Carbon sequestration
Carbon sequestration is the capture and storage of carbon in biological, geological, oceanic, or product reservoirs, limiting its presence in the atmosphere. It can occur naturally or through managed practices and technologies, with storage duration, reversal risk, measurement, and wider environmental effects varying by pathway.
In simple terms
Plants can remove carbon dioxide through photosynthesis and store carbon in biomass and soils. Other approaches capture carbon dioxide and place it in geological formations or durable materials. Sequestration describes storage, while carbon dioxide removal additionally requires taking carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Capturing fossil carbon at an industrial source can prevent an emission without necessarily removing atmospheric carbon. Any climate assessment must consider how much is stored, for how long, and whether leakage or reversal occurs.
Why it matters
Carbon sequestration can support net zero strategies by helping counterbalance residual emissions, and it underpins some carbon credits. Nature-based solutions and blue carbon ecosystems can contribute biological storage, while engineered pathways may offer different durability. Storage is finite and can be reversible, so sequestration complements rather than substitutes for rapid emissions reductions.
Example
For example, restoring a degraded wetland may increase carbon stored in vegetation and soil. A credible project establishes a baseline, monitors changes, accounts for methane and other effects, and plans for reversal risk. The resulting stored carbon is not automatically an offset unless a governing programme quantifies and issues eligible units.
How it differs
Net zero
Carbon sequestration is a process or outcome that stores carbon; net zero is a bounded state in which defined emissions are balanced by defined removals over a period.