Newswise — Carbon is a very important element that helps create living things. Long ago, our ancestors used plants and other things made of carbon to make fire and cook food. This helped them move from a time when they only ate raw meat. When we use carbon to create energy, it makes a gas called carbon dioxide. This gas helps keep the Earth warm enough for living things to survive. Carbon is really important for life, but we need to make sure we use it in a balanced way and recycle it when we can.

The book 'Tao Te Ching' by Lao Tzu talks about the universe and how it works. It says that the universe creates one thing, which then creates two things, which then creates three things, and so on, until there are countless things in the world. The book also talks about the idea of Yin and Yang, which are two opposite forces that work together to create balance in nature.

In green carbon science, we study the carbon energy system, which is like one thing created by the universe. This system has two parts that are opposite but work together, called oxidation and reduction, which can be thought of as Yin and Yang. There are also three elements in the carbon energy system: carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen. These three elements work together to create many different reactions and molecules, just like how three things create many things in the universe. These molecules can then react with each other to create even more new reactions and products.

To understand the idea of green sustainable development, we can look at the trilemma between economic growth, resources, and the environment. However, if we replace resources with carbon energy and the environment with carbon dioxide, we can understand the concept of "green carbon science" in terms of the trilemma between economic growth, carbon energy, and carbon dioxide. This means that we need to find a way to balance economic growth with the use of carbon energy and the production of carbon dioxide. We need to find ways to use carbon energy more efficiently and reduce the amount of carbon dioxide that is produced in order to achieve sustainable development that is both economically viable and environmentally friendly.

In order to create a new energy system that is carbon-neutral, we need to update our knowledge and innovate our technology at the molecular level. This means finding new ways to process and synthesize molecules, as well as creating new molecules altogether. Green carbon science is the field of study that deals with these issues.

Some of the basic scientific issues that are involved in green carbon science include finding new pathways for molecular processing, developing new methods for molecular synthesis, and creating new molecules through advanced manufacturing techniques. By addressing these issues, we can develop a new energy system that is more sustainable and environmentally friendly. This will require collaboration between scientists, engineers, and other experts in a variety of fields, as well as a commitment to ongoing research and development.

Journal Link: National Science Review