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CCS Redux: Carbon Engineering Was Always A Figleaf For Fossil Fuel Industry, Now It’s Owned Outright By Them

Summary

In a recent article published on CleanTechnica by Michael Barnard, the author discusses the acquisition of Carbon Engineering by Occidental Petroleum for $1.1 billion. The article challenges the effectiveness and viability of carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) technologies, particularly mechanical direct air capture (DAC) of carbon dioxide, emphasizing the high cost, inefficiency, and limited potential of such approaches. The author criticizes Carbon Engineering's DAC technology, pointing out its association with fossil fuel interests and its primary application in enhanced oil recovery (EOR). The article questions the claims of creating carbon-neutral fuels through DAC, highlighting more practical and sustainable alternatives like wind and solar energy. The author also addresses the economic and environmental implications of using taxpayer money to fund CCS initiatives and the role of major investors, including Bill Gates and Breakthrough Energy Ventures, in such ventures.

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