Genetically Engineered 'Supertrees' Capture More Carbon

 

San Francisco-based startup Living Carbon is genetically engineering trees to capture and store more carbon in order to combat the effects of climate change by removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, a report from Fast Company explains.

The company claims that by developing trees that absorb and retain more carbon, we can plant fewer trees with the same desired goal, without needing to take up land that could otherwise be used for agriculture.

It joins other initiatives, including a seashell-inspired ocean carbon removal system, and the Bill Gates-backed Carbfix, in providing a solution for removing excess carbon dioxide from our atmosphere.

The global community faces the increasingly urgent and difficult task of reducing the amount of carbon in our atmosphere, with some estimates suggesting that human activity releases 37 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide annually...MORE