Let’s keep the sky as blue as it was at 280 ppm. “Clouds Blue Sky” by photographer Kabir Bakle, 2004. Creative Commons 2.5. Included with appreciation.

We hear so much about reducing carbon dioxide (and other greenhouse gases) in the atmosphere, it may sound like we are aiming to clear the Earth of carbon. But carbon is the basis of life. Carbon compounds make up 18% of the human body, found in every cell, forming the building blocks of proteins. Plants are also 18% carbon.

“Global Carbon Cycle” by NASA/JPL, 2015. Public Domain.

We don’t need, or want, to eliminate carbon. Rather we need to restore and renew its proper balance. Carbon is a cycle. It moves from land to water to sky. In the sky, it combines with oxygen to form carbon dioxide. Carbon dioxide is also water soluble, so it is found in lakes and rivers; in the ocean, too much creates acidification, but a smaller amount is natural. When there is too much in the atmosphere, carbon dioxide (and other greenhouse gases like methane that degrades into carbon dioxide) form a kind of blanket causing global warming. Some amount of carbon in the atmosphere, and the ocean, is not only normal but desirable, part of the great circular journey of carbon that nourishes and vivifies the planet.

“Carbon Cycle” by graphic artist Kevin Saff, based on Earth Observatory, NASA, “Carbon Cycle.” Dedicated to the public domain, and included with appreciation.

But how much is carbon is enough, and not too much? Before the Industrial Revolution when we started burning coal, then oil and gas, atmospheric carbon dioxide was 0.028% or 280 ppm. Right now, it’s more than 425 ppm – and growing. So, we don’t have to remove every last bit of carbon, or carbon dioxide. We just have to return from 425 (or so) of atmospheric carbon dioxide to 280.

Cessation of carbon-based (fossil) fuels, transitioning to non-carbon renewable energy, is the first step. Reforestation will help: will programs like the National Trails and Parks support public health? Restoring peatlands and wetlands may contribute: will the Netherlands lead the way? Regenerative agriculture will improve soil and atmosphere. Eventually, excess carbon dioxide in ocean and atmosphere will find its way back to the land, restoring balance. We’ll surely need to pursue both avoidance (not burning carbon-based fuels) and perhaps removal. Nature-based carbon removal systems like forests can remove 15.6 billion metric tonnes of carbon annually. Seaweed can help to remove carbon from oceans. Mineralization and biochar can return, and sequester, carbon in earth. Some say we will need assists like geo-engineering, but we’re not there…yet.

“Carbon sequestration” by LeJean Hardin and Jamie Payne based on Jari Amtzen, 2009. Creative Commons 3.0. Included with appreciation.

We are now at 425ppm. It may not be too late to return to 280 ppm, renewing the Earth. Seeing carbon as part of a cycle may help.

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). “Climate Change Indicators: Atmospheric Concentrations of Greenhouse Gases.” June 2024. https://www.epa.gov/climate-indicators/climate-change-indicators-atmospheric-concentrations-greenhouse-gases

Global Carbon Budget. “Fossil CO2 emissions at record high in 2023.” 4 December 2023. University of Exeter. https://globalcarbonbudget.org/fossil-co2-emissions-at-record-high-in-2023/

Lindsey, Rebecca and Ed Dlugokencky. “Climate Change: Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide.” Based on NOAA Global Monitoring Lab. 9 April 2024. http://www.climate.gov/news-features/understanding-climate/climate-change-atmospheric-carbon-dioxide

Ralph, Robin. “Removing carbon from the atmosphere: 6 strategies.” 20 June 2022. Patch. https://www.patch.io/blog/removing-carbon-from-the-atmosphere-6-strategies

Building the World Blog by Kathleen Lusk Brooke and Zoe G. Quinn is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 U