Carbon sequestration, as a biological process, refers to the capture and long-term storage of inorganic carbon, primarily in the form of atmospheric CO₂, into organic and inorganic carbon pools mediated by living organisms. In terrestrial ecosystems, plants, fungi, and microbes fix CO₂ via photosynthesis and chemoautotrophy, transferring carbon into biomass, soils, and stable humic substances. In aquatic systems, phytoplankton, macroalgae, and microbial communities incorporate CO₂ into organic matter, some of which is exported to deeper waters and sediments through the biological pump. Biological carbon sequestration regulates carbon cycling, ecosystem productivity, and contributes to the buffering of atmospheric CO₂ concentrations.
Innovators who are working on ways to pull carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere to fight climate change are having a tough time lately.
Environment
May 12, 2026
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Carbon credits allow companies to offset their greenhouse gas emissions through mitigation projects in order to meet voluntary targets, compliance obligations, or national net-zero goals. However, a recent analysis found ...
Environment
May 12, 2026
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A technology designed to mitigate global warming could, paradoxically, contribute to carbon emissions if hotter temperatures lead to a shift in where bioenergy crops are grown. Bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS) ...
Environment
May 12, 2026
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Researchers have cautioned that well-intended suggested changes to carbon markets risk worsening climate impacts if core safeguards are weakened. Climate change, biodiversity loss and human rights are deeply interconnected ...
Earth Sciences
May 11, 2026
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Photosynthesis is the oldest carbon-capture technology on Earth. For eons, plants have pulled carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and locked carbon—the building block of life on our planet—into their bodies and roots.
Environment
May 11, 2026
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Chocolate is the food of the gods. The name of the tree from which the confection originates, Theobroma cacao, combines the Greek words for god (theós) and food (brôma). This small evergreen tree grows in tropical forests ...
Ecology
May 5, 2026
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It's a common misconception that rainforests are the lungs of Earth. Our oceans produce most of the oxygen we consume and are more effective at storing carbon.
Earth Sciences
Apr 30, 2026
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A major analysis led by the University of Cambridge has found that many REDD+ projects achieved meaningful reductions in forest loss—offering real environmental benefits. This is despite the study confirming that almost 11 ...
Environment
Apr 29, 2026
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Push a metal corer into a peatland and you pull up something remarkable: a dark, dense, sponge-like material made of partly decomposed plants. This peat is rich in carbon. In some places, that peat has been building up for ...
Environment
Apr 28, 2026
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Tropical forests are among the world's most important carbon sinks. A new study by the Technical University of Munich (TUM), the University of Vienna, and Brazil's National Institute for Amazonian Research suggests that even ...
Environment
Apr 28, 2026
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