Like other chemical elements, carbon is frequently on the move in nature. Natural processes transport it from the atmosphere, where it appears as carbon dioxide, to the oceans and on to land. On land, carbon can reside for hundreds of years in soil and in trees and other woody plants.
This natural carbon cycle has been disrupted by our propensity to burn fossil fuels such as coal, oil, and natural gas. Carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is a greenhouse gas, and natural amounts of it keep the Earth at a comfortable temperature for humans. But increasing CO2 is contributing to climate change.
Finding ways to decrease our use of fossil fuels is the most important step in mitigating climate change. But CO2 is also released to the atmosphere when forests are destroyed and soil is tilled excessively. That’s why there is an increased interest in sequestering carbon in forests and soils.
Forestry practices such as growing more trees and managing forests for longevity can sequester carbon. Putting harvested trees into housing and furniture rather than short-lived products like paper sequesters more carbon. In agriculture, every time the soil is plowed, stored carbon is released. No-till practices help to sequester carbon. Keeping crop residues on the land rather than disposing of them also helps.
Let’s make a dent in the rising CO2 in Earth’s atmosphere by banking some carbon on land.
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Photo, taken on February 17, 2012, courtesy of USFWS – Stefanski via Flickr.
Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio. Support for Earth Wise comes from the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies in Millbrook, NY, with partial support from the Field Day Foundation.