I am working on greenhouse gas removal. There are two problems, only one of which is discussed here. We need to remove the last century's emissions, and yes,

I am working on greenhouse gas removal. There are two problems, only one of which is discussed here. We need to remove the last century's emissions, and yes, that can be, and initially will be an excuse to pollute further. I see that as a transient problem: eventually we will start to structure things against it by internalizing other externalities (e.g. other pollution) and expanding the emissions scope (not just oil). It's reality that we can't decarbonize overnight (we could't replace all the passenger cars by Monday, and how many peoples' pensions depend on oil stocks?), so funding cleanup technology on the backs of oil pollution helps get it going. The second, bigger problem is that the thermodynamics of these plants that suck the atmosphere through a straw is absurd, a trivial calculation that is obvious upon reflection. The atmosphere is f'ing huge, and you need to attack the problem at scale, which means, like it or not, physical chemistry and biology powered by sunlight.