Covering 70% of the Earth’s surface, the ocean already acts as a giant carbon sink, removing about a quarter of the carbon dioxide produced each year by human activity, scientists estimate. Atmospheric carbon is absorbed through the physical mixing of air and water at the surface and with chemical reactions below that involve photosynthesis by marine plankton. Once the carbon enters the ocean, it can be safely locked up in the deep sea for hundreds or thousands of years, research has shown.
Scientists say it may not be enough to switch to renewable energy, drive electric vehicles and move to low-carbon manufacturing to avoid the most dangerous impacts of climate change. To meet international climate goals, it’s also necessary to remove 10 gigatons of atmospheric CO2 every year between now and 2050, according to a 2019 report by the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine…
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