Combatting climate change with carbon farming - American Chemical Society acs.org - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from acs.org Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
E-Mail
Scientists, governments and corporations worldwide are racing against the clock to fight climate change, and part of the solution might be in our soil. By adding carbon from the atmosphere to depleted soil, farmers can both increase their yields and reduce emissions. A cover story in
Chemical & Engineering News, the weekly newsmagazine of the American Chemical Society, explores what it would take to get this new practice off the ground.
Historically, agricultural soil has provided crops with the nutrients needed to grow, write Senior Editors Melody Bomgardner and Britt Erickson. Today, most soil is considered degraded, leading farmers to rely on fertilizer, irrigation and pesticides, all of which are costly. Scientific advancements in agriculture have shown that adding organic matter, like decaying plants and microbes, to soil can sequester carbon emissions and replenish soil nutrients, which benefits the farmer and the environment. Companies are also offering incentive