If we could suck 101% of the carbon we produce in a day out of the air, how would the effect global efforts to go carbon neutral? : askmidwest

[–] [email protected] 33 points 11 months ago (1 children)

If we went carbon neutral today, things would continue to worsen for an estimated 50-70 years before correcting. Only going significantly carbon negative solutions will have the rapid, desired effect, and that's nigh impossible.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 11 months ago

One of the Civilization 6 expansions introduces climate changes. You can unlock a technology for carbon recapture, however, generally by the time you are able to unlock it, climate change is already occurring. You're also not able to reverse damage that has already been done.

While it can be frustrating in game, I appreciate the fact that the developers realistically incorporated it not being feasible.

[+] [email protected] 9 points 11 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) (1 children)

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[–] [email protected] 8 points 11 months ago

It'll be something like the tragedy of the Commons. People in jurisdictions that don't enforce carbon neutral activities would just ramp their activities up with more abandoned, relying on the scrubbers to save them. And they're definitely going to be able to outpace the scrubbers.

In our current economic modeling, a carbon generating activity is a profit center, a carbon sinking activity would be a cost center. So every business would be incentivized to generate carbon and not sinking any of it. And it'd be difficult for governments to pay for sinking it. Especially when carbon can be produced outside their own jurisdiction.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 11 months ago

The bigger question is this: How much energy would be required to collect and sequester 101% of daily carbon emissions?

I think it absolutely should be done, but getting there will be a huge undertaking and we will need creative solutions to get there without contributing to the problem.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 11 months ago

If this does happen, and there are strong carbon controls globally, we could potentially reverse global warming very very slowly. But it would trend to the better. I'm hopeful

[+] krey -5 points 11 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (2 children)

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[–] [email protected] 12 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago) (1 children)

Uhh... Broski when it's pumped into the ground it's not just pouring gas into dirt, they are running it through Balsaltic rocks and forming stable minerals in the bedrock.

Read up: https://www.carbfix.com/codaterminal

Just because you're too stupid to figure out how it works doesn't mean scientists are

[–] sbv -1 points 11 months ago (2 children)

I'm not sure I'd trust the marketing produced by a for-profit company trying to sell a solution.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 11 months ago

https://www.usgs.gov/news/featured-story/making-minerals-how-growing-rocks-can-help-reduce-carbon-emissions#:~:text=Carbon%20mineralization%20is%20the%20process,escape%20back%20to%20the%20atmosphere.

USGS article on it. You can also read up on these reactions in chemistry text books or online. If still unsatisfied, you could conceivably get a rock and some carbon and run the reaction yourself.

Regardless, the process is well characterized from a chemistry standpoint.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Sell it?! Who are they selling science to? What would they even sell? They didn't patent the technology of putting carbonated water near rocks

[–] sbv 3 points 11 months ago

It looks like they're planning to sell offsets:

At present, Carbfix does not have a carbon offsetting program for individuals and companies to offset their emissions. However, please check again in the near future!

[–] prettybunnys 9 points 11 months ago

Turn carbon into wood, turn wood into things. Do not burn those things.

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