Themes for the Global Earth Repair Convergence, & 6 years of Water Under the Bridge

An update by Michael Pilarski

Our main theme is 2026 is: “Greening the Planet to Cool the Planet”

Trees, plants, soils and the hydrological cycle offer the quickest, cleanest, and safest ways to regenerate the planet and cool our climate.

In 2019 our theme quote was from Dr. Thomas Goreau, 

what is needed is a real grass-roots, bottom-up, locally-managed restoration mass underground movement of informed people, a groundswell of popular opinion driven by a green ethos, to regreen our planet and recarbonize our soil.

• Quote from Geotherapy. Thomas Goreau, et al.

This is still true today. 

Another 2026 theme quote, this one from Tony Rinaudo:

Let’s divert the wasted energy that goes into conflict, and channel it toward a winnable war on land degradation. Let’s regreen our world – and with it, restore peace.

Here is an excerpt from a letter by Tony Rinaudo to the Global Evergreening Alliance about his receiving the 2025 Luxemburg Peace Prize, published here with his permission. This is about the affects of FMNR reforestation on reducing conflicts in the Sahel, Africa.

I wanted to share a very revealing study with you – https://cewarn.org/2021/11/02/the-nexus-between-climate-and-conflict-in-the-igad-region/

The study established that a 10% increase in the vegetation index led to a decrease of between 17.3% – 10.7% in any / all incidents during the following month. The highest reductions in outcomes were found in women and children deaths (24.7%) and armed conflict (20.9%). It also established that conflict incidents indeed reduced when vegetation improved. And Chris Reij told me about an unpublished study in Niger where conflict between herders and farmers reduced by 70% in a district which had heavily adopted FMNR.

While this impact of vegetation cover shouldn’t be surprising, I find the significant change in number of conflict incidents amazing. While the reasons for conflict are many and there is rarely a silver bullet solution in life, imagine, for the low cost of promoting FMNR what might be possible in a region like the Sahel!

These were the concluding words of my acceptance speech:
Let’s divert the wasted energy that goes into conflict,
and channel it toward a winnable war on land degradation.

Let’s regreen our world – and with it, restore peace.

Warm regards, 

~ Tony Rinaudo – World Vision Australia

6 years of water under the bridge

It will be 6 years between Global Earth Repair Conference 2019 and Global Earth Repair Convergence 2026.  Lot of water under the bridge in the last 6 years. 

* Global disasters such as flooding, wildfires and big storms have only increased.  Nature is hitting human infrastructure with big blows.  Cause and effect.

* More and more people realize that destruction of the biosphere is the key driver for climate change and that earth repair/biosphere regeneration is the solution.

* Wars and genocides are killing lots of people and unsettling the overall human psyche. Hence the importance of Tony Rinaudo’s quote. 

* Protests and rebellions against government corruption, big money and ecosystem destruction are increasing.

* Michael Pilarski’s earth repair contacts around the world keep increasing, particularly through the EcoRestoration Alliance.

* We have all been learning and can bring new capabilities and insights to building a more healthy and loving world.   

Please consider joining us for the Global Earth Repair Convergence.