In this presentation, I will show the link between novel applications of non-traditional stable isotopes to geochemical kinetics and its application to carbon capture and storage (CCS). To meet the goal of limiting global warming to less than 1.5 degrees Celsius calls for storing hundreds of billion tons of CO2 in aquifers. Stored CO2 will partially dissolve into water and acidify the water. The acidified water will, in turn, react with minerals strongly. To predict the fate of stored CO2 thousands or tens of thousands of years after injection, therefore, needs an understanding of the chemical kinetics of the geochemical reactions at the most fundamental level. In recent years, my students, collaborators, and I have developed an innovative isotope tracer method and have broken new ground in near-equilibrium reaction kinetics, which fill in a critical knowledge gap relevant to CO2 storage. This presentation will give an overview of geological carbon sequestration efforts and an application of geochemical kinetics to the Sleipner Project in Norway, the world's first industrial-scale CO2 storage project. The overlap between basic science and the societal need for climate change mitigation becomes clear through this example.