Fungi stores a third of carbon from fossil fuel emissions and could be essential to reaching net zero

Mycorrhizal fungi are responsible for holding up to 36 per cent of yearly global fossil fuel emissions below ground - more than China emits each year

The fungi make up a vast underground network all over the planet underneath grasslands and forests, as well as roads, gardens, and houses on every continent on Earth

It is not only crucial to storing carbon and keeping the planet cooler, but are also essential to global biodiversity

Researchers are now calling for fungi to be considered more heavily in conservation and biodiversity policies, and are investigating whether we can increase how much carbon the soil underneath us can hold