There are several ways to decrease the amount of carbon reaching the atmosphere. From a financial perspective, utilizing alternative energy sources, such as solar power, not only decreases the production of greenhouse gases but the lifecycle cost is lower as well even though the initial cost of construction may be higher.

Carbon sequestration on the other hand seeks to prevent greenhouse gases from reaching the atmosphere. This may be accomplished in a number of ways however all of these methods fall under two main categories, either removal or long-term storage of carbon. The benefit of this concept is essentially an immediate reduction of carbon emissions. Vegetation may be used to sequester and process carbon through photosynthesis. This carbon sequestration strategy converts carbon dioxide and water into energy needed for the plant itself and oxygen which is released back into the air. Another somewhat similar method utilizes photosynthesis generated by plankton within the oceans. Greenhouse gas emissions may also be pumped deep within the ocean where it is believed the carbon will rest on the ocean bottom or dissolve within the water although this method is mainly believed to be useful for large scale producers of carbon such as power plants. The previously two mentioned techniques involving plankton and oceans are currently being researched to determine potential negative environmental effects. Another process currently being investigated to prevent the release of carbon into the atmosphere is storage of greenhouse gases within the earth itself in geological formations. All of these methods relate to site selection in the aspect of proximity to vegetation, oceans, or geological formations beneath the surface of the earth.

An alternative strategy of decreasing greenhouse gas release into the atmosphere is to simply reduce or eliminate the need for fossil fuels all together. As individuals involved in the planning and design process this may be our largest area of impact. By focusing on walkable communities and transit oriented development we can greatly reduce the amount of carbon dioxide produced by individual automobile use. This strategy may produce the greatest benefit to our installations as regulations limiting the release of carbon become more stringent and wide scale. By diminishing the need for transportation within the installation itself we are able to utilize unused carbon credits for aircraft flight and other activities which support mission objectives.