A new analysis from a UK-based father-and-son team reveals alarming news for gardeners and environmentalists alike: since 2008, plants and soils have been losing their ability to absorb carbon dioxide, accelerating climate change. This decline in natural carbon sequestration, the process by which plants and soils remove CO2 from the atmosphere, could have serious implications for global biodiversity and gardening efforts.
At first, rising carbon levels led to warmer temperatures, helping plants grow longer and stronger. However, once a critical tipping point was reached, the effects of climate change—heat stress, wildfires, droughts, storms, flooding, and the spread of diseases and pests—began to reverse the benefits, hindering plants’ ability to absorb CO2.
James Curran, former Chief Executive of the Scottish Environment Protection Agency, and his son Sam conducted a detailed study revealing that plants have been absorbing 0.25% less carbon each year since 2008. This reduction means that atmospheric CO2 levels are rising faster than expected, which could lead to further acceleration of climate change.
“The rate of natural sequestration of CO2 from the atmosphere by plants and soils peaked in 2008, and now it’s on a steady decline,” Curran noted. “This means emissions need to fall 0.3% per year to prevent further increases, but emissions typically rise by 1.2% annually.”
The study highlights the urgent need to rebuild global biodiversity and restore the planet’s ecosystems to help mitigate climate change. For gardeners, this means focusing on sustainable practices and supporting efforts to regenerate plant life that can still play a role in absorbing carbon.
The findings, published in the journal Weather, stress the vital connection between the climate crisis and the decline of nature’s ability to help reduce carbon emissions. The reduction in carbon sequestration represents a critical challenge in the fight against climate change, making it more important than ever for gardeners and environmentalists to work together in preserving and restoring nature’s carbon-absorbing power.
