In basic terms, a team of scientists from Harvard University and the company Carbon Engineering have developed and prototyped a process to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and convert it into gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel. That’s pretty cool. However it doesn’t necessarily address climate change because it’s not a carbon capture technology (the fuel that is made from the carbon capture process is designed to be burned/used).
The lead author of the study that presented these findings, David Keith notes “it [is] important to still stop emitting carbon-dioxide pollution where feasible. ‘My view is we should stick to trying to cut emissions first. As a voter, my view is itÂ’s cheaper not to emit a ton of [carbon dioxide] than it is to emit it and recapture it.’”
That or we need to develop a market mechanism that encourages companies like Carbon Engineering to capture atmospheric carbon dioxide and prevent it from returning to the atmosphere (e.g. store it).