CF ’s Exclusive Interview Series—Prof. Pete Smith
Contents
Guest
Prof. Pete Smith, FRS, FRSE, FNA, FEurASc, FI Soil Sci., FRSB (he/him)
Professor of Soils & Global Change, Institute of Biological and Environmental Sciences, School of Biological Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, Scotland, UK;
Distinguished Visiting Professor, Dept. Earth System Science, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China.
Clarivate's Highly Cited Researcher in both Agricultural Sciences and Environment & Ecology.
Distinguished Visiting Professor, Dept. Earth System Science, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China.
Clarivate's Highly Cited Researcher in both Agricultural Sciences and Environment & Ecology.
Moderator
Prof. Xi Lu
Air Pollution and Control Research Institute, School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China.
Institute of Carbon Neutrality, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China.
Director of the Carbon Neutrality Committee of China Industrial Energy Conservation and Cleaner Production Association.
Institute of Carbon Neutrality, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China.
Director of the Carbon Neutrality Committee of China Industrial Energy Conservation and Cleaner Production Association.
Abstract
This interview will explore the complex interplay between climate mitigation and sustainable agriculture by comparing the potential and risks of negative-emission technologies—such as soil carbon storage, biochar, enhanced rock weathering, and afforestation—to meet the 1.5 °C target; examining strategies to balance high-yield crop production with long-term soil carbon sequestration amid ecological uncertainties; analyzing the policy, market, and behavioral economics levers needed to drive IPCC-recommended dietary shifts; assessing land-use trade-offs between bioenergy and food security alongside innovations in non-food feedstocks and conversion technologies; and highlighting how cutting-edge tools like isotope tracing, microbiome-informed soil amendments, and high-resolution Earth-system models can deepen our understanding of the soil carbon cycle and inform more effective global mitigation strategies.
Programme
Programme
