Amidst the clamor of heavy machinery echoing in the quarry, Jim Mann stoops down and scoops up a handful of dark gravel. “Behold, my enchanted soil,” he declares, gently rolling the grains between his fingers.
Jim is the face of UNDO, a pioneering Edinburgh-based company dedicated to aiding the planet in its battle against the ravages of global warming.
When Jim speaks of enchanted soil, he speaks of basalt, a resilient volcanic rock neither rare nor ostentatious. Yet, in its unassuming nature, basalt may hold the key to environmental salvation.
Volcanic rock, the antidote to global warming?
Through a process termed “enhanced rock weathering,” this gravelly substance could offer respite to our overheated planet, acting as a conduit for the extraction of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
Scientists affiliated with the United Nations are well aware that merely curbing greenhouse gas emissions cannot stave off the dire consequences of escalating global warming. While reforestation stands as nature’s remedy, its efficacy is limited. Hence, experts advocate for carbon dioxide removal – the extraction of this greenhouse gas from the atmosphere. In this context, rock weathering emerges as a pragmatic solution, straddling the realms of natural and human intervention, as reported by the BBC.
The procedure entails the widespread application of basalt gravel across agricultural landscapes. Following precipitation, this volcanic rock becomes activated, absorbing carbon dioxide from the air.
Basalt enhances the palatability of grazing pastures
In addition to its environmental benefits, basalt also serves as a boon to farmers, providing them with a natural fertilizer. Not only does basalt sequester carbon, but it also enhances crop yields.
Simple in execution, the process requires no specialized equipment; a tractor suffices for spreading the basalt across fields.
“It’s cost-free, a boon for farmers. The improved quality of the pasture promises to be a boon for our livestock,” remarks John Logan, a farmer who has embraced this innovative approach.
Under the auspices of the UNDO initiative, plans are afoot to distribute 185,000 tons of basalt across UK farmlands. Jim Mann harbors aspirations of removing one million tons of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere by the year 2025.
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