Soil is something I do not think about. So when I do, it is usually tied with negative connotations, such as dirty and impure. Little have I ever, in my life, stopped to think about the importance of soil, in terms of preserving it to keep our planet healthy and to keep all of the organisms on it alive.

Before attending this talk, I had no idea that 25% of carbon emissions are caused by soil. The amount of carbon stored in soil is up to 4 times more than in the atmosphere or in the vegetation. Soil, little do the majority of people know, has the potential to sequester carbon and become a carbon sink. The key, I learned, is to take the carbon and bury it into the soil.

What scientists today are trying to work on is to design a system which can enhance sustainability and food security. We do not know why carbon is bound in soil, but after finding out about this fact, I felt so much more hopeful. In the world of today, one of the most important issues is global warming and the existence of greenhouse emissions. The fact that soil is one of the key solutions to this problem gave me a much more optimistic view, and it makes me want to learn more about soil. I consider myself somebody who is green conscious and I try to help the environment in the ways that I can, through recycling, reducing waste, reducing meat consumption, etc. I firmly believe that education is key in finding solutions for one of the biggest problems the world is currently facing. This talk was the impetus that I needed to learn more about soil as a carbon vacuum!