This policy brief summarizes three complementary research projects focusing on CO2 emissions or sequestration by different natural sources: crops, landslides, and lakes. 

The first research line focuses on understanding how plants acclimate to climate variability and how new agricultural technologies can improve photosynthesis, especially under adverse climatic conditions, and help reduce carbon emissions and/or enhance its sequestration. It estimates technologies' effectiveness in enhancing crop photosynthesis and improving water efficiency. 

Experiments were conducted in controlled environments to measure CO₂ sequestration in various crops under variable water conditions. The acclimation of plants to temperature changes allows them to maintain efficient photosynthesis. However, drought poses a great challenge, especially as it increases with climate change. Agricultural practices significantly affect greenhouse gas balances through both emissions and CO₂ absorption. Emerging technologies, such as biostimulants and drought-resistant plant varieties, show promise for maintaining high photosynthetic rates and water-use efficiency under stress conditions, thus enhancing carbon sequestration and reducing chemical inputs. 

Experimental findings indicate that biostimulants can maintain high photosynthetic efficiency in drought: this suggest supporting drought-resistant crop breeding, promoting biostimulant use for water efficiency, and synchronising CO₂ absorption with emission patterns to maximize agriculture's role in climate mitigation. 

The second research line focuses on developing a dynamic Landslide Susceptibility (LS) map for Italy that leverages Google Earth Engine (GEE) to enhance landslide risk management in a changing climate. By integrating satellite imagery, rainfall, and land cover data, GEE facilitates large-scale geospatial analysis at low computational cost, and it allows for temporal monitoring of environmental changes. 

The project proposes a framework that exploits a Random Forest (RF) algorithm trained on Italian landslide data. This LS map categorizes regions into six hazard zones. Additionally, the study explores the link between LS and soil organic carbon (SOC), finding that high SOC levels align with lower landslide hazards, contributing to insights on carbon storage’s role in stabilizing slopes. 

Moreover, an analysis following the Emilia Romagna landslides of May 2023 found significant SOC and above-ground biomass (AGB) losses: landslides may act as temporary carbon sources and human interventions, such as reforestation, GRINS – Growing Resilient, Inclusive and Sustainable “9. Economic and financial sustainability of systems and territories” Codice identificativo: PE00000018 could be essential in restoring carbon stocks post-landslide. The finding points to a need for sustainable management of SOC and AGB to maintain ecosystem resilience. 

The third research line assesses the photochemical generation of CO₂ from organic sources in lake waters exposed to sunlight. Dissolved organic matter in lakes, particularly its chromophoric fraction (CDOM), absorbs sunlight, undergoing oxidation reactions that ultimately release CO₂. 

While photosynthesis typically offsets this CO₂ production, disruptions in lake ecology may result in a net increase in greenhouse gas emissions. Using a simplified model focusing on a single wavelength (410 nm) representative of sunlight-induced CO₂ production, the study considers over 70,000 lakes worldwide. Large northern lakes (30°N-60°N), like the Caspian Sea, account for about 50% of CO₂ emissions from lakes globally. Although the CO₂ produced by photomineralization is typically balanced by photosynthetic uptake, environmental changes could disrupt this balance. It is then important to prioritize large lakes for CO₂ monitoring.