When the carbon balance changes

4 per 1000 initiative

Have you ever heard of the 4 per mille initiative? It suggests that slightly increasing soil carbon each year could help reduce greenhouse gas emissions. While soils have natural limits and practical challenges to meet the theoretical potential exist, this initiative has sparked widespread attention to the potential role of soil management in climate adaptation and mitigation.

For an introduction to the initiative, you can watch a video (~ 3 min) or read an article by Minasny et al (2017). For a critical review of practical restraints, you may read this comprehensive article by Amundson & Biardeau (2018).