Everyone emits carbon into the atmosphere
With every breath we exhale carbon dioxide
and the agricultural, energy, and transportation industries we rely on also release mass amounts of C02
The geologic processes which sequester carbon naturally are very slow
With what we are doing, in effect we are outpacing the worlds normal carbon sequestration rates by two orders of magnitude
With human greenhouse gas contributions increasing rapidly
what are the ways we can sequester C02 out of the atmosphere and into the ground?
I’m your host Stefan, and welcome to Geophysics Explained
In the United States coal, oil, and gas combined-emissions per person was 16.2 tonnes, data from 2018
The worldwide emissions average, per capita, was 4.5 tonnes for 2018
Food production is responsible for another 26% of greenhouse gas emissions, averaged worldwide
Add onto that your basic biologic need to respire carbon dioxide for survival
and you exhale another 1000 lbs or 450 kg of C02 per year
Incorporate other sources of greenhouse gas emissions, from melting permafrost to our flatulent friends
and it’s clear we’re conducting the largest chemistry experiment ever. An experiment where the consequences are unknown
and while animals respire carbon, plants store it, filtering the air and releasing oxygen as part of the photosynthesis cycle
Trees absorb roughly 50 lbs of carbon per year
so it would take 1000 trees planted and maintained, for the average American to offset their yearly share of C02 emissions
To offset the global average C02 emissions per person worldwide, everyone would need to plant 250 trees, or 1.95 trillion trees collectively
Even if you just want to offset the C02 that you breath out every day, that would be 20 trees planted
Over the last 200 years, 1300 Gt carbon dioxide has been released from anthropogenic emissions
and about 38% of that has already gone into the oceans
Remember a gigaton is one billion tonnes
The oceans currently absorb 1/3rd of the carbon dioxide released per year, and 90% of the associated atmospheric temperature increase
The surface water on this planet is a huge thermal mass and an enormous carbon sink with the capacity to hold thousands more gigatons of carbon dioxide
But there are negative effects to the ocean absorbing so much carbon
As more carbon is absorbed by the oceans, seawater pH decreases and the water becomes more acidic
Additionally, the global warming trend increases the temperatures of the ocean
With the oceans being higher temperature and more acidic, widespread coral bleaching events are becoming very common
and the majority of reefs around the world have either been destroyed or have suffered a huge loss in life and diversity
With the use of fossil fuels, humanity has opened Pandora’s box
and it is now our responsibility to solve the problems of our own creation, for the benefit of all life on Earth, including ours
In order to solve any problem, you first need to understand the framework that we’re operating in
The closest analogue we have geologically is the PETM
55 million years ago, an event known as the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum, PETM for short, occurred
A massive amount of carbon, approximately 12,000 gigatonnes, was released into the atmosphere over a 20,000 to 50,000 year timeframe
averaging to a quarter of a Gt per year
Since the widespread usage of fossil fuels began, we’ve released carbon 27x faster than what occurred during the PETM
If looking at our most recent emission numbers, we’re emitting 37 gT of C02 per year, or a rate 155x faster than during the PETM average of 0.25 Gt
During the PETM, global temperatures increased 5-8 degrees Celsius
and the warming period lasted for 200,000+ years
Sea levels rose, weather patterns changed, and deep sea extinctions occurred as parts of the ocean acidified
Natural sequestration processes eventually lowered atmospheric carbon levels
but there was a significant lag of 15-25,000 years from the start of the PETM
to when sediment routing systems began to sequester carbon geologically at a faster rate
Geologically, carbon is sequestered through erosion into flood plains, intertidal meadows, swamps, mangroves
and also deep in the ocean where carbon will dissolute (crystalize) into CaC03, calcium carbonate
Biologically, carbon from plants and animals makes its way into the soil or to the ocean bottom
over time entering into long term storage
Through no carbon sequestration efforts of our own
we’re looking at a timeline of at least thousands to hundreds of thousands of years long
for the carbon cycle to rebalance from our contribution of 1300 Gt C02
If we are to survive on this planet in a prosperous and harmonious way
then it is imperative that we begin sequestering the carbon that has been emitted through our own efforts
And we need to do this rapidly
There is a lag time between increased C02 emissions and increased temperatures
and once certain global average temperatures are reached, positive carbon-releasing and warming feedback loops will be triggered
Reduced sea ice, snow, and glaciers lower the albedo of the planet, reflecting less solar energy
and if permafrost layers in the arctic regions of the world melt
then hundreds of gigatons of C02 currently trapped in permafrost layers will be additionally released
Positive carbon feedback loops are quick and disruptive, while negative feedback loops are steady but much slower
So how can we make a difference?
Well there are a lot of ways, and even if you don’t reduce your individual carbon footprint to zero tomorrow
less emissions give us more time to engineer larger carbon sequestration solutions
like liquid carbon dioxide sequestration
which would repurpose the existing oil and gas infrastructure
Reducing our carbon footprint starts with you, all of us!
