In this webinar,  project lead Professor Pete Smith from the University of Aberdeen will present an overview of Soils-R-GGREAT and its main findings. Soils-R-GGREAT is one of eleven science components of the Greenhouse Gas Removal (GGR) programme.

Given the importance of GGR for climate stabilization, the global potential, feasibility, barriers and impacts of GGR technologies need to be assessed. Preliminary analysis suggests that widespread implementation of GGRs could have significant impacts on land competition, greenhouse gas emissions, physical climate feedbacks (e.g. albedo), water requirements, nutrient use, energy and cost.

However soil carbon sequestration and biochar  have significant potential for GGR (4-6 thousand million tonnes of carbon dioxide per year, together), and can do so with much less competition for land, water and nutrients than, for example, bioenergy with carbon capture and storage and afforestation, and at much lower cost than enhanced mineral weathering and direct air capture of carbon dioxide. In addition, soil-based GGRs could help deliver other Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly 1, 2, 13 and 15 (poverty, hunger, climate and life on land).

Yet constraints due to high uncertainties about the GGR achievable, the need for site-specific options and incentives, social and ecological impacts, and the risk of impermanence have limited soil-based GGR to date. Soils-R-GGREAT focuses on researching soil carbon sequestration through improved land management, and the addition of biochar to soils to increase soil carbon storage. Researchers will work closely with other consortia to ensure consistency across assumptions about land and resource availability.

The webinar will be done through zoom and registration is required.