Can we stop climate change by removing CO2 from the air? | Tim Kruger

Could we cure climate change? Geoengineering researcher Tim Kruger wants to try. He shares one promising possibility: using natural gas to generate electricity in a way that takes carbon dioxide out of the air. Learn more -- both the potential and the risks -- about this controversial field that seeks creative, deliberate and large-scale intervention to stop the already catastrophic consequences of our warming planet.

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[rea]

I think it is super important what this man is doing--he is not just talking about the problem itself, but he is actually trying to solve it. Because let's face it: a lot of people are talking about climate change and what to do about it. While informing people about what is happening is precious, telling people what they can do and how they can participate in simple ways is even more powerful.

[karhukivi]

The current CO2 level is 400 ppm but during the last Ice Age it was about 180 ppm. At 150 ppm plants begin to suffocate as they need CO2 for photosynthesis and produce the oxygen we mammals need for life. Throughout geological history, CO2 levels varied mainly between 4000 and 8000 ppm, so our current level is a very low level compared to what might be considered "normal" for the planet.

[lorinauner]

This discussion is based on a questionable claim that CO2 is mostly responsible for heating the atmosphere which many other scientists claim is incorrect. Removing CO2 from the air is bad news for plants especially since CO2 is very low overall compared to long periods of time.
The climate is always changing and we need to focus on dealing with that. Adaptation is the key word.

[rambler]

Lots of problems here. However, let's start with just one totally futile part of this process. The diagram at 2:01 shows quarried limestone (calcium carbonate) being heated to remove CO2 and end up with quicklime - CaO. The limestone has already sequestered CO2 underground, so why on Earth remove it at great cost and have to store it back underground?

[jcalpha]

To address the problem presented, NO, co2 levels can not be significantly reduced by curbing the human factor. Consider green house gases (aka) co2, emitted by volcanoes, forest fires, melting ice, natural evaporation of the ocean, and heat increase from the sun. Humans contribute about 3-5% of the total amount of co2 in the atmosphere according to NASA and NOAA. Now, there is no doubt in my mind that air pollution needs to be addressed . But, blaming humans for the increase isn't good science.

[seekerout]

Carbon dioxide is not a poison; on the contrary, all life on this planet depends on it. The idea that we would deliberately reduce it is chilling. The current higher levels have led to a greening of the planet and higher crop yields.

[TheJmkovacs]

This is not about climate change. It is about controlling industrial activities based on social considerations.

[EekaPeche]

When did climate change indeed....when the Earth started to be a planet!!

[rjbjr]

Trying to remove CO2 from the air unnaturally would surely cause worse problems. We are a clever species, but not very wise. We always do things without with no regard to what will happen 100's of years down the road. The real problem is there are too many of us trying to be efficient while ignoring vital externalities, and human behavior.

[barrybloggs]

CO2 does not drive temperature, it trails temperature rise by 800 years. Ice core data. Every living thing on Earth is carbon based, without it we die. Almost everybody overlooks the inconvenience that from 1940 to 1980 when the human production of CO2 increased the most, global temperatures went down. After 1998 the global temperatures stopped increasing while CO2 levels continued to increase in contradiction to their hypothesis.

[DarthRevan]

CO2 is necessary for trees. In fact trees are mainly made out the carbon that is made from the CO2 in the air. They intake gallons of water but only 5% of it will be used and 95% of the water will be evaporated.

[HL-xisz]

When will Americans understand that climate change isn't about politics but about scientific evidences ?

[Symphocal]

In Russia in the 50s of last century there was a crazy guy, a pal with Stalin called Lyssenko, who applied communism to biology and starved the whole USSR for 5 ys. This guy is no different. And Ted confirm themselves as the heralds of the New Green Deal thought (among many other things often crooked).
We actually live in a CO2 starvation and we should be thankful to human emissions (of course not very to other really polluting substances). Conversation might be long but the equation is utterly simple: less CO2 put plants and trees in starvation; plants and trees in starvation do not produce oxygen; no oxygen, all people die.
CO2 is good for all (within boundaries of course, but we're far below the limit). Ideologies and the final privatization of nature (which is the real goal of the NGD) is bad for all, included those rapacious self-righteous elites that take care of us like farmers of chicken.

[ucasvb]

Nope. Rampant industrialization, population growth and environmental disregard is the main issue. You can't solve the problem without explicitly reducing civilization's environmental impact. This, however, goes against everything we are currently focusing on doing. Our mode of existence is founded on notions of growth, expansion and exploration, all in the guise of increasing "human quality of life".

Our civilization's current plan is to devour everything and spit out products for humans. CO2 scrubbers don't replace the plants we destroyed, because those plants do much more than extract CO2, they support immense ecosystems we all rely on to survive.

It's terrifying how we humans think the solution to every problem we create is doing exactly more of the same thing we've always done.

[TheNikinikitembo]

Carbon capture is a most hazardous issue. Let's not forget plants optimum CO2 level is 2000/Million. At 200 all surface plantlife dies.

[bakedbean]

The arrogance of ignorance demonstrated throughout this comment section is astounding.
Some are concerned that the speaker in the video plans to suck out all of the CO2 in the atmosphere thereby depriving plants of their "food"!
Some are pointing out that CO2 concentrations in the atmosphere would need to be increased by many magnitudes of their current levels before it becomes "toxic"!
Others argue that methane, being a more potent greenhouse gas, is of more concern than CO2 apparently oblivious to the disproportion between the levels of the two emissions.
Some cite their gut feelings as trumping the science.
Then there are the ones who are convinced anthropogenic climate change is a scam perpetrated to control the masses or is attributable to an elite cabal actually engineering it to wipe out the masses or variations on such themes.
Presumably these people sleep well in their beds at night after posting this stuff pointing out the errors of our ways.
The arrogant bliss of ignorance of the nightmare unfolding before our very eyes.

[spazADHD]

Planting trees is pointless if the mountain beetles keep feeding on phylum and killing the trees drying them out then burning down entirely forests. We can't plant at a fast enough rate. 40 million trees would need to be planted every day to cover the co2 emissions for just the usa. Thunder foot has a video about this honest the ocean is the best carbon absorber we have converting most into carbonic acid and eventually into bicarbonate particles that get buried at the bottom of the ocean. Best solution i can think of is switching to a form of kinetic/dams/generator / superheated steam using geothermal/thermoelectric generator pipes /steam turbines in a maxed out energy configuration/ redox reaction converting then low pressure water vapour into hydrogen /fusion into maximum mega electron volts of 14/ toss in a few platinum catalists and all people living in cities with the density of the walled city and you have the plot for the matrix. Matrix is amazing BTW

[luqcrusher]

I wish the host would have asked the speaker more about the process he was talking about. Such a fascinating and paramount breakthrough in science, well done!

[RonArts]

If you take out CO2, and it drops below 180ppm, all plants start dying, and everything with it. The world *needs* CO2, and more is better.

[micheldupaul]

During the period 1645-1715, in the middle of the Little Ice Age, there was a period of low solar activity known as the Maunder Minimum. The Spörer minimum has also been identified with a significant cooling period between 1460 and 1550. If this happens again, as it seems to be the case now, we will have been lucky that the earth has warmed up before.