Carbon Sequestration – a solution to global warming?

'It is simple and easy to increase the organic matter content of soil and so sequestrate carbon dioxide from the air. Our world’s agricultural land areas are more than ample to return atmospheric carbon dioxide levels to normal.'
Allan Yeomans, Priority One: Together We Can Beat Global Warming

The main cause of global warming is the emission of greenhouse gases that have caused the so-called greenhouse effect. The solution for the future is a combination of substantially reducing emissions and recapturing carbon from the atmosphere and returning it to the earth. Both of these methods are endorsed by the Kyoto Protocol. 

Recapturing carbon from the atmosphere is known as carbon sequestration. This creates carbons sinks that combat emissions. A carbon sink is a reservoir for carbon. The main natural sinks are the oceans, the soil, and plants. Soil represents the largest carbon sink over which humankind has control. The world’s soils hold around twice as much carbon as the atmosphere and almost three times as much carbon as the vegetation.

One of the most powerful ways of creating carbon sinks is via improved agriculture. By increasing soil fertility levels, massive quantities of carbon dioxide can be extracted out of the atmosphere. This is known as soil sequestration. Recognized best management agricultural methods can improve the carbon content of soil.

Tree planting has also become a popular method of taking carbon out of the atmosphere. Because growing vegetation absorbs carbon dioxide, the Kyoto Protocol allows countries that have large areas of forest (or other vegetation) to deduct a certain amount from their emissions.

Further reading:

http://managingwholes.com/index.php

http://managingwholes.com/-ecosystem-soil-building.htm

http://soilcarboncoalition.org/

http://www.holisticmanagement.org/

http://www.communitydynamics.net