One very little known fact about global warming prevention is that soil plays a significant part in the process. Simply put, soil retains carbon dioxide that would normally be in the air. Therefore, the tilling soil may actually hurt the environment. According to a Fairfax County document, no-till practices can be a good short-term fix for large amounts of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.
No-till farming is accomplished by high crop rotations and cover crops.
The benefits of no-till practices are:
- Reduced labor requirements
- Time savings
- Reduced machinery wear
- Fuel savings
- Improved long- term productivity
- Improved surface water quality
- Reduced soil erosion
- Greater soil moisture retention
- Improved water infiltration
- Decreased soil compaction
- More wildlife
- Reduced release of carbon gases
- Reduced air pollution
This video talks about how properly handled soil can help our climate change problem:
Organic farming also prevents global warming, according to the Rodale Institute. They say: “The key lies in the handling of organic matter (OM): because soil organic matter is primarily carbon, increases in soil OM levels will be directly correlated with carbon sequestration. While conventional farming typically depletes soil OM, organic farming builds it through the use of composted animal manures and cover crops.”