The ocean twilight zone could store vast amounts of carbon captured from the atmosphere, but first we need a 4D monitoring system to ensure ramping up carbon storage does no harm.
Technologies which can capture carbon from power station chimneys or even directly from the air are being developed.
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Using our oceans as carbon sinks could help achieve climate goals set in the most recent IPCC report.
Building solar panels over water sources is one way to both provide power and reduce evaporation in drought-troubled regions.
Robin Raj, Citizen Group & Solar Aquagrid
From pulling carbon dioxide out of the air to turning water into fuel, innovators are developing new technologies and pairing existing ones to help slow global warming.
According to an IPCC analysis, planting trees can help keep global warming below 1.5 C.
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A tax credit for companies that invest in carbon capture technology would divert financing away from cheaper and safer climate solutions.
Groundwater is used for irrigation and drinking water, but those wells are rarely more than one kilometre deep. A huge volume of salty water exists as much as 10 kilometres below the Earth’s surface.
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Groundwater is the second-largest store of water on Earth. Governments and industry use groundwater reservoirs to store waste, but it may also have environmental functions that haven’t been revealed.
Some industries, including steel and cement, emit carbon dioxide as part of the manufacturing process, and could benefit from carbon capture technologies.
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Carbon capture technologies have been labelled as a distraction. But as we enter the all-hands-on-deck phase of tackling climate change, they must not be ignored.
Critics say investing in carbon capture and storage means betting on technology that’s not yet proven to work at scale. Using liquid marbles could make a huge difference.
Boundary Dam power station in Saskatchewan, Canada, claims to be the world’s first coal plant with incorporated carbon capture and storage.
Orjan Ellingvag/Alamy Stock Photo