The greenest revolution – harnessing the power of plants to help combat climate change

Abstract

As we continue searching for the technologies that will halt global warming, let us take a moment to think about plants. A key contributor to our climate crisis is the accumulation of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Plants have been capturing carbon dioxide for billions of years, making them the most tried and tested carbon capture machinery on the planet. Plants fix carbon dioxide as part of photosynthesis. After years of research, we now know the key regulators of this process and have the knowledge to start engineering plants with increased photosynthetic capacity. In addition to improving the efficiency of carbon fixation, we must also find a way to stably store the carbon captured by plants. To achieve this, we can look to the below-ground part of the plant body – the root system. Plant roots are packed full of carbon and also exude carbon-rich molecules into the soil. Engineering future plants with deeper, more extensive root systems, with enhanced chemical composition that increases carbon content and reduces the rate of biodegradation, offers a way to store atmospheric carbon fixed by plants below ground for years to come. With optimized root systems, these plants would also be better equipped to explore their surrounding soils for water and nutrients, which would ultimately improve plant performance. This approach also offers a way to replenish our carbon-depleted soils, which would increase soil quality by improving water and nutrient retention. Harnessing the plants' natural ability to capture carbon, thus provides a way to not only restore balance to the carbon cycle, but also improve soil quality and future crop performance.