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His calculations are based off present day capabilities. The point of R&D is to create new capabilities. Solar also used to be a lot more expensive than it is

His calculations are based off present day capabilities. The point of R&D is to create new capabilities. Solar also used to be a lot more expensive than it is today.

curtisf 3y ago
No, it will _never_ be feasible to collect and transport any meaningful amount of carbon out of the atmosphere. We emit 35 billion tons of carbon dioxide every year. That is more than 7x the amount of cement made each year (4.5 billion tons). More than 8x the amount of food that's made each year (about 4 billion tons). About 17x the amount of steel made each year (2 billion tons). About 60x the amount of plastic made each year (about 0.5 billion tons). But carbon is completely worthless. We can't build a logistics pipeline dedicated solely to moving a worthless substance that is larger than the rest of human logistics combined.
- AnthonyMouse 3y ago
  The only plausible result would be something along the lines of a photosynthesis hack to produce synthetic wood at a faster rate than natural processes, which would then have a market value because you could make boxes and couches and houses out of it. But then you could also use it as a renewable fuel and we'd be calling it biofuels instead of carbon capture.
  - user_7832 3y ago
    That's a very good point: commercializing the products of CO2 capture. I wonder if bio-engineering photosynthesis to speed it up is moderately feasible.
- constantcrying 3y ago
  >No, it will _never_ be feasible to collect and transport any meaningful amount of carbon out of the atmosphere. This is obviously utterly false, given how much CO2 has been absorbed each year by current gen CO2 absorption technology. >But carbon is completely worthless. Current Gen carbon absorbers turn CO2 into some of the most useful materials on earth, like food, building materials and raw materials for oils and plastics. Much of the current world logistics is already dedicated to transporting their products.
- sn9 3y ago
  It's literally a business model to do so. https://caseyhandmer.wordpress.com/2023/01/09/terraform-industries-whitepaper-2-0/ https://caseyhandmer.wordpress.com/2023/01/09/terraform-indu...
oulipo 3y ago
Perhaps, yet today we have certainties (we know how to remove a big chunk of emissions by using politics, laws and economical incentives), and "bets" (science might help us remove carbon efficiently, or might not) We need a balance between the two, as they are both important But we shouldn't be "mere techno-optimists", we should also get behind true political, social and economical solutions to lowering our emissions, and fast

His calculations are based off present day capabilities. The point of R&D is to create new capabilities. Solar also used to be a lot more expensive than it is today.

curtisf 3y ago

No, it will _never_ be feasible to collect and transport any meaningful amount of carbon out of the atmosphere. We emit 35 billion tons of carbon dioxide every year. That is more than 7x the amount of cement made each year (4.5 billion tons). More than 8x the amount of food that's made each year (about 4 billion tons). About 17x the amount of steel made each year (2 billion tons). About 60x the amount of plastic made each year (about 0.5 billion tons). But carbon is completely worthless. We can't build a logistics pipeline dedicated solely to moving a worthless substance that is larger than the rest of human logistics combined.

AnthonyMouse 3y ago
The only plausible result would be something along the lines of a photosynthesis hack to produce synthetic wood at a faster rate than natural processes, which would then have a market value because you could make boxes and couches and houses out of it. But then you could also use it as a renewable fuel and we'd be calling it biofuels instead of carbon capture.
- user_7832 3y ago
  That's a very good point: commercializing the products of CO2 capture. I wonder if bio-engineering photosynthesis to speed it up is moderately feasible.
constantcrying 3y ago
>No, it will _never_ be feasible to collect and transport any meaningful amount of carbon out of the atmosphere. This is obviously utterly false, given how much CO2 has been absorbed each year by current gen CO2 absorption technology. >But carbon is completely worthless. Current Gen carbon absorbers turn CO2 into some of the most useful materials on earth, like food, building materials and raw materials for oils and plastics. Much of the current world logistics is already dedicated to transporting their products.
sn9 3y ago
It's literally a business model to do so. https://caseyhandmer.wordpress.com/2023/01/09/terraform-industries-whitepaper-2-0/ https://caseyhandmer.wordpress.com/2023/01/09/terraform-indu...

oulipo 3y ago

Perhaps, yet today we have certainties (we know how to remove a big chunk of emissions by using politics, laws and economical incentives), and "bets" (science might help us remove carbon efficiently, or might not) We need a balance between the two, as they are both important But we shouldn't be "mere techno-optimists", we should also get behind true political, social and economical solutions to lowering our emissions, and fast