Episode 1. The Get Real Program & Alliance
(Get Real Intro music)
Munson Intro:
It’s time to Get Real about what’s happening in the soil we walk on, in the
air we breathe, and on the grid we get our power from, in order to reverse
climate change, as well as promote the health of our planet.
Hi- I’m David Munson Jr and I'm blessed to share the positive climate
solutions of the Get Real Program, as well as share some tough truths with
you. I’ve experienced these truths personally as a rancher on the forefront
of climate change. We are going to take a deep dive analyzing the real
impacts of rising CO2 levels and the critical issues involving our
environment, sustainability, smart energy options, and how America can
create a holistic pathway for a more prosperous future.
There's a real connection between the health of the earth and the body.
Just like with our bodies, no matter our level of health, it is important for the
earth that we maintain constant balance. This means getting the right level
of nutrients and taking full advantage of our natural resources without
abusing our system. Mother earth is crying out, no longer can we ignore the
warning signals that we need to invest back into her health. We must
regeneratively tend to our soils, deserts, forests and oceans. The world is
waking up to the fact that for almost 30 years now the United Nations
Conference of the Parties or COP climate proposals have woefully failed to
create any real solutions to rising CO2 levels. Remember the words of
Edmund Burke… ‘All that is needed for evil to prevail is for good men to do
nothing.’ We cannot let western society collapse while the powers that be
do nothing to win this climate crisis. So let’s Get Real and get with the
program!
(Get Real transition music)
Trevor:
Did you know that Hurricane Harvey dropped over 50 inches of rain on
Houston TX in just 4 days? That’s almost the average amount of rainfall for
Houston in an entire year! Did you know the Texas Snomaggedon of 2021
killed 246 people, over 3 times more people then Harvey did? That’s why
between droughts, floods, freezes, hail, hurricanes, and tornadoes Texas
ranks as the #1 threatened state for declared natural disasters, according
to FEMA. That'll turn your yeehaw into yikes perdy fast y’all. So if ya do or
don’t like the weather in Texas now, just wait a minute folks. Now back to
David and the Get Real Program.
(Get Real transition music)
Coach Munson’s climate breakdown:
The Get Real Program dares to solve the most dire environmental
challenges that America and the world has ever faced and the time to act is
NOW. Why now? Well as the United Nations Secretary General bluntly
puts it “We are on a highway to climate hell with our foot on the accelerator”
estimating that 20 billion tons of fertile soil are lost every year with 135
million people to be displaced by 2045. I have personally witnessed
catastrophic soil loss on my own ranch when the Red River flooded and
suddenly my property was under 6 feet of water. This catastrophe forced
me to close out of my cattle operations and spurred me to launch the Get
Real program. I’ve also felt climate chaos first hand in the snowmageddon
of 2021. Texas had record low temperatures for a week, which led to
tremendous power outages, food shortages, and deaths across the state.
This is why the Get Real program is about harnessing nature to
dramatically increase carbon sequestration, because effectively removing
CO2 from the atmosphere is the key to sustainable impact on the real
issues affecting today. Let me give you a perfect example. Did you know
carbon dioxide levels go down significantly during North America’s summer
growing season only to rise back up when all those summer crops are
harvested and die off. This leaves the carbon that is pumped into growing
plants and the soil to be broken back down into carbon dioxide. So it’s
critical to keep green plants growing whenever they can to keep the carbon
in the soil where it is badly needed. Currently only about 3% of farmland in
America grows a cover crop. Planting all farmland with cover crops would
sequester most of America’s carbon dioxide emissions and dramatically cut
soil erosion. It is critical we take inventory and utilize all natural resources
available according to a strategic plan. With millions of tons of topsoil
eroding everyday there’s no time to waste in making the needed changes
to agricultural practices that are at the heart of raising CO2 levels. The real
truth is carbon is at the heart of life on earth, life can exist without oxygen,
but not without carbon. In our planet’s history CO2 levels have fluctuated
over time, as there are many ways the carbon cycle can be altered. The
great news is I believe we can alter or enhance the carbon cycle for good,
WITHOUT having to give up on oil and gas production. This is something I
share in depth throughout the book and briefly in this series. Now let’s look
at the……
Pillars and priorities of the Get Real Program:
1. Collaboration is key. We all need to work beyond our personal
agendas, and transparently with one another. We must create new
convergent pathways with many experts in multi-disciplines to
creatively conquer the complex challenges together. Private charity
is much more effective than government funding and it doesn’t take
from the poor and waste so much.
2. Innovation is the name of the game to successfully combat climate
change and give us a long term thriving future. We must begin to
collectively think outside the box and be full of ideas. I know I am,
which is why I’ll reference several of my own inventions throughout
our episodes that you can find at www.fullofideas.org
3. Dramatically increasing holistic, regenerative agricultural practices
that increase soil health and carbon sequestration on farms and
grasslands.
4. Major investments toward large scale production of biochar from
dead trees and agricultural crop waste. This prevents carbon from
going back into the air and creates biologically active sinks for
nutrients, which currently leach into our waterways and oceans.
5. Massive rock dust remineralization of the land and sea, for without
minerals, life can’t sequester carbon.
6. Lastly and perhaps most importantly, we must utilize smart energy
options that can reduce and eventually eliminate coal use for power,
while further scaling up geologic natural gas and biogas power plants
to replace it. This, plus other smart options, can maximize our
efficiency for on demand grid power to back up intermittent renewable
sources. Better yet we need to quit building unreliable power sources
that are short lived and can have many negative effects. See the
final episode for more on that.
So what size of an investment would this take?
What’s the bottom line on some big ideas to save the life of our planet?
I believe at true scale, to Get Real, and to actually lower carbon dioxide
levels over time instead of simply slowing the rise of CO2 (as many climate
activists propose) would require an annual investment of approximately 200
billion dollars for America and 1.2 trillion globally.
I know that may sound like an incredibly large number, but not when it
comes to saving the earth. It seems like a small price to pay when you think
of it that way. That would only amount to about 10% of what we spend on
fossil fuel in order to 1) Make the world carbon negative,
2) Comprehensively solve the carbon dioxide issue in less than twenty
years, 3) Allow us time to continue the use of essential oil and gas and
4) Develop really reliable energy alternatives.
IF we adopt the positive solutions outlined in the book, and this series, we
can have a great future of abundance on land and sea.
Imagine a world where you know the air you are breathing is getting
cleaner everyday, A world where diseases are slowing in diagnosis,
A world where the food you taste is richer, sweeter, more nutritious,
and not laced with herbicides, pesticides or other poisons, A world where
the poor can afford nutrient dense foods that sustain healthy lives.
Governments, public and private companies, and charities alike must step
up together to do their part. Since climate action is a global issue, it is going
to take global sized solutions. We don’t need big global bureaucracy but
existing positive charities like www.remineralize.org can serve as the way
to do things with voluntary charitable support from all the people who are
concerned about the health of the earth and carbon dioxide. That’s why
over the next 7 episodes we are going to dive into positive, doable action
steps that can achieve ecosystem restoration. Let’s Get Real together!
(Get Real outro music)