About 400 million tons of fossil carbon is being accumulated every year in things like rubber-plastic products, buildings and infrastructure. These products are acting like a carbon sink. If they are not disposed of properly, they can be extremely dangerous for the environment and climate. These findings have come to the fore in a recent study by researchers from Groningen University in the Netherlands.

Researchers say that in the 25 years between 1995 and 2019, about 840 million tons of carbon has accumulated in products like plastic, buildings. It is increasing by about 400 million tons every year. Most of the carbon is being accumulated in rubber and plastic products. During the same period, about 370 million tons of carbon has returned to the environment through landfills, burning and other waste. This can lead to a huge increase in the emission of greenhouse gases. This study has been published in the journal Cell Reports Sustainability.

Fossil fuel use reached 7 percent between 1995 and 2019

According to the study, a lot of fossil fuel was used to make products between 1995 and 2019. This use has increased from five to more than seven percent. Scientists have also predicted that carbon pollution from fuel and cement will reach record levels in 2024.

Maximum carbon stored in infrastructure

About 39 percent of carbon has been stored in buildings and infrastructure. This was followed by products made of rubber and plastic, which was about 30 percent. 24 percent was stored in asphalt, which is used in roads and roofs. It contains elements like carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen, sulfur and traces of metals.

The world will have to fight unitedly
Klaus Hubacek, a researcher associated with the study, says that now we have much more carbon in man-made things like plastic and buildings than in nature, but despite this we are ignoring it. As a result, this quantity is continuously increasing. Along with its flow, there is a need to pay attention to its storage. Hubacek warns that carbon is being created rapidly due to the combustion of fossil fuels like wood, coal, oil or other gases. Excessive emission of carbon is very harmful. Increasing carbon is responsible for the increasing temperature of the earth. The world will have to fight it unitedly.