The Most Underrated Climate Tool You’ve Never Heard Of: Biochar Explained

We talk a lot about tree planting, but far less about what happens to all the agricultural and organic waste we burn or dump. That’s where biochar comes in.

In this episode of The Samuele Tini Show, I’m joined by Luisa Marin, Executive Director of the International Biochar Initiative (IBI). After 25+ years in conservation with organisations like Conservation International and The Nature Conservancy, Luisa moved into carbon project development—and discovered biochar: a carbon‑rich “black sponge” made by pyrolysing crop residues, prunings, manure and other organic waste instead of letting them rot or burn.

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Done well, biochar can:

• Lock away carbon in soils and materials for hundreds to thousands of years

• Regenerate soils, boosting water retention, porosity and microbial life

• Cut fertiliser and irrigation needs for farmers

• Create new revenue streams through products and carbon credits—especially in the Global South

Luisa explains how research suggests biochar could remove up to 6% of global annual emissions—roughly like switching off 800 coal plants for a year—and why just 1 gram of biochar can have the surface area of two tennis courts. She also talks frankly about “good biochar” vs “bad biochar”, the importance of standards and lab tests, and the most common mistake she sees: projects chasing carbon money without proper technical and financial feasibility or patient capital.

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We also hear real examples from Kenya, Zimbabwe, Ghana and Latin America, where farmers and communities are already turning waste into value using both industrial and artisanal kilns—with support from NGOs, digital MRV tools and local governments.

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If you care about climate action, soil health and future markets in the Global South, this episode is a clear, grounded introduction to one of the most powerful—and underrated—tools on the table.