How well does soil actually store carbon?

What this episode covers

Eric Slessarev, a staff scientist at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, explains the complex science of soil carbon, noting that while agricultural practices like no-till farming and cover cropping can sequester carbon, its durability is uncertain due to microbial breakdown. He highlights that our current understanding of how minerals and microbes interact to stabilize carbon has outstripped the 'first-order' models used in carbon markets, which rely on outdated assumptions about carbon persistence. Slessarev also distinguishes between organic carbon sequestration and enhanced weathering, emphasizing the significant challenges in measuring additionality and ensuring long-term storage.