Biomimicry in Architecture, 2nd Edition

Introduction

1. Coccolithophores (marine micro-organisms) make their skeletons from calcium carbonate using elements in seawater and are thought to be part of the planet’s long-term carbon cycle. In geological periods when carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere rose, coccolithophores bloomed and, when they died, fell to the ocean floor to form layers of limestone, so transferring carbon from the atmosphere to the lithosphere. The challenge facing humanity now is that the rate of carbon dioxide increase is far in excess of anything that has previously occurred in the history of the planet and beyond a level that can be controlled by correcting ...