The annual conference Goldschmidt2025 of the European Association of Geochemistry and the Geochemical Society began two days ago, on July 6, at the Prague Congress Centre in the Czech Republic. There, the day after tomorrow, on July 10, a scientific study will be presented suggesting that certain fig trees, such as Ficus wakefieldii, can sequester atmospheric carbon as stable calcium carbonate through a process known as the “oxalate-carbonate pathway” — marking a significant advancement in our understanding of tree-based carbon storage.
Unlike organic carbon, which eventually returns to the atmosphere, this inorganic carbon remains stored for long periods in the soil and within the tree’s trunk. This discovery not only enhances the perceived climate change mitigation potential of trees, but also points to practical benefits for soil health and food production. If widely verified, the process could help reshape reforestation and agroforestry strategies — particularly in arid regions — while also underscoring the need to incorporate such overlooked mechanisms into global carbon accounting
[REFERENCE:
Rowley, M. C., Peña, J., Cailleau, G., Hoppe, G. A., Nico, P., Rieder, C., Vaughan, L., Bone, S. E., Bindschedler, S., Dasgupta, S., Lisabeth, H., Olaka, L., Rozin, A., & Wiesenberg, G. L. B. (2025, July 10). Biomineralising trees turn CO₂ into CaCO₃? Identifying novel oxalate-carbonate pathways associated with East African Fig trees in Samburu County, Kenya [Oral presentation]. Goldschmidt2025, Annual Conference of the European Association of Geochemistry and the Geochemical Society, Prague Congress Centre, Czech Republic. https://conf.goldschmidt.info/goldschmidt/2025/meetingapp.cgi/Paper/26094]
For choices of suitable trees for nature based solution for climate change mitigation you would like to read the book:
'Agroforestry Nature Based Solution for Climate Change and Food Security' by Subhabrata Panda
[https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-981-96-6855-7]