biochar replenish soil carbon pool

Submission by the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification 4 th Session of the Ad Hoc Working Group on Long-term Cooperative Action under the Convention (AWG-LCA 4), Poznan, 1-10 December 2008 Submission containing ideas and proposals on... More

Submission by the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification 4 th Session of the Ad Hoc Working Group on Long-term Cooperative Action under the Convention (AWG-LCA 4), Poznan, 1-10 December 2008 Submission containing ideas and proposals on Paragraph 1 of the Bali Action Plan: Use of biochar (charcoal) to replenish soil carbon pools, restore soil fertility and sequester CO2 Abstract The world s soils hold more organic carbon than that held by the atmosphere as CO2 and vegetation, yet the role of the soil in capturing and storing carbon dioxide is often one missing information layer in taking into consideration the importance of the land in mitigating climate change. Extraordinary demands are being placed on agricultural systems to produce food, fiber and energy and yet the inevitable changes in the flow of carbon into or out of soils have significant effect on a global scale. Biomass burning and the removal of crop residues reduce carbon in soil and vegetation, which has impl Less