The world is banking on giant carbon-sucking fans to clean our climate mess. It’s a big risk. – CNN

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By Ivana Kottasová, CNN
Video and Photos by Temujin Doran, CNN
Design by Carlotta Dotto, CNN

Updated 5:14 AM ET, Wed October 20, 2021

Hellisheiðarvirkjun, Iceland (CNN)The windswept valleys surrounding the Hengill volcano in southwestern Iceland are dotted with hot springs and steam vents. Hikers from all over the world come here to witness its breath-taking scenery. Even the sheep are photogenic in the soft Nordic light.

Climework's Orca project at the Hellisheiði Geothermal Power Plant in Iceland opened last month.Climework's Orca project at the Hellisheiði Geothermal Power Plant in Iceland opened last month.
Dr. Edda Aradóttir is a chemical and reservoir engineer and the CEO of Carbfix.Dr. Edda Aradóttir is a chemical and reservoir engineer and the CEO of Carbfix.
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Atmospheric concentrations of CO₂

The amount of CO₂ in the atmosphere has fluctuated over time, but human activity since the Industrial Revolution has pushed levels to unprecedented highs.

CO₂ concentration measured in parts per million (ppm)

150200250300350400450

About 800,000 years ago700,000 years ago600,000 years ago500,000 years ago400,000 years ago300,000 years ago200,000 years ago100,000 years agoSecond Industrial Revolution (1870)CO₂ level: 287ppm2020CO₂ level: 412ppm

Source: Our World in Data based on the Global Carbon Project, NOAA Climate.gov

Graphic: Carlotta Dotto and Byron Manley, CNN

Scientists can determine past CO₂ levels in the atmosphere by studying air bubbles preserved in ice cores.

For over 800,000 years, the concentration of CO₂ fluctuated between about 173 parts per million and just below 300 parts per million.

These fluctuations happened over tens to hundreds of thousands of years and were caused by very small variations in Earth’s orbit that change the amount of solar energy the planet receives.

The Industrial Revolution and the mass burning of fossil fuels changed this. By the 1950s, the concentration of CO₂ rose to above 300 parts per million for the first time in 800,000 years.

It is now over 410 parts per million. As a result, global temperatures have risen by 1.1 degrees since the pre-industrial era.

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“This is a group who could transition to providing this service to society at large,” said Graeme Sweeney, chairman of the Zero Emissions Platform (ZEP), which is one of the more powerful advocates for CCS in Europe. The group acts as an advisor to the European Commission, from which it also receives part of its funding, and comprises research groups, the European Trade Union Confederation, as well as many of the world’s biggest oil companies, including Shell, Total, Equinor, ExxonMobil and BP.
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    Source Article from https://www.cnn.com/2021/10/20/world/carbon-capture-storage-climate-iceland-intl-cmd/index.html

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