ABSTRACT
The conversion of woodlands, prairies, and other landscapes into agricultural land has led to an increased loss of soil carbon worldwide. Land-use conversion and soil cultivation have been a significant source of greenhouse gases (GHGs) to the atmosphere, responsible for about one-third of GHG emissions. But what is carbon in essence? Is it possible to measure something but never really know it? There is a major potential for increasing soil carbon through restoration of degraded soils but also by forming new meanings around the concepts of carbon sequestration. The soil can be a repository for decomposed organic matter but also memories of forms once living. This chapter looks at the carbon cycle from the points of view of the Finnish soil scientist Taru Sandén and Finnish artist Terike Haapoja. After several e-mails the three of us managed to arrange a Skype meeting in April 2016. After speaking about the cultural and chemical complexities of decomposition for about an hour we parted ways. Ironically, the audio file had digitally decomposed and our recorded musings were lost. To best reflect our exchange, the chapter consists of an interview with Taru Sandén about her public awareness campaign and citizen science project, the Tea Bag Index (TBI), and a photo essay by Terike Haapoja featuring her work for the 55th Venice Biennale, Closed Circuit—Open Duration.
