Veni, Vidi, Vermi... I. On the contribution of Darwin’s ‘humble earthworm’ to soil health, pollution-free primary production, organic ‘waste’ management & atmospheric carbon capture for a safe and sustainable global climate.

Summary in the original language of the document

Organic farming supplies more food with less ecological cost than chemical agriculture. Earthworm aspects of organic farming are twofold: ‘waste’ recycling through compost worms and soil enhancement from endemic field worms. Bio-physico-chemical benefits from sustained earthworm activity accrue for biodiversity, soil organic matter (SOM = worm-worked humus) derived from carbon sequestration of atmospheric CO2 via photosynthesis/humification and nitrogen N2 fixation from microbes rather than synthetic Haber-Bosch urea, plus greatly improved infiltration and soil-water-storage.
Just as earthworm burrows filter all rainwater, all atmospheric carbon from leaf litter/roots is processed through their intestines in 12 yr cycles as they build topsoil. Earth’s total soil data are not readily available, but flat-surface estimates with ranges of 2,400-6,020 Gt of topsoil humus are newly recalculated herein as 10,800-27,090 Gt containing 6,264-15,712 Gt SOC with a median value >10,000 Gt global soil carbon. Carbon restoration in this humus resource alone has potential for rapid reduction of Mauna Loa’s 400 ppm atmospheric CO2 by ~100 ppm, i.e., to pre-industrial levels.
This review highlights that organic husbandry – with earthworms at its core – offsets CO2 emissions (remediation) while moisture, pH, and soil temperatures simultaneously improve, increasing crop resilience and biodiversity (mitigation & adaptation). Earthworms naturally monitor & maintain healthy soils thereby solving human-generated climate & critical species extinction problems at both local & global scale. Such important considerations support 2015 Paris COP21 ‘Climate Change Policy’ agenda & international “4/1000 Initiative: Soils for Food Security & Climate”.