Carbon Sequestration a Viable Option to Mitigate Climate Change

Abstract

Anthropogenic activity mainly burning of fossil fuels like coal, gas and oil is one of the major reasons which increase concentration of earth-warming gases. Chief among these gases is carbon dioxide. As per the data in last 250 years, CO2 level increases from 250 to more than 280 parts per million (PPM). Major consequences of this rise in CO2 level involve disturbance in climatic factors such as sea level rise; floods; droughts; changes in the amount, timing and distribution of rain; increased frequency and intensity of wildfires and disturbance of coastal marine and other ecosystems. That is why control over CO2 production and reducing CO2 level become important. One of the natural ways to CO2 control involves CO2 sequestration which involves removal of CO2 from atmosphere or storage of CO2 from emission sources to vegetation, soil and sediments. Biological carbon sequestration has opened up a new area of research towards enhancing rapid fixation of atmospheric carbon dioxide in present level to reduce and mitigate global warming and climate change. This chapter describes various sources of carbon dioxide with relation to increasing greenhouse gases. It also includes scientific basis for current understanding of climate change and the role of biological carbon sequestration like soil, grassland, peatland and forests for mitigating the increasing atmospheric CO2 concentration.