Removing Carbon Dioxide from the Air to Stabilise the Climate

Forests, wetlands, peatlands and coastal habitats provide significant storage of terrestrial biological carbon, but they are under threat from exploitation, degradation and land-use change. In situ methods envisage injection of carbon dioxide into permeable rock strata, where higher temperature and pressure will accelerate reaction with water and minerals. The scale of carbon dioxide capture and storage required to meet climate targets is a daunting challenge both for policy formulation and technology development; however, it makes no thermodynamic sense to contemplate removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere later this century whilst continuing massive uninhibited emissions. In photosynthesis, growing biomass absorbs carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Using plant products to replace materials made from fossil fuels or with the expenditure of much fossil energy will lead to a reduction in atmospheric carbon dioxide.