https://www.cnn.com/2024/05/08/climate/direct-air-capture-plant-iceland-climate-intl/index.html?iid=cnn_buildContentRecirc_end_recirc

I guess we can stop worrying about greenhouse gas and global warming, and go back to unrestricted burning of fossil fuels and an extravagant wasteful lifestyle and economy. Free enterprise, entrepreneurial spirit and high technology have saved us once again,,,.from free enterprise, entrepreneurial spirit and high technology. Isn't it wonderful?

Let's go over this again, kids. Combining carbon with oxygen releases energy and produces carbon dioxide. Breaking open those electron bonds and separating the carbon from the oxygen must require AT LEAST the same amount of energy that was released when the original combustion took place, probably more since the reverse process is probably inefficient. (Highly efficient carbon combustion is why we use fossil fuels in the first place.) In addition, the "chemical processes" to extract and capture the carbon, as well as to sequester it geologically must also consume energy, not to mention the energy needed to pump and extract the CO2 (at about 420 ppm in the atmosphere) is enormous. Finally there is the construction of these plants, the materials and energy needed to assemble these plants and bring them together. along with the construction and development. Even if the energy is "free" (remember, neither geothermal, solar or hydro power is free) wouldn't we be better off just pumping it into the grid so we wouldn't have to burn fossil at all?

This is the climate equivalent of putting filters on cigarettes.