LAUSR

Abstract The need for adopting negative emission technologies (NETs) is greater now than ever before. The “4 per 1000” (4p1000) initiative, launched during the COP 21 in Paris in 2015, based on translating the science of soil carbon sequestration into action at the global scale, is one example of a broader set of negative emission technologies (NETs). While governments and non-governmental organizations are voluntarily implementing the aspirational 4p1000, its adoption and pledges by industry or the private sector is the driving force to accelerate the process of re-carbonization of soil and the terrestrial biosphere. The pledge of achieving carbon (C) neutrality by 2030 or 2050 by some prominent industries is encouraging, and it can serve as a role model for other industries to follow. Adoption of the 4p1000 concept by agro-industries (e.g., fertilizers, pesticides, farm machinery, irrigation, food processing) can promote and accelerate adoption of recommended management practices which create a positive/soil ecosystem carbon budget and enhance C sequestration. This review article describes examples of the emission-neutral concept already adopted by some industries, outlines strategies to promote 4p1000 and NETs, and discusses approaches to advance site-specific NETs. These techniques may include conservation agriculture, cover cropping, precision agriculture, etc., facilitated by artificial intelligence, remote sensing, and robots. Innovative methods of soil sampling as well as remote sensing and mapping of SOC stock are pertinent to promoting NETs and 4p1000. Payments to land managers and farmers for provisioning of ecosystem services through C sequestration in soil and the biosphere can advance the mission of 4p1000. Amongst strategies of encouraging industries to adopt NETs, implementation of a “Healthy Soil Act” at the state, national, and global level could be a step in the right direction. Market-based economic incentives to industry may be another option to promote adoption of NETs. Similar to U.S. EPA Clean Air Act of 1963 and the U.S. EPA Clean Water Act of 1972, there is a strong need to enact a Healthy Soil Act globally. An effective implementation of the trinity of Acts (air, water, and soil) at the national and global scale will accelerate the process of re-carbonization of the soil and the terrestrial biosphere while also strengthening the provisioning of essential ecosystem services.