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Virginia Governor's School for Agriculture

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https://hdl.handle.net/10919/120752

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Browsing Virginia Governor's School for Agriculture by Author "Blackwood, Hall A."

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    Climate Restoration: Optimization Challenges in Carbon Sequestration Through Urban and Rural Settings
    Tuck, Adelynn C.; Seo, Geonwoo; Blackwood, Hall A.; Paek, Seojin (Virginia Governor's School for Agriculture, 2024-07-20)
    It is widely known that carbon dioxide emissions are a leading cause of climate change. In agriculture, climate change due to these emissions can be mitigated by carbon sequestration. Soil carbon sequestration is the process of taking carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and storing it in the soil as soil organic carbon (SOC). Carbon sequestration can be optimized in urban and rural settings through specific practices and strategic choices of plants and soil. Significant carbon sequestration strategies that will help reduce carbon emissions in rural settings include planting cover crops and recycling organic matter. In urban settings, artificial ecosystems, such as green roofs, can be used as a practical method to sequester carbon. Green roofs can also be efficiently built and implemented into urban buildings by offering incentives like tax cuts to building owners. When it comes to improving plants, several characteristics play into the sequestration ability, including growth rate and lifespan. Perennial crops, which are crops that yield a harvest for multiple seasons, can also be utilized for edible benefits in a carbon sequestration effort. Soil is also an important factor to improve because it keeps the carbon trapped in the earth and out of the atmosphere. Figuring out how to optimize soil so it can sequester the most carbon is a crucial step in reducing carbon emissions. Additionally, many of the challenges to the practical application of carbon sequestration can be solved through policies such as financial incentives and public education. Overall, soil carbon sequestration can be optimized through the adoption of strategies that are proven to be efficient.