[TeMPOraL]

And of course the counterpoint is, plants don't sequester carbon, they only buffer it. Plants are carbon-netural - they release what they stored as they decompose. Being self-replicating and something we have lots of experience with are good features, but to turn this into a carbon sequestration mechanism we need to have a program of continuously cutting these plants down and storing them in places the air can't reach.

[qchris]

Those mechanisms do already exist--marine snow, compacted biomass in wetlands, heck, even things like whale falls store carbon for enormously long periods of time.

The buffer duration/cycle period matters significantly. I agree, turning every bit of carbon released into sticks n wildfire zones won't solve the problem, but in the current situation a) buffering will make a difference in the short term, and b) there are natural mechanisms that do sequester carbon on a functionally permanent basis and keeping those functioning or adding to their capacity through ecological restoration is extremely important and doesn't require new technology.