Does making plastic count as carbon sequestering?

Question

Does making plastic count as carbon sequestering? If we turn all the oil into plastic, that would keep it from being used as a fuel. Doesn't that mean making plastic prevents global warming? Mabye we should start making houses, bridges, and vehicles out of plastic! What do you think?

Answer 1

NO! Carbon sequestration is about removing carbon that is in the atmosphere, not carbon locked up as oil. Making plastic in itself consumes oil, and it is not going to stop humans from exploiting oil anyway.

There are really only two things that sequester carbon - plants and oceans.

Answer 2

think of how much carbon is locked up in the cotton that we make all of our clothes out of.  There are tons of things that we have locked carbon up in.  Most of the worlds carbon is locked up in the form of soil and limestone though.