Warming of 2°C would release billions of tonnes of soil carbon: Study

A University of Exeter-led study said global warming of 2°C would lead to about 230 billion tonnes of carbon being released from the world’s soil.

The estimated 230 billion tonnes of carbon released at 2°C warming (above pre-industrial levels) is more than four times China’s total emissions. Global soils contain two-three times more carbon than the atmosphere, the study said.

“We investigated how soil carbon is related to temperature in different locations on Earth to work out its sensitivity to global warming,” said lead author Rebecca Varney, of the University of Exeter.

According to Phys.org, This effect is a so-called “positive feedback”, when climate change causes knock-on effects that contribute to further climate change.