Carbon Mitigation and the Pittsburgh 2022 PSA
H.K. Andersen, Program Chair, 2022 Philosophy of Science Association biennial meeting
An event such as the biennial meeting of the Philosophy of Science Association comes with a high price in terms of carbon footprint and other environmental burdens such as water usage at the conference location. At the same time, members of the PSA have made it clear that there is irreplaceable value in holding in-person meetings, in terms of informal discussion, opportunities for questions, and interactions with others in our field over the course of the conference. These in-person conferences provide a major pathway into the profession for our junior scholars. Remote options serve as a useful supplement to in-person meetings, but cannot fully replace them without major loss.
This is a real tension: as philosophers of science, we collectively have an understanding of the clear, immediate, existential danger that climate change poses, in addition to understanding of the detailed ways in which it is happening, and thus of our own contribution to that looming threat. Collectively, we work on philosophical issues related to modeling, epistemic uncertainty, risk, climate, ecosystems, concepts of health both biological and human-focused, how science communication with the public and public trust in scientists impacts social and political decision-making, how values intertwine with various sciences in various ways, and how climate change is affecting all of us but especially disproportionately affecting those already less privileged along many axes of potential privilege. Our meetings involve discussions of concerns that the very same meetings materially undermine.
One option to ameliorate this tension is carbon offsetting. There are some legitimate concerns about carbon offsetting and how carbon is calculated. It is also somewhat misleading to speak of offsetting as if carbon were a simple balance, where weight on one side could be neatly offset by weight on another. Mitigation is more apt than offsetting. At best, then, a goal could be to mitigate the carbon impact of the PSA. And this is a good goal: we should not let the best be the enemy of the good. The best currently available option might be accepting that there will be some residual carbon impact no matter how carefully we mitigate, and then using our conference time together to find yet more effective ways to put ourselves to the task of helping turn the metaphorical ship. For the general tension between irreplaceable in-person conferences and undeniable catastrophic climate change, there is no easy, generalizable, or perfect solution. This should not stop us from doing something to ameliorate this problem, even if it is piecemeal, one conference at a time, in the meantime.
In that spirit, there are two projects that have been undertaken as carbon mitigation for the Pittsburgh 2022 Philosophy of Science Association biennial meeting. They are each local, drawing on the existing expertise of people and organizations to make the most progress with a limited amount of momentum. Each project has a number of features that make it of interest for philosophers of science and offer connections to a number of current discussions. The first has already been implemented. The second is in progress and may take up to a year to finalize.
There are a lot of people who have been involved in making this happen for the 2022 PSA, but I would especially like to thank Vic Andersen, Courtney Smaha, Rudy Reimer Yunks, Ruth Simons, Max Cormendy, Roger Smith, Kevin Zollman, and John Dupre, who all played key roles in clearing a path for this kind of project to happen with the PSA, and in bring to fruition the two specific projects described below. I would also like to note my ongoing gratitude to live and work on the unceded traditional territory of the Squamish, Musqueam, Kwiketlam, and Tsleil Wa-tuth First Nations.
This is a real tension: as philosophers of science, we collectively have an understanding of the clear, immediate, existential danger that climate change poses, in addition to understanding of the detailed ways in which it is happening, and thus of our own contribution to that looming threat. Collectively, we work on philosophical issues related to modeling, epistemic uncertainty, risk, climate, ecosystems, concepts of health both biological and human-focused, how science communication with the public and public trust in scientists impacts social and political decision-making, how values intertwine with various sciences in various ways, and how climate change is affecting all of us but especially disproportionately affecting those already less privileged along many axes of potential privilege. Our meetings involve discussions of concerns that the very same meetings materially undermine.
