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No it isn’t. 500 million years ago when Earth’s CO2 level was 5000 ppm, did they have nuclear power? Is that what saved the planet to make it habitable for hu
by halfjoking 5y ago
No it isn’t. 500 million years ago when Earth’s CO2 level was 5000 ppm, did they have nuclear power?
Is that what saved the planet to make it habitable for humans? No - the levels changed because of exposed olivine rocks that absorbed the CO2. That’s how nature fixes high CO2 levels. Why does the solution have to be anything other than that?
If humanity spent $1 trillion per year on extracting olivine, and putting those rocks on tropical beaches, we’d easily solve climate within a couple decades. It costs $21/ton of CO2 sequestered.[1] It’s easily the most affordable solution.
[1] https://www.vesta.earth/ https://www.vesta.earth/
- brightball 5y agoThis is a solution that I haven’t heard until now. Thank you for sharing.
- halikular 5y agoThey didn't burn fossil fuels at that time. The only sane way to approach this problem is at the root, hence we need to stop emitting additional fossil CO2. What's here already is hard to put back in the ground.
- 542458 5y agoInteresting. Does 21/ton include the cost of using the land? Edit, looks like rock isn’t put on the beaches, but rather into relatively fast moving shallow seas. https://legacy.projectvesta.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/mitigation-of-c02-emissions-by-stimulated-natural-rock-weathering.pdf https://legacy.projectvesta.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/m... I’ve got to say, this does look interesting.
- cranx 5y agoWe’d also die of mesothelioma. But hey, the co2 was captured.
- elil17 5y agoAs I understand it, olivine is not the same as asbestos and does not cause mesothelioma. Does the carbon capture reaction cause it to become dangerous?