BharatNotes Sequestration
nounUsage in a UPSC answer
The carbon sequestration potential of India's mangroves and degraded forests, if monetised through credible afforestation programmes, could simultaneously advance the nation's net-zero-by-2070 pledge and provide green livelihoods to coastal and tribal communities.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Word Family
sequester (v/n), sequestrate (v), sequestrated (adj), sequestered (adj)
Root
Latin sequestrātiō = a depositing; sequestrāre = to commit for safekeeping; sequester = trustee, mediator; -ation = process suffix
Etymology
From Latin sequestrātiō ("a depositing"), from sequestrāre ("to commit for safekeeping"), from sequester ("trustee, mediator").
Memory Hook
Think "sequester" = to set apart, hidden inside is "que(st)" — picture a jury sent off on a lonely quest, sequestered from the world; in green terms, carbon is locked away on a one-way quest into a forest sink.
How This Word Works in UPSC Writing
The capture and long-term storage of carbon dioxide. The distinction that carries the answer is between biological sequestration in forests, soils, mangroves and other vegetation, and geological or engineered sequestration through capture and injection into deep formations, since the two differ in cost, maturity and above all permanence. Permanence is what decides whether sequestration is real, because carbon held in a forest returns to the atmosphere if the forest burns, is felled or dies, so biological storage is reversible in a way geological storage is not. That is why credits generated from afforestation require long monitoring periods and why claims about tree planting should be read against survival rates rather than saplings planted. India's updated Nationally Determined Contribution commits to an additional carbon sink of 2.5 to 3 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent through forest and tree cover by 2030, alongside a 45 per cent reduction in the emissions intensity of GDP from the 2005 level and about 50 per cent of installed electric power capacity from non-fossil sources.
Don’t Confuse It With
Sequestration is the capture and storage of carbon, of which biological storage in vegetation and soil is reversible while geological storage in deep formations is far more permanent. A carbon sink absorbs more carbon than it releases and a source does the reverse. Carbon capture and storage is the engineered route, whereas carbon capture and utilisation converts the captured gas into products instead of storing it. Blue carbon is carbon held in coastal and marine ecosystems such as mangroves and seagrass, which sequester at high rates for their area.
Hindi Meaning
प्रच्छादन (prachchhādan); कार्बन सिंक retained as it stands.
Common Questions
- What is the difference between biological and geological sequestration?
- Biological sequestration stores carbon in vegetation and soil and is reversible if the forest burns or is cleared, while geological sequestration injects it into deep formations and is far more permanent.
- What is India's carbon sink target?
- An additional sink of 2.5 to 3 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent through additional forest and tree cover by 2030, under its updated Nationally Determined Contribution.
Seen in UPSC Question Papers
- Prelims 2025 — Climate Change
- Prelims 2018 — Ecology
Real UPSC previous-year questions whose text uses “Sequestration” — proof this word earns its place on your list.
Tip: press Alt+S to hear pronunciation
