Question

If photosynthesis captures only 1-2% of the energy from sunlight, what happens to the other 98-99% of energy

Answer 1

Only about 2% of the energy of the sun is captured by plants for photosynthesis, the remain 98% are utilized for other purposes. Some of the energy are reflected back into space [about 30%], some are absorbed by land, the ocean and the atmosphere [about 68%] and the rest are transformed into heat.