Biochar: Climate Change Solution or False Hope?

About the Series

In this series, DeSmog digs into the promise and peril of biochar as a solution to climate change. Authored by Steve Horn, this investigative report is the result of a years-long probe into biochar, geoengineering, and whether it can put a dent in climate change. Learn about the science — and lack thereof — supporting biochar’s carbon sequestration potential, the major players and their connections to Big Oil, and the rush to deploy large-scale biochar projects as part of questionable carbon offsets programs. Read the whole series below.

In This Series

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If someone told you a charred black substance could help save the planet from the worst ravages of climate change, it'd be hard to believe, yet foolhardy to ignore. Biochar, a form of carbon seque...
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Some of biochar's proponents say the substance will save us from climate change destruction, as we covered in Part 1. At the very least, its proponents say it has great potential to simultaneously...
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For biochar's fiercest promoters, the sky's the limit for the seemingly mystical product — or at least that's been the pitch for years, ever since TIME Magazine referred to it as “black gold” in a ...
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For the past several years, a well-organized, well-funded campaign has worked to include biochar in prospective carbon markets as an approved offset for greenhouse gas emissions. The ardent push h...
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In the world of biochar business, it's been mostly “talk” and little “walk.” Few biochar businesses have scaled up their operations in a serious way, despite big claims — with little scientific pro...
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Biochar may be many things, such as a crop yield improvement tool and reclamation device for damaged land. But a climate change panacea, DeSmog's investigation has shown, is probably not among them...