wherever you listen to podcasts, social media, it's the place to be. We're no exception. Hi, I'm Ken Chester, host of the Tech Mobility Show.
Speaker 2:Several times a week, I post to TikTok several of the topics that I cover on my weekly radio show. It's another way to keep up on mobility, technology news and information. Several times a week, I post to TikTok several of the topics that I cover on my weekly radio show. It's another way to keep up on mobility technology news and information. I've built quite a library of short videos for your viewing pleasure, so be sure to watch, like and subscribe. That's the Tech Mobility. Show on TikTok. Check it out. Spring Training.
Speaker 2:Spring training, the time of year where hope springs eternal and Americans prepare to enjoy that favorite pastime known as Major League Baseball. But there are changes afoot, a change that will see robot umpires calling balls and strikes during Major League Spring training games. It's nothing sacred. This is Topic B Now. Full disclosure before we even get started. I am not a fan of baseball. I'm not into it. I have nothing against it, just sports aren't my thing. I'm more of a geek, I'm more of a techie. But this struck me so hard I felt we needed to talk about it. So I'm going to wait in here. But please understand, you know I'm not the one with statistics and knowledge and history when it comes to baseball. So if I screw up I apologize up front y'all. But here's the thing, here's what I learned. If you've watched any minor league games in the last few years, you've already been introduced to the automated ball strike system, otherwise known as ABS, but up until now it was just in the minor leagues. They never had introduced it to major leagues. What's happening in spring training this year is Major League Baseball is introducing this to the major league players and the big name players during spring training, during the spring training games. It is more of an experiment and more of a feedback loop than it is okay. This is what we're imposing on you and deal with it. Sort of is what they are allowing per game, each team to challenge the system. You get two challenges.
Speaker 2:This article that I'm looking at goes through about six or seven things that major league baseball players need to know relative to this new system, and I'm just going to try to hit the highlights for you. But let me ask you a question, those of you who are passionate about baseball, regardless of your team affiliation, you're passionate about baseball. How do you feel? Do you think that a robot umpire would be more accurate and more fair to your team than a human umpire? Do you think that the catchers, that this is an advantage for catchers and pitchers, or is it more of a problem? And also, the one big thing they talk about is the zone, and while it's supposed to be square, they say that when it comes to human interpretation of the zone, it's more of an oval technically, but yet with the computer, it's more of an oval technically, but yet with the computer it will always be a square and it will always be in the same place, regardless of what's going on during the game. Unlike an ump and unlike a team that may adjust accordingly, this system does not adjust. It is what it is. What do you think should happen?
Speaker 2:The dry run for this begins or began, I should say began in a nationally televised Cactus League game between the Cubs and the Dodgers and, like I said, if you got a chance to watch that game that would have been back late February. I don't watch baseball, so I don't know if it was a big deal or not. So here's a question Is this a sure sign that these robots will arrive in a regular season ballpark by 2026? Not necessarily. Major League Baseball hasn't announced an arrival date and they're concerned because they want to get through the next player's contract. So they're going to probably hold off. But the feeling is on the ground that in the next few years that Major League Baseball will in fact be using the technology to get big ball, strike big ball and strike calls right, and that's pretty much a foregone conclusion.
Speaker 2:I'm just going to read some of the lessons that this and really not dwell on them, but I want to give you something to think about. This article is actually written towards the baseball player. Lesson one the strike zone is not the same and they're talking compared to human versus umpire. Lesson two the strike zone never changes regardless of what's going on. Number three don't put the games in the robot's hands. In other words, during this experimental season, if you feel you should challenge, challenge, and they want that. Lesson four and I don't know how you feel about this, don't get all emotional. To challenge or not to challenge, that's about to be the question, and what they really want during this season is more challenges so catchers and pitchers can learn how the system interprets the strike zone. What is a ball, what is a strike, depending on the situation?
