The world is on the brink of ecological collapse, driven by relentless carbon emissions and persistent political inaction. And the Global Carbon Budget 2024 unveiled a grisly milestone: 36.8 billion tonnes of fossil fuel emissions in 2023, led by China, the U.S. and India. Industrialised countries continue to evade legally binding obligations after decades of talks. The result is a climate crisis that spirals, with heatwaves, disappearing biodiversity and rising seas. The urgency is no longer hypothetical — it is existential.
However, in this locked-down space, carbon markets have emerged as a practical tool for reducing emissions. Countries such as Singapore are accelerating their implementation of carbon taxes, and the EU’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) will soon be in effect, taxing carbon-intensive imports. The aviation and maritime industries are also bracing for carbon controls. Analysis of 21 carbon pricing systems reveals a 10% reduction in emissions when processes are effectively implemented. India, to address its $3 trillion climate finance gap, launched the Carbon Credit Trading Scheme (CCTS)—an ambitious, sectoral emissions trading initiative scheduled for implementation in 2026
And in a landmark advisory opinion, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) has ruled that states have a legal duty to enhance their climate policies, deepen their NDCs, regulate the emissions of private actors, and act consistently with the 1.5°C goal in the Paris Agreement. It effectively moves climate ambition from voluntary rhetoric to binding legal duty. With increasingly costly regulations bearing down, the market for high-integrity carbon offsets is poised to take off, and grassroots climate solutions, such as biochar, may soon gain traction.
Biochar: Climate Innovation Rooted in the Soil
Biochar—created by baking biomass in oxygen-poor conditions (a process called pyrolysis) such as bamboo, wood or agricultural waste—is quickly becoming an essential ingredient for “nature-based” carbon sequestration. In addition to locking carbon, each tonne can also improve soil quality, enhance water retention, and increase crop yields. The private sector is already seizing on its potential. Google has added Indian-origin biochar credits to the decarbonisation mix. Microsoft is purchasing 3.7 million carbon removal credits from CO280. Shopify, Amazon, and Swiss Re have each joined suit, investing in “high-integrity” biochar projects. More recently, Elon Musk’s X Foundation granted $100 million to multiple bio-char-based carbon sequestration startup initiatives in India and Brazil.
Africa is also catching up. In Kenya, Tera and BIOSORRA have also been making efforts in the same direction. Driven by corporate net-zero pledges and the expansion of carbon markets, the global biochar market is projected to grow from approximately $1.3 billion in 2023 to $3.2 billion by 2032. No longer marginal, biochar is emerging as a key building block of the burgeoning green economy.
From Waste to Wealth: Biochar’s Transformative Potential
In addition to being a tool of climate mitigation, biochar serves as a force for bottom-up economic change. In India, small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), which account for 25% of the country’s greenhouse gas emissions, often lack the capital to invest in cleaner technologies. Biochar offers a viable alternative. Entrepreneurs can convert agricultural residues and urban biomass into carbon-sequestering products, tapping into voluntary carbon markets to create new revenue streams. Carbon auditing, certification, and blockchain-based transparency can further professionalise these emerging enterprises.
Biochar also revolutionises agriculture. It can promote the good growth of crops with a strong root system and palatable leaves. The porous structure of biochar provides a habitat for beneficial microorganisms, improves soil structure, and enhances nutrient retention, all of which contribute to healthier and more productive crops. Paired with certified carbon credits, it generates double revenue for farmers. In Southeast Asia, HelpAge International is assisting older people’s associations in producing household biochar, which is sold to farmers who use it to enhance soil fertility. The model provides a source of income for older people in exchange for work that requires minimal physical effort.
Urban India holds untapped potential. Residential colonies produce mountains of organic waste — leaf litter from trees, trimmings and branches that are burned or dumped because of ineffective, often venal, municipal waste systems. Local pyrolysis units could potentially turn this waste into biochar, cutting emissions and creating local value. India’s Green Credit Programme, launched under the Environment Protection Act, could further incentivise local production by offering tradable credits for verified environmental actions. City corporations in Hyderabad and Bengaluru are good candidates for testing the decentralised biochar on a neighbourhood scale. By incorporating biochar into waste management plans, cities can enhance urban air quality, foster local innovation, and disrupt systems of exploitative waste disposal. Biochar is not just a rural innovation; it should be in city budgets, policy frameworks and climate resilience plans.
From Rhetoric to Regeneration: A New Climate Ethos
While leaders around the world continue to debate at climate talks that seem to yield nothing but platitudes, innovation from the grassroots must transform what it means to take effective climate action. India’s youth, entrepreneurs, and communities must seize entrepreneurial opportunities around carbon sequestration. Governments need to be a catalyst, providing green financing, integrated policies and capacity building. There’s more to biochar than the “new black gold.” It’s a nature-based, community-level, scientifically-rooted, regenerative approach that is in sync with both the planet and the economy. In an era of despair and postponement, biochar offers a path to renewal — carbon sequestered not just in soil, but in the promise of a more equitable and resilient future.
Disclaimer
Views expressed above are the author’s own.
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