decarbonize

verb

de·​car·​bon·​ize (ˌ)dē-ˈkär-bə-ˌnīz 

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

Alongside nuclear energy and liquid cooling technology, some tech players have suggested developments within AI could help to decarbonize data centers. —Sam Meredith, CNBC, 4 Nov. 2024

The airline industry and the financial community have made extraordinary investments to decarbonize aviation. —Dean Donovan, Forbes, 4 Nov. 2024

Newsweek first profiled Rondo in May after the company was part of a U.S. Department of Energy award to decarbonize heavy industry. —Nina Turner, Newsweek, 29 Oct. 2024

The non-profit is launching the Unlock program to assist in decarbonizing the fashion industry as in which raw materials are obtained can be harmful to the environment due to not enough low-impact raw materials. —Kerane Marcellus, Essence, 27 Sep. 2024

Word History

Etymology

International Scientific Vocabulary

First Known Use

1821, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1