Speaker 2:Having said that, lesson five don't let pitchers challenge ever. The rules say that only three people in the stadium can challenge a call the hitter, the catcher or the pitcher. Two out of three ain't bad. Pitchers may be an indispensable part of baseball life, but a theme they heard over and over was they're not good at challenging. Many minor league teams won't even let them challenge, but they do need to challenge because it's a time for experiments. But here's something to think about. You can expect to see fewer than 10 challenges all spring from pitchers who've tested this out in the minor leagues, because that group already has learned the hard way and the fact that catchers really know the zone better than pitchers. They're back there for every pitch, so it might make more sense for the catchers to do the challenging Lesson number six.
Speaker 2:Leading into that, make this all about the catchers. Like every player at every position, catchers will have access to a special iPad app in the dugout that shows them how the ABS would have called every pitch in the game they're playing. So if you see players wearing out those iPads this spring, they may be enrolled in this Robot UMP 101 class. The league is also open to holding ABS training sessions before or after games. That would give catchers and other players the same sort of feedback. And the way I'm reading this right now, it seems like really the key to making this work is getting the catchers on board and seeing that the catchers actually understand how the system works and can adapt to the new reality. The more catchers gain an understanding when to challenge and when not to, the more their potential impact can grow. So it's all about the catcher.
Speaker 2:Lesson seven and remember this is spring training games. They want challenges, they want to test, they want professional ballplayers to get used to how this system works. Lesson seven it's a test. Don't save your challenges, because it's all about feedback. They're trying to figure out how to make it work in the big leagues, and the way to do that is challenge it and learn whether you're right or the system's right. Sometimes you'll be right, believe it or not, and sometimes the system will be right, but it's important to learn.
Speaker 2:So at the bottom line, do you think that automating balls and strike calls will be better or worse for the game? Are you ready to see that? Are you going to be okay with that? And what happens, as a fan, when you disagree with a call that the robot ump made? Will it have the same impact? I don't know Things to think about. When it comes to sequestering greenhouse emissions. There's a better way.
Speaker 2:We are the Tech Mobility Show. To learn more about the Tech Mobility Show, start by visiting our website. Hi, I'm Ken Chester, host of the Tech Mobility Show. The website is a treasure trove of information about me and the show, as well as where to find it on the radio across the country. Keep up with the happenings of the Tech Mobility Show by visiting techmobilityshow. That's techmobilityshow. You can also drop us a line at talk at techmobilityshow. Did you know that TechMobility has a YouTube channel? Hi, I'm Ken Chester, host of the TechMobility Show. Each week I upload a few short videos of some of the hot topics that I cover during my weekly radio program. I've designed these videos to be informative and entertaining. It's another way to keep up on current mobility and technology news and information. Be sure to watch, like and subscribe to my channel. That's the Tech Mobility Show on YouTube. Check it out.
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Speaker 2:Aonmeetingscom, where innovation meets connection. Get started today and revolutionize the way you communicate. Social media is the place to be these days, and we're no exception. I'm Ken Chester of the Tech Mobility Show. If you enjoy my program, then you will also enjoy my weekly Instagram videos, from the latest vehicle reviews to timely commentary on a variety of mobility and technology-related topics. These short features are designed to inform and delight you Be sure to watch, like and follow us on Instagram. You can find us by typing the Tech Mobility Show in the search bar.
Speaker 2:While technology has a significant role to play when it comes to tackling climate change, it's not enough. We will also need to utilize the natural systems that are already in place. A McKinsey Company white paper explains what are natural climate solutions, and once we discuss this, you will wonder why aren't we doing this wholesale, big time? This is topic C. Let me explain what natural climate solutions, or NCS, actually are. They are nature-based actions that either reduce or sequester greenhouse gas emissions, helping to protect, restore and manage nature to further global climate goals.
Speaker 2:Once upon a time, I did a feature and I posed a question, and it had to do about rural living, rural temperatures, rural neighborhoods how to improve the quality of life in a urban neighborhood. And I said the most cost-effective thing to do, and it's so easy plant a tree. A tree is nature's perfect device for absorbing carbon out of the atmosphere, taking it into the ground and basically using it, but sequestering it by the ton. Did you know that the Amazon rainforest is the largest carbon sink in the world? That rainforest hole takes more carbon out of the atmosphere just astronomical amounts and it's under attack from deforestation. They're burning, they're cutting trees down and they're reducing its effectiveness. More on that in a minute, but let me talk about some of the other ways you can do this. I'm still with you. Here we go.
