While all trees can mitigate climate change by absorbing carbon dioxide, a few have another trick up their sleeve that allows them to turn CO2 into stone. Recent research has shown that certain species of fig trees that grow in Kenya specialize in this hidden talent, which may give CO2 storage efforts an extra boost.
The new research — which will be presented this week at the Goldschmidt geochemistry conference in Prague — is centered on improving C02 sequestration. Since some fig trees can stash atmospheric CO2 as “rocks” in surrounding soil, they show potential to become an unexpected icon for climate change strategies.
Whenever trees are involved in climate change dialogue, they’re usually brought up for their ability to remove carbon from the air and use it to create oxygen during photosynthesis. One 2023 study estimated that global forests could hypothetically capture around “226 gigatonnes of carbon in regions ...
