Rewilding.

The idea of sequestering carbon into soil has been discussed for decades with the idea gaining momentum in the 1980's.

The Paris climate conference in 2016 introduced a headline statement of “Four per thousand”. The idea being that if on a global basis, soil organic carbon could be increased by 0.4% AND subsequently maintained at a low but ever increasing rate the carbon sequestered would cancel out annual carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuels.

With this in mind all manner of schemes were proposed and the grand ideal of “Rewilding” began.

Within the scientific community the “Four per thousand” idea was questioned.  It was revealed this had been a “thought experiment” used as a simplified means of communication, more an “aspirational goal” than something that was ever going to work.

Evidence from long-term experiments in England and elsewhere with land that had been removed from agricultural production and allowed to convert to woodland (Rewilding) or where unrealistically large quantities of manure (legislative and practical farming) were applied annually, results did not come close to achieving the stated objective.

Despite the unrealistic expectations of such policies it has certainly brought a focus back to soils which has previously been absent. Whether or not sequestration makes any difference to climate change there is abundant evidence that even small increases in organic matter (sequestered carbon) are beneficial for increasing crop productivity and financial return.