What if the environmental movement has badly underestimated our ability to solve the climate crisis? Could renewable energy grow so fast that we are out of fossil fuels within a decade? And once emissions fall away, how do we deal with the carbon already in the atmosphere? In this episode I’m joined by Benoit Lambert, author of the book titled ‘Biogeotherapy: nature-based climate solutions, life as a geological healing force’. Benoit has a rich and varied background, from planting four million trees by hand across five Canadian provinces to spending eighteen years in Geneva, where he completed a PhD and worked as French editor for the Worldwatch Institute. He argues that reducing emissions, while essential, is only half the task. We also need to capture and store carbon dioxide, and nature offers the tools to do exactly that.
Much of our conversation focuses on the four pillars Benoit sees in nature-based solutions: regenerative agriculture with cover crops and no-till methods, carbon ranching through holistic grazing, massive reforestation, and biochar. He explains how the world’s soils have lost a great deal of their carbon and why putting it back, with proper science behind it, can fix the problem faster than most people imagine. Benoit is honest about the friction within the green movement too. He describes losing friends over these ideas, and reflects on why so many who spent decades defending degrowth react with hostility when shown that solar and wind have followed a path nobody expected. It’s a frank look at how worldviews get tangled up with identity.
We also talk about the people, like Tony Seba, who did predict the speed of the renewable transition and why exponential change is so hard for us to grasp. Benoit shares practical steps ordinary people can take, from supporting regenerative farming to using biochar in their own gardens. Throughout, his message is one of grounded hope: the science of soils has moved on enormously since 1992, the financial levers exist, and a solar economy paired with nature could give us prosperous, healthy societies for centuries to come. Whether you lean optimistic or sceptical, this is a conversation that will challenge how you think about what’s actually possible. And yes, it might involve cycling to work.
Biogeotherapy – nature-based climate solutions, life as a geological healing force, presents a movement of farmers, scientists, politicians, and diplomatic actors. It is based on four natural restorative practices: holistic grazing management, no-till agriculture with cover crops, biochar, and massive reforestation. Agro-forestry, blue carbon, living machines, the restoration of peatlands, and other nature-based solutions (NbS) or negative emission technologies (NET) are also briefly described.
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The guest featured in this episode paid a nominal guesting fee. This fee did not influence the content of the episode. The guest had no editorial control, did not review the episode before publication, and did not directly influence the questions asked during the interview.
