Natural Carbon Capture

For life to thrive, carbon dioxide must be naturally regulated. When the Earth was first formed, carbon dioxide’s high quantities prohibited any life, until a small microbe called cyanobacteria (or blue-green algae) started absorbing the gas and releasing oxygen into the air, through the process of photosynthesis. Over millions of years, these tiny beings changed the planet’s atmospheric composition drastically. In this climate crisis, cyanobacteria could help life thrive once again, acting similarly to trees as a natural carbon capture strategy.

Cyanobacteria can bloom wherever conditions are favorable — in warm water, in the presence of light, or where there are excess nutrients. One acre of cyanobacteria absorbs about 2.7 tons of carbon dioxide per day — twice as much as plants. To multiply this effect, we can grow blue-green algae in ponds, or sink some in the ocean. However, cyanobacteria can only be deployed away from human populations, as it often causes rashes and irritation. In an effort to mimic the natural effects of cyanobacteria, artificial bioreactors have also come into play, which can soak up 400 times more carbon dioxide than a typical tree.

Trees are another, more traditional form of carbon capture. They also use photosynthesis, taking carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and converting it into oxygen. However, trees are less efficient and more expensive because of the space that they require. Though they are often heralded as the saviors of carbon capture, scientists have found cyanobacteria to be far more effective. Still, trees and forests maintain important and irreplaceable ecological benefits, forming the basis for many ecosystems across the planet.

These natural carbon capture strategies are called carbon sinks — areas into which carbon sinks from the atmosphere. While carbon sinks have played an important role in developing life on Earth, they are still not effective enough to counteract the rapid rate of green house gas emissions. That is when human ingenuity comes into play.