The study and modeling of the global C cycle have been dominated by the assumption that the atmosphere and the biota were in C steady state prior to the industrial revolution. This view led to the perception that most of the terrestrial biota was neutral with regards to the C concentration of the atmosphere. Recent evidence suggests that neither the atmosphere nor the biota were in C steady state prior to, or since, the industrial revolution. Therefore, it is now necessary to re-visit the role of natural processes in the global C cycle, study the C cycle in its totality, and focus attention on the magnitude of potential C sinks in ecosystems previously thought to be neutral with respect to atmospheric C.