Australia is home to some of the driest soils in the world. Photo: Peripitus Own work, copyleft: Multi-license with GFDL and Creative Commons CC-BY-SA-2.5 and older versions (2.0 and 1.0)Peripitus Own work, copyleft: Multi-license with GFDL and Creative Commons CC-BY-SA-2.5 and older versions (2.0 and 1.0)

Australia set to establish a national soil database

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Starting from 2023, the new platform promoted by the government agency CSIRO will provide information on essential features such as climate change adaptation, carbon sequestration, and biodiversity
Over two decades, trees in Finnish forests have promoted carbon sequestration in the soil with an average growth of 36 grams per square meter. Photo: Ajattokoj Ahyaj Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported (CC BY-SA 3.0)Ajattokoj Ahyaj Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported (CC BY-SA 3.0)

Forests, climate and carbon storage: the lesson of Finnish trees

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A 20-year survey by the Helsinki Ministry of Agriculture highlights the role of trees in promoting soil carbon storage. Logging reduces the amount retained. Some species prove more successful than others in sequestration
British forests are sequestering up to 8 tons of carbon per hectare per year. Photo: N Chadwick licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic (CC BY-SA 2.0)N Chadwick licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic (CC BY-SA 2.0)

UK researchers investigate carbon sequestration capacity in forests

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British forests can contribute significantly to climate mitigation. A project aims to define the potential of agroforestry and open the way to a new market
In China, soil pollution comes largely from non-ferrous metal mining and plant dumping operations Photo: High Contrast Attribution 2.0 Germany (CC BY 2.0 DE)High Contrast Attribution 2.0 Germany (CC BY 2.0 DE)

China launches a new initiative against soil pollution

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Starting next year, a new law to combat soil pollution will be in effect in the Chinese capital. The measure follows the directions of recent national legislation. But there is an unpromising precedent
The Congo River Basin is home to one-fifth of the world's plant and animal species. Photo: Corinne Staley Attribution-NonCommercial 2.0 Generic (CC BY-NC 2.0)Photo: Corinne Staley Attribution-NonCommercial 2.0 Generic (CC BY-NC 2.0)

Deforestation in the Congo Basin is growing at an alarming rate

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In 2021, deforestation in the Congo Basin increased by 4.9 percent affecting more than 630 thousand hectares of land. This is a particularly worrying trend, explains the Dutch NGO Climate Focus, when considering the area's importance for climate mitigation and biodiversity
The U.S. Department of Energy's SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory hosted the research on soil virus. Photo: Jvimal Attribution 3.0 Unported (CC BY 3.0)Jvimal Attribution 3.0 Unported (CC BY 3.0)

Here’s the mysterious virus-made protein supporting soil life

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Chitosanase is a protein produced by a virus that "could be acting like a garden hoe for the soil preparing it for vegetables, trees, flowers, and all other kinds of life." A U.S. study gives new insights into land ecosystem processes
By applying the technique on a large scale, researchers say, it would be possible to address the problem of global soil pollution. Photo: Marco Verch https://www.flickr.com/photos/30478819@N08/51093188777 Attribution 2.0 Generic (CC BY 2.0) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/Marco Verch https://www.flickr.com/photos/30478819@N08/51093188777 Attribution 2.0 Generic (CC BY 2.0) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/

Australian researchers mimic plants to clean up soil

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Through solar-powered evaporators, the presence of heavy metals in soil can be significantly reduced. The solution, developed by the University of South Australia, could find application in other contexts and for other substances
In the 21st century, deforestation has erased nearly 10 million hectares of virgin forest in Indonesia. Photo: Peter Prokosch Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)Peter Prokosch Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)

Coal-to-biomass transition fuels deforestation in Indonesia

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In Indonesia increasing deforestation would result in up to 489 million tons of additional emissions, the environmental think tank Trend Asia says. The figure dwarfs the CO2 savings expected with the partial replacement of coal with biomass
The Federal Supreme Court (Portuguese: Supremo Tribunal Federal) is Brazil's supreme court. It serves as both a court of appeal and a constitutional court, and its rulings are not subject to appeal. Photo: Rob Sinclair CC BY-SA 2.0Rob Sinclair CC BY-SA 2.0

Brazil Supreme Court restarts the Amazon rainforest Fund

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Former President Bolsonaro had blocked it in 2019. The country's highest court ruled that the financial vehicle must be operational again within 60 days. After his reelection at the end of October, Lula will thus have at his disposal a fund with credits worth more than $20 billion
Climate properties make tropical peatlands unsuitable for enhanced weathering. Photo: Anna Finke/CIFOR Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)Anna Finke/CIFOR Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)

Enhanced weathering is a threat to tropical peatlands

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Enhanced weathering, used to facilitate the capture of atmospheric CO2 on the ground, has counterproductive effects when applied on peatlands in warmer areas, a German study has found. In these areas, in fact, carbon sequestration is offset by emission growth

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