carbon sequestration

noun

plural carbon sequestrations

1

: any of various methods or processes for capturing and storing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere : carbon capture

Carbon sequestration is capturing the carbon dioxide produced by burning fossil fuels and storing it safely away from the atmosphere.

—National Academy of Engineering

… carbon sequestration, the process of taking carbon dioxide—the greenhouse gas associated with global warming—and removing it from circulation by compressing it and injecting it deep underground.

—Phred Dvorak

especially : the capture and use of carbon dioxide by living vegetation : carbon capture sense 2

Carbon sequestration is a process by which carbon dioxide is removed from the atmosphere, which can be done by forests or in the soil, among other processes.

—Eliza Noe

2

: the storage of carbon and especially carbon dioxide in carbon sinks (such as oceans, soil, or forests) by natural or artificial means

While measurements of carbon sequestration in trees is well documented, there has been very little work on how much carbon … grasslands can capture …

—John Lovett

Greater Toledo has the potential to be a national leader in carbon sequestration thanks to geological formations that support burial of the captured carbon.

—Toledo (Ohio) Blade

Examples of carbon sequestration in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

This method demonstrates how mineralization can be a practical and scalable approach to long-term carbon sequestration. —Rob Van Straten, Forbes, 31 Oct. 2024

The bills would outright prohibit carbon sequestration immediately in and around the Mahomet Aquifer. —Juanpablo Ramirez-Franco / Grist, Quartz, 21 Oct. 2024

This principle of reciprocity has driven some of Dr. Lal’s most significant breakthroughs in carbon sequestration and food security that have earned him global acclaim, including the World Food Prize in 2020. —Daphne Ewing-Chow, Forbes, 19 Sep. 2024

In the last five years, Exxon has produced multiple pro-CCS brochures and ads, comparing the carbon capture potential at industrial plants to the carbon sequestration of actual plants and trees. —Amy Westervelt, Vox, 29 July 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1989, in the meaning defined at sense 1