Duke University Buys Land to Create Carbon Farm

Duke University has stepped up its efforts to achieve carbon neutrality by purchasing a 10,000-acre land in eastern North Carolina for setting a carbon farm.

The farm located in Hyde County on a tract of pocosin peatlandsis expected to cut the university’s carbon emissions

Carbon farming pulls out excessive carbon from the air and stores it in agricultural lands, a new technique used in the global fight against climate change.

“By rewetting andreverting these former peatlands to their natural wetland state, we cansignificantly increase their capacity for long-term carbon storage,” said Curtis J. Richardson, director ofthe Duke University Wetland Center.

“This is a tremendous opportunity for the state of North Carolina, Duke University and the private land owner to create the largest carbon farm in the eastern United States, maybethe entire country,” Richardson said.

The university has set 2024 as the deadline to achieve carbon neutrality.

Last week, Stanford University announced second 88-megawatt solar photovoltaic plant to reach 100 percent reliance on the use of renewable electricityacross its campus by 2021.