THERE might just be a dirt cheap solution to global warming – dirt itself. Contrary to expectations, the amount of carbon locked away in the world’s soils appears to have been increasing for at least 6000 years. If a way could be found to squirrel away even more carbon, it might solve the problem of what to do with the carbon released into the atmosphere as greenhouse gases.
Soil is the second-largest reservoir of carbon compounds on the planet, exceeded only by the oceans. However, the dynamics of how carbon enters and leaves the soil, and how long it stays there…