One option to ameliorate this tension is carbon offsetting. There are some legitimate concerns about carbon offsetting and how carbon is calculated. It is also somewhat misleading to speak of offsetting as if carbon were a simple balance, where weight on one side could be neatly offset by weight on another. Mitigation is more apt than offsetting. At best, then, a goal could be to mitigate the carbon impact of the PSA. And this is a good goal: we should not let the best be the enemy of the good. The best currently available option might be accepting that there will be some residual carbon impact no matter how carefully we mitigate, and then using our conference time together to find yet more effective ways to put ourselves to the task of helping turn the metaphorical ship. For the general tension between irreplaceable in-person conferences and undeniable catastrophic climate change, there is no easy, generalizable, or perfect solution. This should not stop us from doing something to ameliorate this problem, even if it is piecemeal, one conference at a time, in the meantime.
In that spirit, there are two projects that have been undertaken as carbon mitigation for the Pittsburgh 2022 Philosophy of Science Association biennial meeting. They are each local, drawing on the existing expertise of people and organizations to make the most progress with a limited amount of momentum. Each project has a number of features that make it of interest for philosophers of science and offer connections to a number of current discussions. The first has already been implemented. The second is in progress and may take up to a year to finalize.
There are a lot of people who have been involved in making this happen for the 2022 PSA, but I would especially like to thank Vic Andersen, Courtney Smaha, Rudy Reimer Yunks, Ruth Simons, Max Cormendy, Roger Smith, Kevin Zollman, and John Dupre, who all played key roles in clearing a path for this kind of project to happen with the PSA, and in bring to fruition the two specific projects described below. I would also like to note my ongoing gratitude to live and work on the unceded traditional territory of the Squamish, Musqueam, Kwiketlam, and Tsleil Wa-tuth First Nations.
Ponderosa Pines
[all photos in this section by Vic Andersen]
The first project is the easiest to quantify. 600 ponderosa pine tree seedlings (1 year old) were planted in a selected site in Northwest Montana in May 2022.
Ponderosa pines are a beautiful and distinctive tree, generally one of the largest in the forests in the northern Rockies in the United States. They are an anchor for ecosystems along the spine of the Rockies. They hold the soil and moisture in place, in areas that are often quite dry, and enable a range of other plant species to survive. This in turn enables a host of animal and insect species also native to this area, including megafauna such as turkeys, bears, and elk, as well as species such as bats and a variety of birds. The soil and moisture in hillsides with healthy ponderosa stands also facilitate the stream health of nearby waterways, for insects and fish, by preventing sediment run-off that clogs waterways. The riparian areas that shade streams in this kind of ecosystem also often requires intact larger stands of trees, especially ponderosas.
Ponderosa trees have serotinous cones, which means that they are coated with a waxy substance that allows seeds out in the presence of sufficient heat. The species has evolved in the presence of forest fires, and the seeds open and germinate when a groundfire goes through. This burns off the undergrowth of thicker bushes, providing an opening for the seedlings to get sufficient sunlight to grow taller than those bushes before they grow back, and enriching soil. Ponderosa forests have evolved with a distinctive ecosystem succession mechanism where fire plays a key role in refreshing and maintaining the landscape.
Since 2000, forest fires have gutted forests up and down the Rockies with new ferocity. These fires are not just more frequent, but also often much hotter than in previous decades. The hotter fires are occurring in ongoing drought conditions. The soil left after such fires can be inches deep of fine dust, with no moisture content and nothing that a seedling could take root in. The hotter fires also tend burn the cones too badly, destroying the seeds. This has made fire management practices more fraught, and complicated standard best management practices for forestry management.
The site was selected for a number of reasons. The area burned several years ago, which makes the soil ideal at this stage for planting seedlings. At 8-10 acres, it is an overly small site to which to send professional planters, so it would not otherwise have been planted. The fires that went through burned extremely hot, during an especially bad drought year, and the ponderosa pines did not re-seed afterwards. When that happens, the entire process of ecosystem succession alters. Instead of an ecosystem succession that leads to a mature ponderosa forest, smaller and more invasive trees can move in and establish themselves. The resulting forest is more homogenous, and contains far fewer of the native plants that insect, bird, turkey, bear, bat, elk, and deer need to survive in the area. It tends to move the whole area one step closer to prairie instead of forest, further diminishing the habitat by reducing continuous migration corridors.
