Direct Air Capture Figleaf Carbon Engineering Stops Pretending To Be Climate Solution
Purchase by Occidental Petroleum makes it clear that it’s just a marketing exercise for the fossil fuel industry
How many ways are there to say that mechanical direct air capture (DAC) of carbon dioxide is a deeply stupid idea? Whatever the number is, I’ve probably used the majority of turns of phrase. So have many others. That, of course, doesn’t stop the fossil fuel industry, people that they influence, people who just don’t know any better and hopeful people with no STEM capabilities from loving the field.
And Occidental Petroleum just showed its love in a big way, committing US$1.1 billion to buy Carbon Engineering, the Canadian-ish DAC firm that set up shop in Squamish, BC a few years ago. At the time, I was annoyed that the Canadian government was throwing taxpayer’s money at it, but unsurprised at how many fossil fuel companies had chipped in.
That motivated me to publish nine lengthy pieces assessing different aspects of the technology and its actual markets, and then wrap them up in a 54-page case…
