Carbon Sequestration

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Context

There has been increasing investments to develop technology in the field of Carbon Sequestration and to combat the dangers of climate change.

Key Highlights

• As Global Warming accelerates and society continues to emanate greenhouse gases, the idea of investing in artificial techniques of Carbon Sequestration is picking up steam.

• According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), nations may need to remove between 100 billion and 1 trillion tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO₂) from the atmosphere this century to avert the worst effects of climate change, far more than can be absorbed by simply planting more trees.

• Carbon dioxide is the most commonly produced greenhouse gas. Carbon sequestration is the long-term storage of carbon in plants, soils, geologic formations, and the oceans. 

• Atmospheric carbon dioxide comes from two primary sources:

  • Natural sources of carbon dioxide include most animals, which exhale carbon dioxide as a waste product.

  • Human activities that lead to carbon dioxide emissions come primarily from energy production, including burning coal, oil, or natural gas.

• Carbon sequestration occurs both naturally and as a consequence of anthropogenic activities and typically refers to the storage of carbon.

• Types of Carbon sequestration are:

  • Terrestrial Carbon Sequestration: Terrestrial carbon sequestration is the process through which CO2 from the atmosphere is absorbed by trees and plants via photosynthesis and is stored as carbon in soils and biomass such as tree trunks, branches, foliage, and roots.

  • Geologic Carbon Sequestration: It is the process of injecting carbon dioxide (CO2), captured from an industrial (e.g., steel and cement production) or energy-related source (e.g., a power plant or natural gas processing facility), into deep subsurface rock formations for long-term storage.

  • Ocean Carbon Sequestration: Oceans absorb, release and store large amounts of CO2 from the atmosphere. This can be done in two ways - by enhancing productivity of ocean biological systems through Iron fertilization and by injecting CO2 into the deep ocean. The dumping of iron stimulates phytoplankton production, which in turn results in higher photosynthesis from these microorganisms, thereby contributing in CO2 absorption.