Climate-harming ways must change, actress-activist Daryl Hannah says

HOLLYWOOD, Sept. 25 (UPI) -- Countries must wean themselves from climate-destroying practices to shield the environment from climate change, U.S. actress-activist Daryl Hannah said.

"Known climate-destructive practices must be phased out as soon as possible, including extreme forms of fossil-fuel extraction," Hannah said in column published Wednesday in The Wall Street Journal. "We must also immediately wean ourselves off fossil fuels; coal, natural gas, and oil -- and invest in a combination of decentralized renewable energy ... ."

The environmental activist and star of such movie hits as "Blade Runner," "Splash" and "Kill Bill" also said "water-intensive, mono-crop, petrochemical industrial agriculture" has destroyed topsoil and created ocean dead zones.

"The simplest, most natural and likely, the most effective way to sequester carbon is to rebuild soil. Regenerative organic farming practices build soil," she said.

"If food waste was a country, it would be the third biggest greenhouse gas emitter behind the U.S. and China," she said. "Diverting organic waste from landfills and livestock manure from ponds in anaerobic digesters, compost, and pyrolysis can amend soil vitality while reducing methane."

While the changes suggested may seem daunting, Hannah said they can be implemented "if we can only galvanize the will."

"Many communities have already begun implementing some of these solutions," she said. "But top-down change is also essential, if we are to address the climate crisis with the speed and scale needed."