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    Review of 'Soil carbon farming has the potential to bridge the global emissions gap'

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    5
    Soil carbon farming has the potential to bridge the global emissions gapCrossref
    A timely and authoritative paper on soil carbon with international significance
    Average rating:
        Rated 5 of 5.
    Level of importance:
        Rated 5 of 5.
    Level of validity:
        Rated 5 of 5.
    Level of completeness:
        Rated 5 of 5.
    Level of comprehensibility:
        Rated 5 of 5.
    Competing interests:
    I am chair of the independent Essex Climate Action Commission, and Prof J McGlade, the lead author of this paper, is one of the 40 appointed Commissioners.

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    • Abstract: found
    • Article: found
    Is Open Access

    Soil carbon farming has the potential to bridge the global emissions gap

    There is growing interest globally in soil health and the role that enhanced soil organic carbon (SOC) can play in climate change mitigation, resilience, and food security. Different initiatives for SOC sequestration (SCS), such as Project Drawdown, ‘4p1000’ and RECSOIL have been proposed yet SCS commitments and targets are missing from the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) to the 2015 Paris Agreement and the UNFCCC Global Stocktake. This paper asks whether a single, locally relevant target could be developed for SCS that would encourage widespread adoption of soil carbon removals practices by farmers and land managers globally? We used 210,00 local soils profiles from the World Soil Information System to assess the SOC potential of 2,352 million ha of agricultural land, identified with the Landsat Global Land Cover classification. Based on the local characteristics of the carbon sequestration capacity of soils, we found that a one percent average increase in SOC storage in croplands, pasture and irrigated fields would have the potential to sequester 84.9 GtC or 311 311 GtCO 2-e [range 159 – 447 GtCO 2-e ]. This represents more than a decade of the emission reductions needed to have a chance of remaining on a 2°C or 1.5°C or Net Zero pathway. We argue that a one per cent target is easy to communicate and understand, especially as most farmers and land managers who regularly test their soils are familiar with the soil carbon percentages of their land.
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      Review information

      10.14293/S2199-1006.1.SOR-AG.AOSFKU.v1.RBSGGD
      This work has been published open access under Creative Commons Attribution License CC BY 4.0, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Conditions, terms of use and publishing policy can be found at www.scienceopen.com.

      Earth & Environmental sciences,Agriculture,Geosciences
      NDC,Land classification, Net Zero pathway,Carbon farming,Soil carbon storage potential,Climate,Soil properties,Policy and law,Emissions gap,Sustainable development,Soil Carbon Sequestration (SCS)

      Review text

      This is an important, timely and clearly-written paper on the value and potential for soil carbon sequestration to contribute to climate mitigation. It is clear that absolute emissions reductions will be essential for the global transition to net zero. The UNFPCC's Race to Zero project mandates 80% of net zero achievements must be emissions cuts. The remain 20% (of the current 56 Gt of carbon dioxide equivalent) can come from long-term carbon capture. The authors have shown how more sustainable forms of agriculture are already locking up carbon below and above-ground. This paper summarises mechanisms, and provides authoritative quantitative analysis. The findings here are relevant and communicable to and for farmers, as well as researchers and policy makers.

      I have no hesitation in recommending this paper for publication in UCL Open Environment. It meets all the essential criteria

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