The ’Mining the atmosphere’ approach: The goal is to develop a completely new global economic model and the associated industrial sector that converts CO2 as the raw material of the future into valuable materials to replace conventional building materials and petrochemicals. Illustration: Empa
The 'Mining the atmosphere' approach: The goal is to develop a completely new global economic model and the associated industrial sector that converts CO2 as the raw material of the future into valuable materials to replace conventional building materials and petrochemicals. Illustration: Empa If we want to achieve our climate goals and prevent irreversible changes to the Earth's climate system, we not only need to curb our greenhouse gas emissions, but also remove excess man-made CO2 from the atmosphere. This is the aim of a new large-scale research initiative by Empa, Mining the Atmosphere. Peter Richner, Deputy Director of Empa, explains how to do this while creating a completely new economic system in the process. A new NEST unit, Beyond Zero, is also dedicated to CO2-negative technologies, as is the current issue of the research magazine Empa Quarterly. Since the 19th century, cheap energy in the form of coal, oil and natural gas has been the catalyst for a surge in development that has never occurred before in such a short time in human history - and which continues to this day. Productivity has literally exploded, life expectancy in Europe has increased by several decades and the global poverty rate has never been as low as it is today (even though it is still too high in many regions of the world).
TO READ THIS ARTICLE, CREATE YOUR ACCOUNT
And extend your reading, free of charge and with no commitment.
