Emerging threats Soil’s carbon storage could help limit impact of climate change
Soils currently lock away around 2.4 trillion tons of greenhouse gases, which are stored underground as stable organic matter. Researchers say the world’s soils could store an extra eight billion tons of greenhouse gases, helping to limit the impacts of climate change. Growing crops with deeper root systems, using charcoal-based composts, and applying sustainable agriculture practices could help soils retain the equivalent of around four-fifths of annual emissions released by the burning of fossils fuels, the researchers say.
Soil management crucial to carbon sequestration // Source: usda.gov
The world’s soils could store an extra eight billion tons of greenhouse gases, helping to limit the impacts of climate change, a study suggests.
Adopting the latest technologies and sustainable land use practices on a global scale could allow more emissions to be stored in farmland and natural wild spaces, the study shows. Growing crops with deeper root systems, using charcoal-based composts, and applying sustainable agriculture practices could help soils retain the equivalent of around four-fifths of annual emissions released by the burning of fossils fuels, the team says.
University of Edinburgh reports that the role that soils could play in efforts to combat climate change has until now been largely overlooked, owing to a lack of effective monitoring tools, say a team of scientists including researchers at Edinburgh.
Recent advances in technology have enabled researchers to work out their full potential.
Coordinated efforts involving scientists, policymakers, and land users are key to achieving any meaningful increase in soil storage, researchers say.
Resources should be provided to help reduce the environmental impact of farms, they add.
Community-based initiatives would help to overcome cultural barriers, funding issues, and monitoring challenges to achieve a global increase in soil uptake, the team says.
Schemes such as the Cool Farm Tool, a free online greenhouse gas calculator for crop growers, help farmers measure, manage and reduce emissions from their land.
Previous research shows that soils currently lock away around 2.4 trillion tons of greenhouse gases, which are stored underground as stable organic matter.
Edinburgh notes that climate research at the university is world-leading. The school’s researchers have secured more than £50 million over the last seven years to fund work on climate science, emissions mitigation, and sustainable solutions.
— Read more in Keith Paustian et al., “Climate-smart soils,” Nature 532 (7597) (7 April 2016): 49 (DOI: 10.1038/nature17174)