Walking or biking are carbon-free transportation methods great for local travel
Driving a hybrid or all-electric car is an improvement over internal fuel combustion vehicles
Utilizing public transport also reduces your carbon impact through the economy of scale
Eating a vegetarian diet reduces your C02 emission from food by about 50%
and even without becoming fully vegetarian or vegan, you can decrease your C02 emissions by reducing your meat consumption
buying whole and unprocessed foods, and buying local
Putting on or taking off an extra layer of clothes instead of adjusting the thermostat
reduces your heating or cooling bill and lessens the amount of carbon released
If you are a homeowner, installing solar panels will save you money, greatly reduce your carbon emissions, and free you from the price fluctuations of the energy grid.
These are all great tips, and many of us are already doing these things, and if you are good job!
If you’re not, or you don’t have the resources for some of the more expensive carbon reducing measures mentioned
there are still other methods available to you to reduce your carbon footprint
In fact, you can not only reduce your carbon emissions but actively sequester carbon, which at this point is what is desperately needed
As referenced earlier, planting trees is one of the most impactful ways of sequestering carbon known
The best time to plant a tree was twenty years ago, and the second best time is now
by greenifying the planet you create more habitat for life, help clean the air of pollution, and become an active part of the ecosystem
Working with local organizations to support tree planting projects is one way you can help
you can plant in your backyard, or go the guerrilla gardening route, use your imagination!
A real simple way to make a difference is to leave seeds you encounter better than you found them
While in nature any large tree seeds I find I’ll place into gopher holes
Old fruits and their seeds I will relocate to a nice patch of ground
Seeds from fruits and vegetables go into my compost pile
All these methods increase the probability of success for these seeds
which ultimately means more plants, more carbon sequestered, and a more beautiful planet
Another method of sequestering carbon is through composting!
Utilizing the food scraps that we all produce from fruits, vegetables, and grains
you can enrich the soil with carbon and vital nutrients that plants and trees desperately need
Leaves, grass clippings, and wood chips are also excellent for composting, especially large compost piles
Keeping an active compost pile moves carbon into the soil and helps to offset your individual carbon emissions
Large scale agricultural companies are less concerned with the environment and are huge carbon emitters
Supporting local organic and biodynamic farms which are carbon neutral or carbon negative will also help to reduce your carbon emissions
Remember 25% of carbon produced worldwide comes from the food sector
Biodynamic farms have large scale composting and planting operations while minimizing their use of pesticides and heavy machinery
The food they produce is more nutrient rich and better for your health, and your money spent stays in the local economy
Spending time in nature is another excellent way to reduce your carbon emissions while supporting larger carbon sequestration projects
Time spent walking, hiking, and camping in parks, open spaces, and wilderness areas boosts mental health
and is a very low carbon activity that’s easy on the bank account
The money possibly spent for admission to these areas is used for ecologic projects and will also support local reforestation efforts
Again one tree planted is 50 lbs of carbon sequestered per year every year!
Reducing consumerism also helps the environment a lot. Gigatonnes of carbon is required to make, ship, and deliver goods around the world
Massive container ships emit 3% of the global carbon per year, with this being more than the total emissions of many large countries
and this number is growing as consumerism increases
Additionally, the delivery of goods from local warehouses is completed by gas guzzling cargo trucks
Bundling your shipments together rather than having them each packaged and shipped separately will reduce your carbon emissions
Not buying things you don’t need will forgo carbon emission completely while increasing your account balance
You can also support companies who are carbon neutral, or even better, pledged to be carbon negative
Climateneutral.org has a list of companies who are carbon neutral, and can see them all by visiting the link in the video description
If you’d like to directly support reforestation projects, then consider donating, volunteering, or investing with reNature
reNature is an agroforestry company helping farmers convert their monocrop farmland into food producing carbon sinks
To learn more, click the link in the video description
Collectively we’re in a tough spot right now. Never before have the natural places of the world been under such attack
Massive wildfires are becoming regular events worldwide, hurricanes, storms, and monsoons are becoming more destructive
and old growth forests like the Amazon are rapidly being cut down and converted into pasture for meat production
Each of us has the capacity to make a difference. Until we collectively decide enough is enough, our climate catastrophe will only get worse
Your actions today, tomorrow, and in the future will inspire others too
and while we can’t stop the C02 that we respire with every breath
we can harness the power our breath provides us to be conscious of our actions and to take responsibility for the greenhouse gases we emit otherwise
Now more than ever it’s time to make a difference and begin the transition from carbon emission to carbon sequestration
One easy way you can help is to like this video
The more people that I can reach through the algorithm, the bigger the impact this information can have
So I ask you, please share this video with others so we can all become more educated on how we can sequester carbon, and not just emit it
Thanks for watching, namaste
If you are eager to learn more, please subscribe to my channel for future content and updates
and watch my composting carbon sequestration video next, linked here