Carbon Sequestration: The Missing Link in Climate Math The global carbon sink capacity of forests, wetlands, and oceans has declined approximately 10-15% over the past two decades due to deforestation and ocean acidification, even as atmospheric CO2 concentrations reached 423 ppm in 2023—the highest in 3.6 million years. Natural carbon sinks historically absorbed roughly 50% of human emissions; this degradation means additional anthropogenic CO2 accumulates in the atmosphere rather than being naturally neutralized. Understanding sink decline is critical because climate models predicting 1.5-2°C stabilization depend heavily on these natural systems maintaining absorption rates—without restoration, achieving net-zero targets becomes exponentially more difficult and costly. The economic implications are substantial: every 1% loss in natural sequestration capacity requires equivalent investment in technological carbon removal or emissions reductions elsewhere, making ecosystem restoration a foundational climate infrastructure priority alongside renewable energy.