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> L Hunter Lovins: George Monbiot’s recent criticism of Allan Savory’s theory that grazing livestock can reverse climate change ignores evidence that it’s alrea

> L Hunter Lovins: George Monbiot’s recent criticism of Allan Savory’s theory that grazing livestock can reverse climate change ignores evidence that it’s already experiencing success > Claims that Savory’s approach has been discredited in the academic literature are based solely on two papers, one of which Monbiot cites. Both have been countered in academic and professional literature by papers which find that Savory’s method meets the claimed ecological, economic, and quality of life enhancing goals. It improves grass density, soil moisture, soil bulk density, standing crop biomass, and soil organic matter, an indicator of increases in soil carbon. https://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/2014/aug/19/grazing-livestock-climate-change-george-monbiot-allan-savory https://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/2014/aug/19... My first question would be, "How many cattle does George Monbiot run"? I don't know anything about Allan Savory but I think it's likely he would know more about what's happening on his land than not, eh?

imtringued 3y ago
This is one of those things that always made me wonder. Theory is lagging behind practice by significant margins.
myshpa 3y ago
> he would know more about what's happening on his land than not If you want to make policies, we need scientific facts, experiments and measurements, not gut feelings. Otherwise you might end up killing tens of thousands of elephants and making things worse for decades (sorry, couldn't resist).
- carapace 3y ago
  Yeah, I'll cop to it: Having only gotten an hour into the above-linked video, Alan Savory sounds kind of like a BS artist. Even if he's on to something with the emphasis on oxidation and desertification he still comes off poorly from a scientific POV, IMO. George Monbiot is a bit harsh but it's understandable, I'd be a bit mad myself in his shoes.

imtringued 3y ago

This is one of those things that always made me wonder. Theory is lagging behind practice by significant margins.

myshpa 3y ago

> he would know more about what's happening on his land than not If you want to make policies, we need scientific facts, experiments and measurements, not gut feelings. Otherwise you might end up killing tens of thousands of elephants and making things worse for decades (sorry, couldn't resist).

carapace 3y ago
Yeah, I'll cop to it: Having only gotten an hour into the above-linked video, Alan Savory sounds kind of like a BS artist. Even if he's on to something with the emphasis on oxidation and desertification he still comes off poorly from a scientific POV, IMO. George Monbiot is a bit harsh but it's understandable, I'd be a bit mad myself in his shoes.