A cheap, low-tech solution for storing carbon may be sitting in the dirt

illuminem summarizes for you the essential news of the day. Read the full piece on The Washington Post or enjoy below:

🗞️ Driving the news: Researchers have discovered a 3,775-year-old log buried in Canada, which points to a low-tech method of carbon sequestration: burying wood
• The well-preserved cedar log indicates that wood can retain carbon for millennia when placed in the right conditions, providing a potential climate solution

🔭 The context: Forests naturally absorb CO2, but this carbon is usually released back into the atmosphere through decomposition
• Burying wood underground in conditions that slow decay—such as beneath clay soil in oxygen-deprived environments—could trap carbon for thousands of years, offering a simple, scalable alternative to expensive carbon-capture technologies

🌍 Why it matters for the planet: Burying wood could sequester up to 10 billion tons of CO2 annually, more than a quarter of the world's yearly energy-related emissions
• This method could play a crucial role in meeting global climate goals, helping to keep temperature rise below 2°C

⏭️ What's next: Researchers plan to identify other locations with favorable conditions for preserving wood and continue experimenting with wood burial
• The next challenge is managing transportation costs to scale this solution effectively

💬 One quote: “This is a very interesting paper with practical applications for fighting climate change,” said Daniel Sanchez, a University of California, Berkeley professor

📈 One stat: The researchers estimate buried wood can sequester up to 10 billion tons of CO2 per year

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