Carbon dioxide, as we know is the main green-house gas. Greenhouse gases are those that are responsible for absorbing heat. Therefore, the greater the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, higher the temperature. The earth’s ambience is now at stake giving rise to global warming. Various alternatives and use of renewable sources of energy in place of fossil fuels that emit large amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere is being considered and many ways to strategically reduce fossil fuel usage has been seriously imposed in various parts of the world. However, these attempts haven’t sufficed the carbon dioxide reduction.
Environmental groups, universities, philanthropic foundations, and the U.S. federal government have now turned their attention towards carbon sequestration, a process by which carbon dioxide is dumped into the earth in its liquid form where it is expected to remain forever.
The carbon dioxide emissions from various sources are to be processed to its liquid form by a liquefying plant and then sent through pipelines to be dumped deep into the earth’s crust. This not only reduces the carbon dioxide content in the atmosphere but also curtails the need to use renewable sources and fossil fuels being much cheaper and more efficient, industries can use them without fretting. Besides, coal industries would no longer be accused for contributing to global warming.
However, there is one risk with carbon sequestration that may have unbelievably lethal consequences that can never be repaired. If there was even the slightest leakage of liquid carbon dioxide from the earth into the atmosphere, the planet could get heated up rapidly making earth uninhabitable for organisms. It would be no use and too late to blame the minds behind this idea.
Although the idea is propounded to be implemented in the US, it certainly will be adopted by Japan, followed by China, other developed countries and the Common Wealth countries.
With global warming at the present rate, earth would get heated up only gradually and it would take ages for it to become uninhabitable and for all we know, organisms may even get acclimatized to live at that temperature by then. Still, there is the risk of ice caps melting which can not be controlled. Whereas, if the carbon sequestration was to become a failure, then the only known green planet would become a graveyard planet.
via : Celsias
