JUST A HANDFUL OF SOIL HELPS THE E-MISSIONS GO DOWN

There? is an? old saying,? possibly Chinese, that “there are more? life forms? ?in a handful? of soil than the entire? human population of the planet”.? There is another, probably? from Yorkshire,? “Where there’s? muck? there’s? brass”.? Both sayings? are? probably? true.?

Perhaps? aptly? for an? Easter Message? there is? something? quite? biblical about? soil, as an entity? it has? spawned us,? fed us,? nurtured? us,? and now? it must? save? us.? Maybe? as? with all children? we? don’t? understand the? value of? something? that we? take so? much? for granted, only? air? and? water suffer? the? same? lack of? value.?

We are still? only at the? beginning of? our? understanding? of the life forms? in soil,? a? report? last year? from the? Royal? Botanic Gardens? Kew said that? of? a potential? 19 million fungi? and single? cell? organisms thought to exist, many? are still? to be? ?discovered,? more still to be named,? “at? the? current? rate? that our? scientists? are? naming species? it? would? take 750-1000? years? to? fully describe? the? world’s fungi”? So it stands to reason that? our? understanding? of? how to? work? with these? systems and? what? they offer? us? is still? at? a pretty? basic level.

As our? knowledge? starts? to grow? so does? our? awareness? of? how vital? soils are? to? our? prosperity? and? how best? to? optimise? them.? Just? because? there? is so? much? of the stuff on? our? planet? they? have? to? offer? a massive opportunity? in our? quest? to? address climate change? if? handled? properly,? and? a significant? problem if we don’t. As? Franklin? D? Roosevelt? prophetically? put it? “a nation that? destroys its? soil? destroys? itself”.

At? COP? 15? the? French? proudly announced that improving? the? World’s? soils by just 0.4%? per? year would? solve? climate? change instantly,? no? switching to? electric? cars; reducing? fossil fuel? usage; holidaying at? home? would be? necessary.? There? has? been quite a? bit? of back pedalling? on this claim ever? since? but a 2022 OECD report? still? believes? 30% of green house? gas emissions can be? offset? through better? soil? health,? what? else? offers that level? of benefit?

And? so soil could? be such? ?a? massive? opportunity if we only cared? to look at? it,? it? is? one of,? if not? the? most important? method? of offsetting unavoidable carbon? emissions.? As the? price? per tonne of carbon ramps up? so? the? carbon credits linked to soil will rapidly? climb, and already are.? So? clearly there is? value in those? fields.? ?If? you? take a poor? soil? holding 30? tonnes? of C02e? and? improve? it? through? better management? such? that? ?it? holds? 200 tonnes per ha? you could, applied? across? all unbuilt land in the? UK? you? could be? generating carbon credits? to? the value of ￡500 Million.? ?As? an aside? Farmers? Weekly? is reporting? Farmers selling BNG? credits to developers? are earning typically? ￡20,000-￡60000? per year,? clever? farmers will charge for both, so not to be sniffed at!? ?As? we? approach? 2050? and the legal? obligation to achieve net zero? the value of the carbon and BNG? credits will go ever upward.?

Needless? to? say those? seeking a? good? return on an investment will spot? an opportunity, indeed they already? are. Just? google who? owns? most? American farmland? and it is? not? those? you? would? expect,? certainly no one? with the? moniker? Brown? or? Giles? in? there,? its Farmers? Gates,? Zuckerberg,? Bezos, Dyson,? Musk etc i.e. the usual suspects with plenty? of? money to invest and an eye on where? to invest? it,? sound familiar?

So a? handful? of soil? really? is? going? to? have tangible? value? and those? holding it? will? indeed? get? ?even? ?richer, as? another well known? ditty? says,? “He’s got? the whole? world? in his hands”?

Now? all? join? in!

NB:? This Easter weekend? marks? three years? since? the concept? of? cquester? started to? take? shape.