By planting ponderosa here, now, this turns the ecosystem succession back onto the path it would have taken, under healthier fire conditions. This stabilizes a larger area than just where the trees are planted: the soil does not run off, and thus does not clog the waterways downstream, killing fish and insects there.
This project was only possible because of the deeply locally situated knowledge of a now-retired forester, Vic Andersen, who drew on his professional connections as well as his long-standing familiarity with this area. This area was part of his professional region as a forester for the private timber company, Plum Creek. The seedlings were sourced from the Salish Kootenai Confederated Tribal nursery, near Ronan, Montana. Vic Andersen also planted the seedlings, and is maintaining them for the first several years against elk predation.
The PSA 2022 stand of ponderosas is located here:
The PSA 2022 stand of ponderosas is located here:
The site is not easily accessible, but PSA members who find themselves in that general area in upcoming years can visit it.
Incoming PSA President Michaela Massimi has written,
And yet I have never encountered more reliable knowledge production about a range of natural phenomena than growing up in that local community—including my grandfather Eligio’s unfailing knowledge of olive trees flowering and pollination vital for the local rural economy and production of olive oil. It is from them—and from all local epistemic communities past and present (wherever they are)— that I derived inspiration for the discussions on local knowledge... (2022; Part 1, Section 1)
Similarly, the geographically and socially situated clusters of knowledge- and expertise-holders in this part of Montana enabled this carbon mitigation project. Most of them grew up and lived in this area, and worked in the jobs they chose because they also had an abiding respect for that land, conceiving of their work, then and now, as a kind of stewardship they were well positioned to perform.
Átl'ka7tsem/Howe Sound Kelp Seaforestation
[this section co-authored with Courtney Smaha; all photos in this section by Smaha]
Another unique project focuses on seaforestation of kelp in Howe Sound, British Columbia (see Figure 1). This project is more speculative and forward-directed, as the science on blue carbon storage is not well understood. Knowledge thus far suggests that blue carbon could be an effective way to remove carbon from the atmosphere, through fast-growing plants such as kelp. Yet there is still no way to measure or quantify the amount of carbon stored. This said, kelp offers additional benefits acting as one of the most productive ecosystems in the world, deters erosion by reducing current speed, and provides support and refuge for a diverse assemblage of life. As such, the boundaries of the extent to which the eventual effects of kelp reforestation (such as increased forest health from increases to the salmon spawning due to improved protection for salmon fingerlings) should be counted. There is good reason to think that despite the lack of measurable benefits, there will be a substantial positive impact made by this work.
This project is a collaborative initiative between the Átl’ka7tsem/Howe Sound Marine Stewardship Initiative (https://howesoundguide.ca/), Ocean Wise Seaforestation, and Vital Kelp. The Marine Stewardship Initiative has done a great deal of data-intensive work, such as their extensive mapping project The Marine Reference Guide, displaying over 700 data layers and other documentation in the Sound (https://howesoundguide.ca/map/). They are now translating knowledge to action, drawing on that extensive knowledge of the marine environment and established coordination with dozens of different groups in and around the area.
The kelp beds and seagrass areas that historically anchored this vibrant marine ecosystem have undergone a great deal of attrition. Some of this is due to changes in coastal shorefront and waterway usage, where industrial areas were dredged and reshaped. More recently, kelp has been threatened by green sea urchins, due to the loss of their main predator, the sea star. This project involves the coordination of at least 6 major organizations and is the pilot project to move from mapping Howe Sound to restoration, restoring not just the kelp beds themselves, but knowledge of kelp in this region.
The support of this project, for carbon mitigation associated with the 2022 PSA, involves a pilot project of re-establishing a specific kind of kelp, Neoagarum fimbriatum, a plant native to this area. This is a multi-step process, described only briefly here. Initial work is already underway to collect spores from ripened sori on Neoagarum kelp already growing near the areas to be replanted. The sori are collected and then stored carefully in damp paper towels, from which spores can then be collected. These are cultivated, and then released as close to the target growing area as possible. Because these areas are underwater, at a depth of 15-30 feet, this work must be done using divers.
The spores will be collected from nearby sites, and cultivated by specialists at Vital Kelp. They will then be overwintered in the ocean, before being transplanted to restoration sites. Growth will be periodically checked as the pilot phase continues, to assess how successful the procedure is, and what could be done in future sites.
The Átl’ka7tsem/Howe Sound Marine Stewardship Initiative is a project on MakeWay’s Shared Platform, and works alongside and within the Átl’ka7tsem/Howe Sound Biosphere Region Initiative, which coordinates a variety of groups that are non-profit, citizen, governmental, university, First Nations, and more, for work being done to maintain and conserve and protect this UNESCO-designated biosphere (https://www.howesoundbri.org/). This project draws on an intricate network of citizen stewards, non-profit organizations, companies, academically affiliated groups, and endeavors that have both public-facing and research-oriented facets. The SeaForestation initiative at OceanWise is also involved, and contributing an additional $10,000CAD to the pilot. The cultivation of the Neoagarum spores will be done through Vital Kelp.
Another key group is Urchinomics, a globally focused, UN endorsed, organization that is looking to find an economically viable solution for kelp restoration. Part of the attrition of kelp beds in Howe Sound is due to the overpopulation of sea urchins. The urchins feed on the kelp, and their main predator, the sea star, is being decimated by sea star wasting disease. Urchinomics is exploring ways to establish an economically viable system for purchasing harvested sea urchins from private individuals, to then finish in an aquaculture setting and sell as an often-sought-after seafood delicacy. We are tentatively exploring this model as a solution for keeping sea urchins at a sustainable population.
Finally, a hugely important part of this project is the involvement of members of Squamish Nation. Átl’ka7tsem/Howe Sound is the traditional territory of the Squamish Nation, and the area where this project is occurring. Due to historical pollution of Howe Sound, caused by industry imposed by settler populations, these intertidal and subtidal areas have been unhealthy, and therefore, much of the traditional knowledge of kelp species has been lost. This project hopes to restore and reconnect the local Squamish Nation with traditional uses of marine plants, as part of this project. There will be a workshop led by knowledge-keepers and the Marine Stewardship Initiative, to take place during the transplantation of the kelp.
An example of initial work that has been completed thus far [summary and all photos by Courtney Smaha of MSI]: Visit with divers to two likely locations, to assess the coverage and find ripe sori to extract and cultivate
August 8, 2022
Cates Bay: 12:30pm, 49.41522, -123.313
- Heavy bryozoan coverage on extensive beds of neoagarum
- Beds located where rock meets sandy bottom, between 15ft - 30 ft
- Abundance of small green urchins (fingertip size) with no observed larger urchins
- Some sea stars, many showing early signs of Seastar wasting disease
- Spiny dogfish
- Abundance of marine debris (old glass bottles)
- Eelgrass in the sandy area nearby
- Low visibility
Columbine Bay: 1:30pm, 49.41842, -123.319
- Diverse understory of kelp beds (neagarum, sugar kelp, rocked, sea lettuce)
- Abundance of sori
- Smaller beds than those found at Cates Bay
- Beds found where rock meets sand, 15ft - 40ft
- 2 large purple urchins bigger than a human head, no green urchins observed
- Presence of Moonsnails and nudibranchs
- Lots of current, north facing, therefore gets hit hard with wind in the winter months
- Low visibility
This initial trip collected some samples of Neoagarum fimbriatum; however, only a few of the samples were “ripe” with dark sori present. A researcher from Vital Kelp is going to see if she’s able to produce any plants from this harvest, but cautioned that the amount collected with dark sori may be insufficient to reproduce. As such, additional kelp species may be transplanted in addition to Neoagarum in the Sound. The of these cultivated plants would then occur during December-February, the reproductive period for kelp in this area.