Current controversies on mechanisms controlling soil carbon storage: implications for interactions with practitioners and policy-makers. A review

Derrien, Delphine; Barré, Pierre; Basile‐Doelsch, Isabelle; Cécillon, Lauric; Chabbi, Abad; Creme, Alexandra; Fontaine, Sébastien; Henneron, Ludovic; Janot, Noémie; Lashermes, Gwenaëlle; Quénéa, Katell; Rees, Frédéric; Dignac, Marie-France

doi:10.1007/s13593-023-00876-x

Cited by 26 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 254 publications

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“…However, the amount of SOC that can be stored and protected in the soil profile is not only constrained by the available mineral surface area (Chenu et al., 2019; Derrien et al., 2023; Lavallee et al., 2020; Wiesmeier et al., 2019) but also by other soil edaphic and environmental factors. In this study, it was found that the combination of low initial SOC content and high soil clay content positively influenced Δ SOCc (Figure 3).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Soil organic carbon stocks in European croplands and grasslands: How much have we lost in the past decade?

De Rosa,

Ballabio,

Lugato

et al. 2023

Global Change Biology

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The EU Soil Strategy 2030 aims to increase soil organic carbon (SOC) in agricultural land to enhance soil health and support biodiversity as well as to offset greenhouse gas emissions through soil carbon sequestration. Therefore, the quantification of current SOC stocks and the spatial identification of the main drivers of SOC changes is paramount in the preparation of agricultural policies aimed at enhancing the resilience of agricultural systems in the EU. In this context, changes of SOC stocks (Δ SOCs) for the EU + UK between 2009 and 2018 were estimated by fitting a quantile generalized additive model (qGAM) on data obtained from the revisited points of the Land Use/Land Cover Area Frame Survey (LUCAS) performed in 2009, 2015 and 2018. The analysis of the partial effects derived from the fitted qGAM model shows that land use and land use change observed in the 2009, 2015 and 2018 LUCAS campaigns (i.e. continuous grassland [GGG] or cropland [CCC], conversion grassland to cropland (GGC or GCC) and vice versa [CGG or CCG]) was one of the main drivers of SOC changes. The CCC was the factor that contributed to the lowest negative change on Δ SOC with an estimated partial effect of −0.04 ± 0.01 g C kg−1 year−1, while the GGG the highest positive change with an estimated partial effect of 0.49 ± 0.02 g C kg−1 year−1. This confirms the C sequestration potential of converting cropland to grassland. However, it is important to consider that local soil and environmental conditions may either diminish or enhance the grassland's positive effect on soil C storage. In the EU + UK, the estimated current (2018) topsoil (0–20 cm) SOC stock in agricultural land below 1000 m a.s.l was 9.3 Gt, with a Δ SOC of −0.75% in the period 2009–2018. The highest estimated SOC losses were concentrated in central‐northern countries, while marginal losses were observed in the southeast.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Soil organic carbon stocks in European croplands and grasslands: How much have we lost in the past decade?

De Rosa,

Ballabio,

Lugato

et al. 2023

Global Change Biology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…The uniquely complex processes of soil carbon accumulation and storage have been well described in the scientific literature for decades. For more technical summaries, see Lal (2004), Janzen (2006), Miltner et al (2012, Crowther et al (2016), Lavallee et al (2020), Angst et al (2021), Feeney et al (2022, Patoine et al (2022), andDerrien et al (2023).…”

Section: How Is Soil Carbon Accumulated and Stored?mentioning

confidence: 99%

Grounding United States policies and programs in soil carbon science: strengths, limitations, and opportunities

Gelardi

Rath

Kruger

2023

Front. Sustain. Food Syst.

