Our Planet​—Designed to Survive

Our planet has the natural ability to maintain a constant supply of healthy air for all breathing life-forms. These natural processes are most effective when man-made pollution is sustainable. Consider just a few examples.

• The ability of forests to absorb carbon dioxide from the air is well-known. But less well-known is the fact that coastal wetlands thriving with mangroves can do an even better job. Mangroves play a significant role in removing from our air as much as five times more carbon dioxide than tropical forests can.

• Recent studies show that some large algae such as kelp not only capture carbon dioxide from the atmosphere but also bury it. Leaflike kelp blades have gas-filled bladders that allow them to float great distances. Far away from shore, the bladders burst, and the carbon-laden kelp sinks to the ocean floor. There it evidently stays safely buried for many centuries.

• Our atmosphere’s ability to recover from harmful levels of pollution was demonstrated during the COVID-19 lockdown. In 2020, when the world’s factories and motor vehicles almost completely stopped spewing pollutants, air quality quickly improved. According to the “2020 World Air Quality Report,” more than 80 percent of participating countries reported having cleaner air shortly after the lockdown was implemented.