1,000-Year Carbon Sequestration Strategies Necessary to Limit Global Heating, Scientists Say [Video]

A new study suggests that the only way to stop global heating is to use carbon sequestration strategies that store carbon for 1,000 years, rather than the 100-year time frame used in many carbon sequestration models and natural sequestration by some long-lived tree species.

In their paper, Cyril Brunner, Zeke Hausfather and Reto Knutti suggest their findings demonstrate that short-term strategies for carbon storage will lead to captured carbon being released before it can be recycled naturally in Earth’s atmosphere, reported Phys.org.

“Carbon Dioxide Removal is essential for achieving net zero emissions, as it is required to neutralize any residual CO2 emissions,” the scientists wrote in the study. “Our findings suggest that a CO2 storage period of less than 1000 years is insufficient for neutralizing remaining fossil CO2 emissions under net zero emissions.”

Previous studies have shown that the many ways to sequester atmospheric carbon fall into two categories: forced and natural.

Forced carbon sequestration involves …