Unfortunately plans to limit carbon emissions have been unsuccessful, Wayt Gibbs writes, with carbon dioxide emissions hitting an all time high in 2024 and average temperatures on Earth exceeding 1.5 °C over pre-industrial levels for the first time. In the past, most relied on growing trees and spread pulverized minerals to sequester carbon, but those are reaching their limits. With that in mind, a few companies have come up with ways to isolate CO2 from air or seawater and push it unground. These direct air capture systems are costly, both in power and generating toxic by-products. Now the question remains for all methods. How much carbon is left to be captured? Find out more by reading Gibbs’ piece on the monumental task to capture carbon.
Illustration: KevinMShea via Wikimedia Commons
