Carbon sequestration approaches reduce atmospheric carbon dioxide by increasing biological carbon uptake and long-term storage in biomass or soils over time.
Coverage 2014–2014 · Updated 16 Jul 2026
Carbon sequestration transfers atmospheric carbon into a biological store and lowers atmospheric CO₂ only while that storage persists.
| Approach | Storage mechanism and limitation |
|---|---|
| Afforestation | Establish trees where there was no previous forest; growing biomass and soil store carbon, but plantation species and fire risk matter |
| Forest regeneration | Re-establish forest after harvest, fire, pests or disease; native recovery restores biomass carbon but takes time |
| Restore peat-forming wetlands | Rewet anaerobic soils so decomposition slows and peat accumulates; drainage reverses storage and releases CO₂ |
There is active debate over non-native plantations versus rewilding with native species: rapid carbon uptake must be weighed against biodiversity, resilience and permanence.
Rewetting drained peat reduces aerobic decomposition and allows long-term soil carbon accumulation to resume.
Sequestration complements emissions reduction; temporary uptake cannot offset continued fossil-carbon release one-for-one.
This objective is assessed through multiple choice, structured response, commonly using Explain.
Explain
Build the answer around this relationship: Photosynthesis removes carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and stores carbon in organic matter.
Representative question
Which action will decrease carbon sequestration?
Afforestation
Primary production
Deforestation
Rewetting peatlands
Core D4.3 is secure when every climate impact is explained as a chain: human greenhouse-gas sources or feedbacks change climate conditions, which alter habitats, oceans, carbon stores, or species distributions. Carbon sequestration is the mitigation chain that stores atmospheric CO2.
Core climate-change transfer answers should not list endangered examples. They should identify the climate driver, explain the physical or chemical mechanism, then state the biological consequence. Use this for greenhouse gases, feedbacks, boreal forests, ice-dependent species, upwelling, range shifts, reefs, and carbon sequestration.
