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Letter: Earth saves the planet?

Published 24 January 2007

From Robert Hartley

So soil sequesters significant amounts of carbon (2 December 2006, p 13). Perhaps those developing carbon sequestration as a technology should look at the Amazonian terra preta – the dark soils created by jungle agriculture.

We could farm trees, turn them into charcoal, grind it into dust, and give it to the farmers to plough into their fields. It would sequester CO2 and enrich farmlands at the same time.

Rockledge, Florida, US

Issue no. 2588 published 27 January 2007

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