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Tech companies want to capture carbon at paper mills and sewage plants
In a move to reduce their environmental footprint, several tech giants have signed multimillion-dollar deals with startups aimed at capturing carbon dioxide emissions from unlikely sources – wastewater treatment facilities and paper mills.
Google, Salesforce, H&M, and other prominent brands have collaborated on an $80 million plan to remove CO2 from the atmosphere. While this endeavor is not without controversy, it marks a significant shift in their approach to mitigating climate change.
The companies have entered into agreements with two startups: CREW and CO280. The former will receive $32.1 million to capture carbon dioxide emissions produced at wastewater treatment facilities using an innovative method involving alkaline minerals. This process traps the CO2 in water as bicarbonate, which is then released into oceans, naturally keeping it out of the atmosphere.
CO280, on the other hand, has been awarded $48 million to retrofit pulp and paper mills with technologies initially developed for the fossil fuel industry. These devices capture CO2 emissions from smokestacks before they can escape into the air. The captured carbon will be stored in underground wells, essentially sequestering the CO2 that trees drew in through photosynthesis during their lifetimes.
While some experts have raised concerns about the effectiveness and sustainability of carbon capture technologies, these initiatives do offer a step in the right direction. However, many agree that prevention is still the most crucial aspect of addressing climate change – reducing greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuels being the primary means to stop global warming.
In light of this debate, it remains unclear whether companies buying carbon removal services are truly taking the necessary steps to mitigate their impact on the environment. Some have criticized these efforts as a distraction from more pressing efforts to transition away from fossil fuels and towards clean energy.
Despite these concerns, the involvement of tech giants in the fight against climate change marks an encouraging shift.
Source: www.theverge.com
