▶ Your Answer :
The
reading passage and the lecture are both about carbon sequestration. The author
of the reading states that there are three effective ways to decrease the amount
of carbon dioxide to address global warming, whereas the lecturer casts
doubts on the author’s opinions.
First of
all, according to the reading, an increase in the amount of phytoplankton by
adding iron to the oceans can be a solution to reduce carbon dioxide. It is because
phytoplankton which can absorb carbon dioxide into their organs grow well in the iron-abundant environment. On the other hand, the lecturer points out that
putting iron into the sea does not help phytoplankton to proliferate their
numbers permanently, because phytoplankton will die with the lack of nitrogen which needs for phytoplankton to
multiply. Also, recent research result shows that iron-rich sea only can reduce
3% of carbon dioxide. Second,
the author mentions that making artificial wetland is a good way to diminish
carbon dioxide. In ecosystems, bacteria emit carbon dioxide during the decay
process by using oxygen in the soil. However, the ground of the wetland is
almost covered by water with less oxygen, decomposition is very slow. The
lecturer refutes this. He says that creating artificial wetland is ineffective
and lengthy. It is because artificial wetland only lower 23% of carbon dioxide
compared to the natural wetland, and it takes a long time to fully develop the artificial
wetland.
Finally,
the author claims that carbon dioxide can be kept in the coal mines, because it
can be attached to the surface of coals for hundreds of years by using special
technology. However, the lecturer contends that when the coals and carbon
dioxide meet, the methane which contains carbon dioxide is created and released
in the air. Therefore, making carbon dioxide remain in the coal mines is not
ineffective. |