Grasslands are one of Earth’s great carbon reservoirs, storing over one-third of all carbon, almost as much carbon as all forests and rainforests combined. But our grasslands are being destroyed at an alarming rate.
Half of the grasslands in the U.S. have already been lost to agricultural or other commercial development, and that disturbing trend continues. Recent studies find that, in the US alone, over 1 million acres of grasslands are being lost every year, a rate greater that the deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon.
It is estimated that grasslands store as much as 200 tonnes of carbon per acre. Grasslands in the US alone cover an area of 8.4 million acres, more than 8 times the size of California. With so much carbon stored in so vast an expanse, the numbers are compelling. But when grasslands are disturbed, as much as 50% – 70% of the carbon stored in the soil and biomass can be released as CO₂ into the atmosphere.
Bottom Line: By protecting grasslands, this project keeps that carbon in the ground where it belongs, preserving a vast and naturally sustainable resource in the fight against climate change.