What are the two processes that reduce carbon dioxide?

Answer 1

Photosynthesis, the process plants use to convert carbon dioxide and sunlight into carbon for the plant's use (releasing free oxygen from the carbon dioxide molecules, essentially eliminating the carbon dioxide).

Carbon emissions caps, which would reduce how much carbon dioxide humans put into the atmosphere; by reducing the rate of emission, a new lower equilibrium would be achieved and the total volume of carbon dioxide would reduce (if the emissions were lowered to a cap below the level at which carbon dioxide can be removed from the atmosphere through photosynthesis).

Answer 2

Personal reduction of carbon dioxide emissions are a good way to get into the "Taking Responsibility" mode of thinking. The carbon dioxide we create is primarily from our personal energy use (transportation. fuel, home heating, and electricity) and carbon dioxide we ask others to create for us to provide consumer goods.

Simple CO2 reduction strategies in these two areas are:

1. Energy use reduction

Turn off all powered equipment (lights, TVs, fans) when not in use

Use the most energy efficient appliances and light bulbs that are available

Keep houses cooler in winter and warmer in summer to reduce heating and cooling needs

Insulate and weatherstrip homes

Drive fuel efficient cars

Drive in a fuel efficient manner: slower, planned trips, well repaired vehicles

Limit air travel

Ride bikes, use buses, walk etc. to get to where you're going

2. Consumer related energy reduction

Buy less of everything - keep things longer

Follow the 3 R's (reuse, recycle, reclaim)

Buy locally

Eat less processed foods

Use less plastic

Avoid use once and discard products

Answer 3

Basically the only way to do this is to bind the carbon dioxide to something. You can temporarily take it out of the atmosphere by dissolving it in water, but this isn't very permanent.

The problem here is that any naturally occurring substances that could bind carbon dioxide have already done so, and the process for producing them involves driving the carbon dioxide off, so there's no net effect of using these to rebind the carbon dioxide.

Plants bind carbon dioxide into organic compounds, which is, again, a temporary process, since the organic compounds will eventually decay, however, a program of continual planting of trees to replace the vast forests that we have destroyed is the only process we have to reduce the carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere.

Answer 4

1. Planting trees and stopping deforestation.
2. Changing to renewable energy (solar, wind, water, hydro, tidal and wave, geothermal, ocean thermal, biomass, biofuel and hydrogen) and stopping burning of fossil fuels (coal, oil and natural gas) in industry, transport and the generation of electricity, which releases carbon dioxide (CO2).

Answer 5

9 GT/YEAR and 1 Gt/YAER