Rethinking soil carbon research: beyond the mitigation-centric narrative

Soil organic carbon (SOC) sequestration is increasingly promoted as a ‘win-win’ solution to address both climate change and food security, two of the most pressing and complex contemporary global threats. Our objective is to promote critical reflection on the true potential of SOC sequestration in science and policy. Detailed analysis of the literature reveals that the existing knowledge base does not justify the current focus on SOC sequestration. We are concerned that the rapid development of unregulated voluntary carbon markets, wherein farmers get paid per ton of sequestered CO₂, is unlikely to lead to a fair and effective transition to more sustainable soil management. We advocate for soil carbon research and policy to fall in line behind the wealth of knowledge showing the importance of developing locally adaptative management practices, focusing on a wide set of environmental outcomes and calling attention to social acceptability and economic viability. Framing the discussions on sustainable soil management around climate change mitigation has brought much-needed attention to soils, but we argue that this approach is ill-suited to promote the research and policy that are needed to achieve long-term sustainability goals. Therefore, we call for a shift in the narrative in soil carbon science away from climate change mitigation and towards inter- and trans-disciplinary understanding of soils.