SOIL "THE CARBON OCEAN"

Nearly a quarter of all greenhouse gas emissions come from agriculture.

Most discussions about fighting climate change focus on electricity and the need for renewable energy. De-carbonizing the way we generate electricity would be a huge step, but it won’t be enough if we don’t reach zero net emissions from every sector of the economy within 50 years (and make a serious dent in the next ten). That includes the agriculture, forestry, and land-use sector, which is responsible for 24 percent of all greenhouse gas emissions—just one percentage point less than electricity. says Bill Gates

Here’s a mind-blowing fact: there’s more carbon in soil than in the atmosphere and all plant life combined.

That’s not a big deal when left to its own. But when soil gets disturbed—like it does when you convert a forest into cropland—all that stored carbon gets released into the atmosphere as carbon dioxide. That’s one reason why deforestation alone is responsible for 11 percent of all global greenhouse gas emissions. (Another reason is that forests and grasslands are natural carbon sinks. Clearing them reduces the planet’s capacity to remove carbon dioxide from the air.)

The microbes in soil can also create greenhouse gases when they come into contact with fertilizer. Synthetic fertilizers revolutionized how we feed the world, but they release a powerful greenhouse gas called nitrous oxide when broken down by those microbes. Natural fertilizers like manure aren’t any better, because they release greenhouse gases as they decompose.

solutions:

Microscopic nitrogen factories that replace fertilizer: 

Pivot Bio that has genetically modified microbes to provide plants with the nitrogen they need without the excess greenhouse gases that's alternatives produce. they promise to remove fertilizer buy letting microbes to produce  nitrogen which is most important for plant growth ("carbon","water","sun","Nitrogen")

Longer roots that store more carbon:

 Kernza has developed a new strain of wheat with longer and denser roots, so it can absorb more carbon dioxide from soil. 

An invisible barrier that helps food stay fresh longer: 

Approximately one-third of all food produced gets lost or wasted every year. Two companies—Apeel and Cambridge Crops—are working on protective skins that keep food fresh longer. The coating is invisible and doesn’t affect the taste at all.

I wish agricultural innovation got as much attention as renewable electricity. Because its success is just as critical to stopping climate change. 

util then keep learning

happy learning

anish jain