Understanding The Carbon Cycle

In our first post, you have learned about what climate change is, how greenhouse gases work and key greenhouse gases. We know that carbon dioxide is the primary greenhouse gas contributing to recent climate change due to the large amount of carbon dioxide existing in the atmosphere.

Carbon dioxide in the atmosphere don’t just stay there over time. Rather, it is constantly cycling between the land, ocean, and atmosphere. Therefore, understanding the carbon cycle is key in finding solutions to reduce carbon emissions.

1. What is the carbon cycle?

Carbon is an essential element for all life forms on Earth with the intake and output of carbon being a component of all plant and animal life. Carbon is in a constant state of movement from place to place. The carbon cycle is nature's way of reusing carbon atoms, which travel from the atmosphere into organisms in the Earth and then back into the atmosphere over and over again. This cycle is important for maintaining a stable climate and carbon balance on Earth.

Let's watch some videos below to better understand the carbon cycle.

A video by The Economist:

Another video on the carbon cycle by the U.S Environmental Protection Agency:

2. Natural carbon sinks

Carbon sinks absorb more carbon than they release. The ocean, soil and forests are the world’s largest carbon sinks. In the past, about 25 percent of carbon emissions from human sources have historically been captured by forests, grassland, and farms. And about 30 percent of the carbon dioxide we produce has been captured by the ocean.

On the other hand, carbon sources releases more carbon than they absorb. Examples of carbon sources include the burning of fossil fuels like gas, coal and oil, deforestation and volcanic eruptions.

The carbon cycle is vital to life on Earth. Nature tends to keep carbon levels balanced, meaning that the amount of carbon naturally released from reservoirs is equal to the amount that is naturally absorbed by reservoirs. However, increased human activity is upsetting this balance. We are releasing more carbon into the atmosphere than the Earth's natural carbon sinks can absorb, chiefly by burning fossil fuels, as well as through agriculture and deforestation.

To make things even worse, existing carbon sinks may become less reliable. Wildfires are one example of this. As wildfires become more frequent and intense, more trees that had been absorbing and storing carbon are burned, releasing that carbon straight back into the atmosphere. Another example is ocean acidification. As the ocean absorbs carbon, it becomes more acidic. This is already affecting coral reefs and broader food chains, and it may lead to new feedbacks and complications that are hard to predict.

Even though, protecting carbon sinks is essential for tackling climate change and keeping our climate stable. Some common solutions include empowering forest communities, fighting illegal logging and trade, reforming agriculture models and current land use, ending plastic pollution in the ocean, etc. For a while, governments and NGOs are leading these movements. It's time to utilize market and economic mechanism to develop more financially sustainable solutions.