What Is Carbon Sequestration?

Carbon sequestration means capturing carbon dioxide (CO2) and keeping it out of the air for the long term. It supports emissions cuts, helps stabilize the climate, and opens new paths for cleaner industries. This feature explains what it is, how it works, where it shows up, and what’s in store for the future.

Carbon Sequestration Defined

Carbon sequestration covers any approach that captures carbon dioxide at the smokestack or from ambient air, then stores it so it does not reenter the atmosphere. This action matters because the world needs both deep emissions cuts and large amounts of stored carbon to meet climate goals. Storage can happen in nature, underground rocks, or through new materials and products.

Carbon moves among air, oceans, soils, plants, and rocks, but human activity also adds carbon dioxide to the air, tilting the balance. Sequestration pulls that carbon back into stable reservoirs — living systems, mineral formations, or engineered storage sites — where it stays for decades to millennia.

Is Carbon Sequestration the Same as Carbon Capture?

Carbon capture and carbon sequestration are often used together but represent different steps in managing carbon dioxide emissions.

Carbon capture involves trapping CO2 from sources like power plants or the atmosphere. This captured CO2 is then compressed and transported.

On the other hand, carbon sequestration is the long-term storage of this captured CO2 to prevent its release into the atmosphere. Sequestration methods include injecting CO2 into deep underground geological formations or using it to produce concrete materials.

Essentially, carbon capture is the collection phase, while carbon sequestration is the storage phase of the process.

Types of Carbon Sequestration

Carbon can be captured and stored in different ways. Some rely on nature, others on underground storage, and more recent options use advanced technology.

Natural Carbon Sequestration — Nature’s Way

Healthy forests, wetlands, grasslands, and soils absorb carbon dioxide during growth and store it in biomass and soils. Ocean ecosystems also draw down carbon through physical and biological processes. Land stewardship, reforestation, and soil health practices strengthen these natural sinks and keep more carbon locked away.

Geologic Carbon Sequestration — Storing Carbon Underground

Geologic sequestration captures carbon dioxide from industrial sites or direct air capture plants, compresses it, then injects it deep underground into suitable rock formations — such as saline aquifers. Those formations trap the carbon through physical and chemical mechanisms, including dissolution and mineralization in the rock.

How does this work? Projects drill wells into formations with tight cap rock above them, monitor pressure and movement, and track the injected plume with sensors. Regulations require detailed site characterization and long-term monitoring to confirm containment.

The Scale Potential of Geologic Sequestration

According to the U.S. Geological Survey, underground rock formations in the United States could hold an enormous amount of carbon dioxide — about 3,000 metric gigatons on average. The full range runs from 2,400 to 3,700 metric gigatons, meaning the country has space to store carbon safely for many decades.

On August 25, 2025, the Northern Lights consortium — Equinor, Shell, and TotalEnergies — completed the first commercial injection for a cross-border carbon storage service off Norway. Captured carbon dioxide is liquefied, shipped to the Øygarden terminal near Bergen, then injected into the seabed for permanent storage.

The Benefits of Carbon Sequestration

Sequestration removes heat-trapping gases, which helps slow warming. It also supports ecosystem restoration when projects protect or rebuild forests and soils — bringing co-benefits like better water retention and habitat quality. Industrial projects that cut concentrated carbon dioxide streams can improve regional air quality with modern emissions controls.

Sequestration also enables new economic opportunities for project development, monitoring, and low-carbon products. Many regions also rely on carbon markets, where regulators cap emissions and issue tradable permits. Carbon credits function as allowances that let holders emit a set amount of carbon dioxide, and the cap-and-trade design allows companies that overperform to sell spare credits back, pushing others to cut emissions.

Laws and Agencies Supporting Carbon Sequestration

Carbon sequestration in the United States is supported through policy and research. The Inflation Reduction Act expanded the federal Section 45Q tax credit, now offering up to $85 per metric ton for carbon stored underground and $60 per ton when used in products. This gives developers a stronger financial case to build new projects.

Permitting frameworks also guide safe site selection, long-term monitoring, and community oversight. Federal research programs add another layer — the Department of Energy funds chemistry, biology, and geology studies through Basic Energy Sciences and Biological and Environmental Research. Meanwhile, the Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management and the Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations run large pilot projects.

This combination of incentives, rules, and science helps bring carbon storage technologies from the lab to commercial scale while lowering costs and improving safety.

Will Carbon Storage Increase Energy Bills?

Adding capture equipment at power plants increases operating costs, and utilities may seek rate adjustments from regulators. Many developers focus early storage on cement, steel, and fuels rather than the power sector, moving most costs into product prices instead of household electricity bills.

Practical Ways People Can Help Hit Sequestration Goals

Large projects and government policies matter, but everyday choices also make a difference. Individuals can support carbon sequestration by backing practices, products and programs that keep more carbon out of the atmosphere.

• Choose products from low-carbon materials: Cement, steel, and fuels made with capture or mineralized carbon can reduce life cycle emissions and boost demand for storage.
• Support ecosystem projects: Tree planting, forest conservation, and soil-health programs increase natural carbon storage when combined with long-term stewardship.
• Back clear carbon rules: Strong standards for measurement, reporting, and verification raise the quality of carbon markets and protect environmental integrity.
• Engage locally: When storage hubs come to town, communities can ask for robust monitoring, emergency planning, and benefits agreements.
• Stay informed about permitting and research: U.S. federal research and demonstration programs provide updates on technology progress and safety practices.

The Future of Carbon Sequestration

What is on the horizon for carbon capture? Expect faster progress in sorbent chemistry, durable mineralization, and monitoring tech that tracks injected carbon with greater precision.

Large storage hubs will likely expand, linking capture sites to shared pipelines and terminals —  cutting costs for smaller emitters.  

Having clear, predictable rules for siting, liability, and long-term monitoring will also keep communities safe and attract capital. Continued public investment in science — paired with field demonstrations and strong measurement standards — will support new projects and lower costs over time. Coordination among research programs and deployment offices inside the Department of Energy remains central to progress.

The Path Forward

Carbon sequestration will not solve climate change alone, but it has become one of the most critical tools alongside deep cuts in emissions. Nature, geology, and technology each bring unique strengths to storing carbon long-term, and recent developments have proved that commercial projects can work at scale. 

The real test now is building transparent and community-supported systems. When done right, carbon sequestration can create cleaner industries, healthier ecosystems, and a more stable climate for future generations.