@article{aba4bdb98cb044a685327f6ab4ee2229,
title = "Substantial carbon drawdown potential from enhanced rock weathering in the United Kingdom",
abstract = "Achieving national targets for net-zero carbon emissions will require atmospheric carbon dioxide removal strategies compatible with rising agricultural production. One possible method for delivering on these goals is enhanced rock weathering, which involves modifying soils with crushed silicate rocks, such as basalt. Here we use dynamic carbon budget modelling to assess the carbon dioxide removal potential and agricultural benefits of implementing enhanced rock weathering strategies across UK arable croplands. We find that enhanced rock weathering could deliver net carbon dioxide removal of 6–30 MtCO2 yr−1 for the United Kingdom by 2050, representing up to 45% of the atmospheric carbon removal required nationally to meet net-zero emissions. This suggests that enhanced rock weathering could play a crucial role in national climate mitigation strategies if it were to gain acceptance across national political, local community and farm scales. We show that it is feasible to eliminate the energy-demanding requirement for milling rocks to fine particle sizes. Co-benefits of enhanced rock weathering include substantial mitigation of nitrous oxide, the third most important greenhouse gas, widespread reversal of soil acidification and considerable cost savings from reduced fertilizer usage. Our analyses provide a guide for other nations to pursue their carbon dioxide removal ambitions and decarbonize agriculture—a key source of greenhouse gases.",
author = "Kantzas, {Euripides P.} and {Val Martin}, Maria and Lomas, {Mark R.} and Eufrasio, {Rafael M.} and Phil Renforth and Lewis, {Amy L.} and Taylor, {Lyla L.} and Jean-Francois Mecure and Hector Pollitt and Vercoulen, {Pim V.} and Negar Vakilifard and Holden, {Philip B.} and Edwards, {Neil R.} and Lenny Koh and Pidgeon, {Nick F.} and Banwart, {Steven A.} and Beerling, {David J.}",
note = "Funding Information: We thank C. Le Qu{\'e}r{\'e}, A. Collins, R. Freckleton, J. Leake and J. Scurlock for comments on an earlier draft. We gratefully acknowledge funding of this research under a Leverhulme Research Centre Award (RC-2015–029; D.J.B.) from the Leverhulme Trust. D.J.B. and P.R. acknowledge UKRI funding under the UK Greenhouse Gas Removal Programme (BB/V011359/1, D.J.B.; NE/P019943/1, NE/P019730/1, P.R.). M.V.M. acknowledges funding from the UKRI Future Leaders Fellowship Programme (MR/T019867/1). We to acknowledge high-performance computing support from Cheyenne (doi: 10.5065/D6RX99HX) provided by NCAR{\textquoteright}s Computational and Information Systems Laboratory, sponsored by the National Science Foundation. We acknowledge the World Climate Research Programme{\textquoteright}s Working Group on Coupled Modelling responsible for CMIP and thank the climate modelling groups for producing and making available their model output. For CMIP, the US Department of Energy{\textquoteright}s Program for Climate Model Diagnosis and Intercomparison provides coordinating support and led development of software infrastructure in partnership with the Global Organization for Earth System Science Portals. Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2022, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Limited.",
year = "2022",
month = may,
doi = "10.1038/s41561-022-00925-2",
language = "English",
volume = "15",
pages = "382–389",
journal = "Nature Geoscience",
issn = "1752-0894",
publisher = "Nature Publishing Group",
number = "5",
}