The drawdown potential of fungal networks
Last week, we shared some of the questions on our minds as we prepare for COP28 in Dubai next week. I’d like to raise one more critical opportunity here for everyone who will participate in this important event. As some of you may know, I chair the board of SPUN and have therefore taken an active interest in the power of underground ecosystems to fight climate change. Thanks to scientific advances, we now know that soils are home to vast fungal networks that sequester carbon and sustain much of life on Earth.
Fungal networks draw down ~13 billion tons of CO2 per year into the soil. That’s equivalent to ~1/3 of global anthropogenic energy-related emissions! Much of this carbon remains in the soil, making underground ecosystems the store of 75% of all terrestrial carbon.