Scientists are searching high and low for ways to reduce the amount of carbon in the air to halt the onset of climate change. The French believe the answer lies in the soil beneath our feet. The carbon cycle is a fundamental part of life on earth. Soil has the natural ability to store more carbon than the world’s forests and atmosphere combined, which is why the French proposed to make use of this. They set an ambitious target of increasing French soil carbon contents by 0.04% year-on-year. This may not sound like much, but if the French were successful in doing so, it would contribute to a 40% reduction in France’s carbon emissions by 2030. Finding ways to add more carbon to soil will be tricky, but protecting carbon-rich grasslands and promoting better use of organic manures will be first priority. Increasing carbon in soil has a lot of benefits, it also makes soil more fertile and helps enhance biodiversity.