Example
Plants transfer atmospheric carbon into biomass through photosynthesis.
The catch
Storage duration and the possibility of reversal matter.
Related terms
Afforestation, Biodiversity, Blue carbon, Carbon sink, Carbon stock, Deforestation
In more depth
Sequestration, explained.
Sequestration and removal overlap without being identical, and the difference decides what a claim can say. Storing CO₂ captured from a fossil power plant's exhaust through carbon capture and storage prevents an emission. It removes nothing from the atmosphere. Carbon dioxide removal requires the carbon to come out of the air, through growing plants, direct capture or similar routes, and then stay stored.
Reservoirs differ in how long they hold carbon. Forests and soil carbon can be lost to fire, drought or ploughing within years, while carbon injected into suitable deep rock or turned into minerals can stay put far longer. Report sequestration as a net figure. A forest that grows while parts of it are harvested or burn sequesters less than its growth rate suggests.