decarbonize

verb

de·​car·​bon·​ize (ˌ)dē-ˈkär-bə-ˌnīz 

decarbonized; decarbonizing; decarbonizes

transitive verb

1

: to remove carbon from (something)

It's usually not necessary to dismantle the engine to decarbonize it anymore.

—Allen D. Berrien

2

: to reduce the levels of carbon emissions (such as carbon dioxide) caused by or involved in (something, such as a facility, process, or organization)

… we must decarbonize the energy supply by developing forms of power that emit less greenhouse gas or none at all.

—Daniel Ben-Ami

[Steve] Cohen is confident that we will be able to decarbonize our economy in time to avoid catastrophic climate impacts.

—Renee Cho

intransitive verb

: to reduce the production of carbon emissions

Certainly, people at Airbus say they need to decarbonize, and research on battery technology for electric planes has been disappointing.

—Ned Potter

decarbonizer noun

Examples of decarbonize in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

From manufacturing sustainable products and services to decarbonizing supply chains and operations to managing regulatory reporting, sustainability offers transformative business insights that can drive growth. —Andreas Eschbach, Forbes, 6 Dec. 2024

The chips manufacturer enables the tech industry and its customers in other industries to be more sustainable by working to decarbonize the whole supply chain to ensure everyone's ESG goals are met. —Daniel R. Depetris, Newsweek, 6 Dec. 2024

Therefore, efforts to decarbonize the grid affordably depend on what happens with always-on or always-available hydro, geothermal, and nuclear power plants. —IEEE Spectrum, 25 Nov. 2024

As part of California’s goal of decarbonizing its power by 2045, the state increased battery storage by 757 percent between 2019 and 2023. —Matt Simon / Grist, Quartz, 12 Nov. 2024

Word History

Etymology

International Scientific Vocabulary

First Known Use

1821, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1