Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

A global agenda for collective action on soil carbon

Policymakers and investors have perceived securing soil organic carbon as too difficult, with uncertain returns. But new technical, policy and financial opportunities offer hope for rapid progress.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Relevant articles

Open Access articles citing this article.

Access options

Rent or buy this article

Prices vary by article type

from$1.95

to$39.95

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Fig. 1
Fig. 2

References

  1. Montanarella, L. Nature 528, 32–33 (2015).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Davies, J. Nature 543, 309–311 (2017).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Chen, S. et al. Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA 115, 4027–4032 (2018).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Paustian, K. et al. Nature 532, 49–57 (2016).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Minasny, B. et al. Geoderma 292, 59–86 (2017).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. Sanderman, J., Hengl, T. & Fisk, G. Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA 114, 9575–9580 (2017).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Global Commission on the Economy and Climate Better Growth, Better Climate: The New Climate Economy Report (New Climate Economy, 2014); https://go.nature.com/2B5xSEf

  8. Nkonya, E., Mirzabaev, A. & von Braun, J. Economics of Land Degradation and Improvement – A Global Assessment for Sustainable Development (Springer, Cham, 2016)..

  9. CCAFS Agriculture’s Prominence in the INDCs: Data and Maps (CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security, 2016); https://go.nature.com/2QoRjSO

  10. Zomer, R. J., Bossio, D. A., Sommer, R. & Verchot, L. V. Sci. Rep. 7, 15554 (2017).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  11. Carbon Abatement Contract Register (Clean Energy Regulator, 2018); https://go.nature.com/2Ga0e69

  12. ERF Register of Projects (Clean Energy Regulator, 2018); https://go.nature.com/2QlkAOm

  13. Hamrick, K. & Gallant, M. Fertile Ground: State of Forest Carbon Finance (Forest Trends Ecosystem Marketplace, 2017); https://go.nature.com/2QHCU3K

  14. C-Agg Carbon and Agriculture: Getting Measurable Results (Coalition on Agricultural Greenhouse Gases, 2010); https://go.nature.com/2QlkmXv

  15. Government of Australia Measurement of Soil Carbon Sequestration in Agricultural Systems — Finalised Method Determination (Department of the Environment and Energy, 2018); https://go.nature.com/2Gb503c

  16. Woodard, J. D. & Verteramo-Chiu, L. J. Am. J. Agric. Econ. 99, 757–772 (2017).

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

Funding was provided by The Nature Conservancy, the Craig and Susan McCaw Foundation, and Cornell University’s David R. Atkinson Center for a Sustainable Future (2016-TNC-Ryan-mrr232). We thank all participants in the dialogue for co-generating the agenda for action, and our reviewers for improving the manuscript.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Sonja Vermeulen.

Ethics declarations

Competing interests

The authors declare no competing interests.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Vermeulen, S., Bossio, D., Lehmann, J. et al. A global agenda for collective action on soil carbon. Nat Sustain 2, 2–4 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41893-018-0212-z

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41893-018-0212-z

This article is cited by

Search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing