A couple of weeks ago I found myself addressing hundreds of Rotarians at the District 9705 Conference held here in Bathurst.

I'd been invited to talk about local environmental and climate change activities over the past decade or so, because the assembled Rotarians were interested in getting some tips and ideas.

How long is a piece of string? With the environment in crisis wherever you look, there is so much to do, so little time!

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This particular panel had been added to the conference agenda because last year, in the midst of COVID, Rotary International had made a historic decision to add "Supporting the Environment" to its list of areas of worldwide focus.

The other focus areas - Promoting Peace, Fighting Disease, Providing Clean Water, Maternal and Child Health, Literacy Basic Education and Economic Community Development - are all about human wellbeing.

For the first time, Rotary was adding the wellbeing of plants, animals and global environmental systems such as the water cycle, ocean currents and atmosphere to its matters of concern.

The other speakers at the environment session here in Bathurst were Macquarie University climate scientist Professor Lesley Hughes and Australian National University soils expert Professor Justin Borevitz.

Lesley gave the big picture, warning that the world was on track to three degrees of global warming unless drastic action was taken, while Justin explained how carbon can be trapped in soils.

This was particularly good news, because his research focuses on ways that we can bury some of the carbon currently polluting the atmosphere.

"We need to start drawing down, and Australian farmers are in an excellent position to do this," Professor Borevitz said.

Interestingly, there is more carbon in our soils than in our atmosphere, so soils already act as a giant carbon bank. We just need to work with the right natural processes to achieve reductions in atmospheric carbon.

Easier said than done, but scientists are working on ways forward.

Across Australia, Rotary is taking its new official commitment to the environment seriously.

Current projects include collecting and recycling plastic rope, highway clean-up days, habitat regeneration, and the intriguing Waggle Dance Challenge (it's about looking after bees!).

For more information about Rotary's environmental projects, see www.esraganzpi.org/projects/.