Speaker 2:Science shows that to achieve the 1.5 degree pathway outlined in the Paris Agreement by 2030, by 2030, by 2030, we would need to reduce emissions by 50% of 2019 levels. In other words, you would have had a start in 2019 and you only had 11 years to do it. Here's what this article doesn't say, and I'm going to add this this is free. Years to do it. Here's what this article doesn't say, and I'm going to add this this is free. Those in the know say that even if we were able to reduce greenhouse gases to zero today, by some miracle around the world, we would still have to actively do that for 20 years. We would still have to actively do that for 20 years. Failure to get it under control by 2040 means that once you get there and you don't meet this number, then you'll never be able to meet the number because it will be too far gone.
Speaker 2:That's the chilling problem and, as I've said over and over, it does not matter what you feel about climate change. It's a hoax, it's real, it's made up, it's trumped up. Whatever. Listen to this. No, climate change does not create extreme weather. You are absolutely right. We have extreme weather before. Climate change. What it does do is make extreme weather more extreme, more often. It does that.
Speaker 2:So not only are you getting, instead of a 100-year flood, you're now getting a 500-year flood, maybe two or three times in 10 years. Think Houston 2017, 50 inches of rain. 2017, 50 inches of rain. Wrap your head around that for a minute. 50 inches of rain. The flooding that's going on in the middle parts of America, particularly in Appalachia Places that never flooded, flooded, took everything, everything California right now. It's not bad enough. You had the LA fires, now, with the rain, you've got mudslides and everything else. So they're not out of the woods, not even close, and this is happening all over the country. We've reported on how insurance companies are not insuring homes, and I'm not talking California, louisiana and Kentucky, I'm talking about places like right here in Iowa because of climate change.
Speaker 2:I want to set the stage for you, so let's talk about a few of these things. Natural climate solutions can remove carbon from the atmosphere, potentially up to seven gigatons per year by the end of the decade. That's nearly one-third of the target required to achieve a 1.5 degree pathway and critically abating emissions with. Ncs typically costs less than technological solutions, including carbon capture, utilization and storage. And, uniquely, ncs can both mitigate existing emissions and prevent further emissions, and they also offer co-benefits, including improved biodiversity, soil health and water quality. If we properly preserve the rainforest, that has benefits on biodiversity, water, clean air. If we sequester carbon in the soil and farms, it improves the soil and all these actions have the potential to help individuals. So let me run these down right quick. They're talking about these broad.
Speaker 2:There are four categories Forestry practices, wetland-related practices, restorative agricultural practices and then ocean-based practices. Forestry pretty much speaks for itself. It includes planting new forests where trees have been depleted because of deforestation and other natural disasters. And then it also includes something called afforestation. That means planting forests where forests never were, in order to affect climate change. Because, again, if you had to pick a plant that is superior at removing carbon from the atmosphere, it's a tree, a tree. It's that simple. A tree Plant trees. It's good for the environment, it's good for shade, save you money, it'll protect you and it will take carbon out of the atmosphere. Dirt cheap compared to everything else. What else? Wetland-related practices. This includes conservation and restoration of wetlands, peatlands and coastal wetlands, including mangroves. Why? Because it has the ability, all these plants, to pull out carbon.
Speaker 2:Here is something, and I want to find this number because it blew my mind. Let me skip to this. The Earth's oceans are climate regulators, covering 72% of the planet's surface. Since the industrial era began in 1850, they have absorbed around 40% of the carbon we've emitted 40%. Coastal ecosystems such as mangroves, tidal marshes and seagrass meadows are deep carbon reservoirs, and marine ecosystems absorb and sequester greenhouse gases through the carbon cycle. The carbon cycle 40% since 1850, 40% Restorative agriculture practices. Certain kind of crops, such as perennials, which stay alive all year, can photosynthesize more carbon than those that are planted and harvested seasonally To help soils absorb carbon year-round. Farmers can also plant cover crops, such as clover beans and peas, once a main crop is harvested. All of this absorbs carbon from the atmosphere, takes it out, reduces greenhouse gases. We've come to the end of our visit. Be sure to join me again next time, right here.
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