Organic Farms Curb Emissions

Transforming all conventional farms in the UK to organic farms would be equivalent to eliminating the carbon emissions from 1 million cars, according to a report from the Soil Association. The non-profit organization—the largest organic certifier in the UK—says the soil on an average organic farm has 28 percent more carbon than soil on a conventional farm. More carbon in the soil means less carbon in the atmosphere. The report also says a global switch to organic agriculture would reduce 11 percent of the world’s carbon emissions. Pete Smith, professor of Soils and Global Change at Aberdeen University, cautions that organic farms must use more land to match the productivity of conventional farms, which reduces the environmental benefits.