decarbonize

verb

de·​car·​bon·​ize (ˌ)dē-ˈkär-bə-ˌnīz How to pronounce decarbonize (audio)
decarbonized; decarbonizing; decarbonizes

transitive verb

1
: to remove carbon from (something)
It's usually not necessary to dismantle the engine to decarbonize it anymore.Allen D. Berrien
2
: to reduce the levels of carbon emissions (such as carbon dioxide) caused by or involved in (something, such as a facility, process, or organization)
… we must decarbonize the energy supply by developing forms of power that emit less greenhouse gas or none at all.Daniel Ben-Ami
[Steve] Cohen is confident that we will be able to decarbonize our economy in time to avoid catastrophic climate impacts.Renee Cho

intransitive verb

: to reduce the production of carbon emissions
Certainly, people at Airbus say they need to decarbonize, and research on battery technology for electric planes has been disappointing.Ned Potter
decarbonizer noun

Examples of decarbonize in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web To decarbonize the electrical grid, companies are finding creative ways to store energy during periods of low demand. Amos Zeeberg, New York Times, 18 Mar. 2024 The green band at the top is for solar, wind and batteries and could be 10 Giga-tonnes (Gt) out of about 40 Gt to be decarbonized (this first band is a huge 25% of the total of 40 Gt). Ian Palmer, Forbes, 29 Feb. 2024 The additional capital efficiency will also free investment funds for the oil and gas companies to decarbonize their operations and products through the deployment of alternative energy technologies. Andrea Guerzoni, Fortune, 15 Feb. 2024 But even if the world falls short of meeting the capacity numbers, the target’s real value may lie in spurring the world to embrace nuclear fission as one of many solutions for decarbonizing the grid. IEEE Spectrum, 23 Jan. 2024 But the world is running out of time to address climate change, and more rooftop solar will decarbonize our grid faster. David Lappen, The Mercury News, 18 Jan. 2024 This is all part of President Biden’s goal to completely decarbonize the U.S. electrical grid by 2035 and achieve net-zero greenhouse-gas emissions by 2050. Andrew Puzder, National Review, 5 Feb. 2024 Renewable energy is a crucial part of decarbonizing the economy. Rochelle Toplensky, WSJ, 4 Jan. 2024 Alberta is also committed to supporting research that will advance its sustainable transformation efforts and develop new technologies to decarbonize its economy. Foreign Affairs, 25 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'decarbonize.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

International Scientific Vocabulary

First Known Use

1821, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of decarbonize was in 1821

Dictionary Entries Near decarbonize

Cite this Entry

“Decarbonize.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/decarbonize. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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