Climate Solutions Under Our Feet

Carbon capture is one of the biggest challenges in mitigating the effects of climate change – and there are surprisingly simple solutions, coming straight from nature, as you’ll hear in this fascinating DLD Munich session.

Watch the video to hear from Guy Hudson, CEO and co-founder of Loam Bio, and Mary Yap, co-founder and CEO at Lithos Carbon, in conversation with journalist David Kirkpatrick.

Yap explains how her company uses upcycled volcanic rock dust to transform farmers’ cropland into carbon capture centers, trapping the greenhouse gas CO₂ for 10,000 years or longer underground.

The rock dust, called basalt, also acts as a fertilizer, Yap explains, and can improve crop yields by up to 40 percent.

“What we’re trying to do is create a circular economy”, she says, “create something that improves crop yields and also captures carbon so that we can tackle the climate crisis at the speed that the climate crisis demands.”

Loam Bio, meanwhile, focuses on understanding soil microbiology and key microbial species to increase carbon storage and durability. Soil holds 3,000 gigatons of carbon, more than the atmosphere and every living plant, Hudson explains.

“What we need to understand”, he says, “is how we can work with those natural systems to accelerate a process that previously has been one where we’ve created degradation.”

Make sure to read our related article as well, which explains how smart farming can help to cool the planet down again. For more about Lithos Carbon, watch our backstage interview with Mary Yap on YouTube.