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The advent of “natural climate solutions” and “climate smart agriculture” has increased interest in managing agricultural lands to sequester soil carbon and mitigate climate change. This has led to enormous opportunities for soil scientists and growers alike, as new soil carbon initiatives are created by public, private, and philanthropic entities. It has also led to confusion over what is possible or practical to achieve through agricultural management, as soil carbon formation and storage is complex, and its response to management is context-dependent. This can pose challenges to decision makers tasked with creating defensible, science-informed policies and programs for building and protecting soil carbon. Here we summarize the science concerning the potential for agricultural soils to serve as a natural climate solution, in order to frame a discussion of current approaches in United States (US) policy and practice. We examine existing strategies such as soil health initiatives and direct incentive payments, as well as emerging schemes such as carbon markets and crop insurance reform. We suggest future directions for each strategy, and make recommendations for synthesizing approaches into a cohesive US policy portfolio. Guiding principles for this discussion include the notions that (i) climate change adaptation must be prioritized alongside climate change mitigation; (ii) soil carbon sequestration must be paired with greenhouse gas emission reductions; (iii) structural issues and barriers to adoption must be addressed as part of all policies and programs; (iv) practice- and place-specific programs must be administered in lieu of one-size-fits-all prescriptions; and (v) soil carbon science is not yet sufficiently advanced for the accounting and contractual frameworks proposed in cap-and-trade or regulatory approaches.

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“…In addition, the adoption of greenhouse gas removal techniques can lead to deterrence or delay in emission reduction (a risk known as mitigation deterrence; McLaren, 2020). In spite of this, enthusiasm for SOC sequestration has never been higher, with numerous papers (Amelung et al, 2020; Chabbi et al, 2017; Derrien et al, 2023), and international initiatives (The ‘4p1000 initiative’ launched during the COP21 in 2015, the Koronivia workshops held during the COP23 in 2018) and reports (FAO, 2017, 2019) promoting the role of soil carbon sequestration in climate change mitigation.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The challenge of selecting an appropriate soil organic carbon simulation model: A comprehensive global review and validation assessment

Garsia,

Moinet,

Vazquez

et al. 2023

Global Change Biology

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Promotion of soil organic carbon (SOC) sequestration as a potential solution to support climate change mitigation as well as more sustainable farming systems is rising steeply. As a result, voluntary carbon markets are rapidly expanding in which farmers get paid per tons of carbon dioxide sequestered. This market relies on protocols using simulation models to certify that increases in SOC stocks do indeed occur and generate tradable carbon credits. This puts tremendous pressure on SOC simulation models, which are now expected to provide the foundation for a reliable global carbon credit generation system. There exist an incredibly large number SOC simulation models which vary considerably in their applicability and sensitivity. This confronts practitioners and certificate providers with the critical challenge of selecting the models that are appropriate to the specific conditions in which they will be applied. Model validation and the context of said validation define the boundaries of applicability of the model, and are critical therefore to model selection. To date, however, guidelines for model selection are lacking. In this review, we present a comprehensive review of existing SOC models and a classification of their validation contexts. We found that most models are not validated (71%), and out of those validated, validation contexts are overall limited. Validation studies so far largely focus on the global north. Therefore, countries of the global south, the least emitting countries that are already facing the most drastic consequences of climate change, are the most poorly supported. In addition, we found a general lack of clear reporting, numerous flaws in model performance evaluation, and a poor overall coverage of land use types across countries and pedoclimatic conditions. We conclude that, to date, SOC simulation does not represent an adequate tool for globally ensuring effectiveness of SOC sequestration effort and ensuring reliable carbon crediting.

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Current controversies on mechanisms controlling soil carbon storage: implications for interactions with practitioners and policy-makers. A review

Cited by 26 publications

References 254 publications

Soil organic carbon stocks in European croplands and grasslands: How much have we lost in the past decade?

Soil organic carbon stocks in European croplands and grasslands: How much have we lost in the past decade?

Grounding United States policies and programs in soil carbon science: strengths, limitations, and opportunities

The challenge of selecting an appropriate soil organic carbon simulation model: A comprehensive global review and validation assessment

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