Soil’s ability to absorb carbon emissions may be overestimated – study

The potential of soils to slow climate change by soaking up carbon may be less than previously thought

The storage potential of one of the Earth’s biggest carbon sinks – soils – may have been overestimated, research shows. This could mean ecosystems on land soaking up less of humanity’s emissions than expected, and more rapid global heating.

Soils and the plants that grow in them absorb about a third of the carbon emissions that drive the climate crisis, partly limiting the impact of fossil-fuel burning. Rising carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere can increase plant growth and, until now, it was assumed carbon storage in soils would increase too.

Related: Global soils underpin life but future looks ‘bleak’, warns UN report