Spreading rock dust on farms to capture carbon could change Earth’s reflectivity

Using crushed rock dust to speed up the rate at which soils absorb carbon dioxide could also affect the climate by making Earth’s surface reflect more or less of the sun’s radiation.

Enhanced rock weathering (ERW), as it is known, is rapidly growing around the world as scientists and businesses hunt for ways to capture carbon from the atmosphere.

It involves sprinkling crushed volcanic rock, such as basalt, onto soils…