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@ai6yr @douglasvb

The easiest way to reduce atmospheric CO2 (assuming we're no longer adding more) is to hack the short carbon cycle that nature is already doing.

in a nutshell that cycle is: plants drawdown CO2 via photosynthesis converting to living biomass carbon. As parts of the plant die, that biomass begins a 1-20 year process of decomposition wherein the carbon returns to the atmosphere. ruminant animals turn it into methane rather quickly. other decomposers turn it back into CO2 and methane more slowly. And humans/lightning quickly release all that carbon via fire.

What we need to do on a large scale is hack that carbon cycle so the carbon drawn down by photosynthesis doesn't return to the atmosphere.

Biochar is the most obvious hack. pyrolytic (high heat/low oxygen fire) turns the biomass into 1000+ year stable carbon that can be added to the soil instead of returning to the atmosphere. 90+% of the carbon can be sequestered this way, with massive benefits to farmers and soil health.

Regenerative farming is another. The Marin Carbon Project has been doing studies for over 3 decades now and have proven that just 1/4" of compost spread on just 25% of California rangeland would sequester enough carbon to offset all of the state's emissions. (This is why I get upset about the inclusion of cow farts in carbon calculators. That's part of the natural carbon cycle. And by demonizing meat/livestock the green movement alienates the farmers who need to be on our side.)

There are other ways too. A good starting point is the Rodale Institute White Paper https://rodaleinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/rodale-white-paper.pdf