Photo by Thomas Bormans on Unsplash
These unknown climate heroes could make all the difference.
There is a world beneath our feet that goes unnoticed. Over 500 million years ago fungi made life on land possible. It was essential in creating the oxygen-rich atmosphere we breathe and allowed the terrestrial ecosystems we know and love to blossom. Yet, we humans have a knack for forgetting about these underground heroes. Yet fungi has the power to turn the tide on climate change. But how? And can we harness their climate-saving superpowers?
Mycorrhizal fungi (a particular type of fungi) have a symbiotic relationship with plants. They entwine themselves around the roots of every plant they touch, exchangimg nutrients for carbon-rich sugars. This effectively turbocharges a plant’s carbon sink abilities.
Mushrooms are only the fruiting body of fungi — Photo by Phoenix Han on Unsplash
Plants build their bodies and food from the carbon dioxide in the air. They release the vast majority of this captured carbon back into the atmosphere when they die and decompose. However, mycorrhizal fungi take a portion of a plant’s carbon and use it to build their own bodies, as well as pumping the soil full of carbon-rich compounds. This not only makes the soil very nutrient-rich, but also securely stores away a vaste amount of carbon.
The amount of carbon that mycorrhizal networks stockpile globally is astonishing. Ecosystems with mycorrhizal fungi store a total of 350 billion tonnes of carbon, whereas non-mycorrhizal ecosystems only store 29 billion tonnes.
But we have been ignoring these incredible creatures for decades and we are killing them off through intensive farming, deforestation and the overuse of powerful chemicals. It is forecasted that by 2050 90% of the Earth’s soil will be degraded and not able to support mycorrhizal fungi.
Intensive farming kills off mycorrhizal fungi — Photo by Gozha Net on Unsplash
This will have a knock-on effect and speed up the climate crisis. But, luckily, there is something we can do about it.
Modern practices such as plowing, crop spraying and intensive farming have turned the vast majority of our farmland into mycorrhizal deserts. Without these vital organisms the soil becomes nutrient-poor and holds very little carbon, which eventually leads to low crop yields and low-quality crops.
Our current method of farming really is a loose-loose situation. We get less food with less vital nutrients that we need and the Earth loses a critical carbon sink. But, by transforming how we use the half a billion hectares of global farmland, we can change that.
By ceasing plowing, the use of fungicides and avoiding over-farming the land we can encourage these incredible organisms to flourish under our farmlands. Not only will this suck vast amounts of carbon out of the air, but it also will pump our soils full of nutrients, leading to better quality crops. What’s more, this will stop soil degradation and mean future generations have a secure food source.
Fungi can help farms become more productive — Photo by Juan Martin Lopez on Unsplash
This usually is where I tell you just how much carbon such a program could absorb each year. But sadly we are playing catch up and we don’t yet know how effective this would be. Scientists are sure it will make a difference, but just not how much of a difference.
However, we know this can’t be a silver bullet solution. Global mycorrhizal carbon storage is at 350 billion tonnes, which is equivalent to how much carbon we emit every 35 years. But we don’t know precisely how much carbon mycorrhizal supporting farmland can hold. It will likely be substantial but still less than our current emission levels. For example, even if we increased mycorrhizal storage by 10%, that would offset over 3 years’ worth of human carbon emissions. But this level of fungal growth could take years to complete.
Fungi can be used to offset emissions — Photo by Chris LeBoutillier on Unsplash
But combining this with other carbon capture techniques, switching to renewables and an oil-free infrastructure can save us. These amazing unsung organisms really could give us the edge in the fight against climate change.
Better yet, one incredible company called Loam is acting on this knowledge. They have developed a seed coating that encourages soil microbes (including mycorrhizal fungi), giving better quality crops and turns the farms into a giant carbon sink. This way, farmers can get a profit bump from better crops and could potentially get paid to offset carbon too! This makes mycorrhizal farming possibly the only profitable method of carbon offsetting.
So can fungi stop climate change? Well, they could make a significant impact in the fight against our Promethean catastrophe, and at the same time, protect our farmlands from soil degradation whilst feeding our growing population. It might not be our golden ticket, but it sure seems like they can make our world a better place.
