Nathan Phillips, Earth and Environment Department, Boston University An overview of our modern urban ecology, shaped and profoundly altered by human actions. Our relationship with our urban ecosystem can be improved if we recognize the threats that we bring through development and technology and the ways to increase resilience and biodiversity. As climate challenges intensify, carbon farming methods can support this resilience and protect living systems in our cities. Presented at the Urban and Suburban Carbon Farming to Reverse Global Warming conference at Harvard University on May 3, 2015, organized by Biodiversity for a Livable Climate. www.bio4climate.org

1. Carbon Farming and Urban Metabolism
Nathan Phillips1, Lucy Hutyra1, David
Foster2, Mark Friedl1, Joe Ferreira3 Peter
Furth4, Suchi Gopal1, David Hollinger5,
Robert Kaufmann1, Steve Wofsy2
1Boston University
2Harvard University and Harvard Forest
3 Massachusetts Institute of Technology
4Northeastern University
5US Forest Service
Beacon Hill

2. Urban BioMimicry
2

5. First do no harm

9. 3711 leaks > 2.5ppm; range: 1.80 - 28.6 ppm; mode = 2.07 ppm

13. David Macaulay, Underground 13
“How Boston Works”

15. Unleash carbon services
(direct and indirect)

19. Or, about 3-4X annual carbon
storage at Harvard Forest

20. Value Carbon Farming as
“Adaptigation”.

24. Galveston, TX
Photo credit: UCS

26. Carbon Farming:
Recoupling with Nature for
a Healthy Urban
Metabolism

27. Thanks
Adrian Down, Rob Jackson, Jon Karr, Kaiguang Zhao,
Lucy Hutyra, Max Bronfield, Suchi Gopal, Chris Rella,
Shanna Cleveland, Margaret Hendrick.
Picarro
Barr Foundation
Conservation Law Foundation
National Science Foundation ULTRA-ex
Boston University:
Sustainable Neighborhood Lab,
Urban Metabolism Team