We’re always discussing climate change and the negative impacts it’s having on our world, but what if part of the solution to slowing global warming was right under our feet? In this weeks Two Degree Difference, we’re talking the benefits of capturing carbon in our soil.

Soils play a major role in balancing the global carbon budget and slowing the rate of warming. Soils naturally remove carbon dioxide from the air and store that carbon underground. In some ecosystems, carbon can stay in the soil for a long time, but keeping soils healthy is essential for maximum carbon storage.

Due to their geographic distribution, forests, agriculture, grasslands, and wetlands each play a different role in carbon storage within different regions of the United States. Soils in the eastern U.S., including in the Green Mountain State, store 1 billion metric tons of organic carbon, of which 46% is store in forests, 31% in agricultural lands, and 21% in wetlands.

This altogether puts an emphasis on why taking care of our environment by preserving our woodlands, wetlands, and farmlands is so important especially in Vermont.