Chemists are manipulating carbon dioxide to make clothing, mattresses, shoes, and more.

By Ann Leslie Davis

It’s morning, and you wake up on a comfortable foam mattress made partly from greenhouse gas. You pull on a T-shirt and sneakers manufactured using carbon dioxide pulled from factory emissions. After a good run, you stop for a cup of joe and guiltlessly toss the plastic cup in the trash, confident it will fully biodegrade into harmless organic materials. At home, you squeeze shampoo from a bottle that has lived many lifetimes, then slip into a dress fashioned from smokestack emissions. You head to work with a smile, knowing your morning routine has made Earth’s atmosphere a teeny bit cleaner.

Sound like a dream? Hardly. These products are already on the market around the world. And others are in the process of being developed. They’re part of a growing effort by academia and industry to reduce the damage caused by centuries of human activity that has sent CO2 and other heat-trapping gases into the atmosphere.

The need for action is urgent. In its 2022 report, the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, or IPCC, stated that rising temperatures have already caused irreversible damage to the planet and increased human death and disease.

Meanwhile, the amount of CO2 emitted continues to grow. In 2023, the U.S. Energy Information Administration predicted that if current policy and growth trends continue, annual global CO2 emissions could increase from more than 35 billion metric tons in 2022 to 41 billion metric tons by 2050.

Capturing—and Using—Carbon

Carbon capture and storage, or CCS, is a climate mitigation strategy with “considerable” potential, according to the IPCC, which released its first report on the technology in 2005. CCS traps CO2 from smokestacks or ambient air and pumps it underground for permanent sequestration; controversially, the fossil fuel industry has also used this technology to pump more oil out of reservoirs.

As of 2023, almost 40 CCS facilities operate worldwide, with about 225 more in development, according to Statista. The Global CCS Institute reports that, in 2022, the total annual capacity of all current and planned projects was estimated at 244 million metric tons. The 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act includes $3.5 billion in funding for four U.S. direct air capture facilities.

Meanwhile, the amount of CO2 emitted continues to grow. In 2023, the U.S. Energy Information Administration predicted that if current policy and growth trends continue, annual global CO2 emissions could increase from more than 35 billion metric tons in 2022 to 41 billion metric tons by 2050.

Capturing—and Using—Carbon

Carbon capture and storage, or CCS, is a climate mitigation strategy with “considerable” potential, according to the IPCC, which released its first report on the technology in 2005. CCS traps CO2 from smokestacks or ambient air and pumps it underground for permanent sequestration; controversially, the fossil fuel industry has also used this technology to pump more oil out of reservoirs.

Author Bio:  Ann Leslie Davis is an award-winning freelance climate journalist with a Master's degree in English Language and Literature/Letters and a Bachelor's degree in Environmental Science. She focuses on emerging technologies for CDR (carbon dioxide removal) like Direct Air Capture, Enhanced Rock Weathering and Ocean Sequestration, along with new ways to utilize CO2 in order to reduce emissions.

 Resource Library              

As we work to bring you feminist news and information, we access many sites to corroborate our information; to get different perspectives on the issues; and to broaden our knowledge and approach. If you have not fully explored our site, you may not be aware of our Resource Library, the vehicle for sharing the sources of our information with you. 

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Here is a look at two of our library posts.  The wide difference in the work they do gives you an idea of the variety of subjects we cover with our entries.

ARBOR  DAY  FOUNDATION     https://arborday.org

The Arbor Day Foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to planting trees and promoting the importance of trees in our environment. The foundation has been working since 1972 to plant and protect trees around the world, and their efforts have had a tremendous impact on reforestation efforts. Here’s how the Arbor Day Foundation is helping to reforest the world.     READ  MORE    https://womensvoicesmedia.org/index.php?blog=12&p=1106&more=1

SOUTHERN  POVERTY  LAW  CENTER  (SPLC)         www.splcenter.org

 The SPLC is a catalyst for racial justice in the South and beyond, working in partnership with communities to dismantle white supremacy, strengthen intersectional movements, and advance the human rights of all people.

REMEMBER: these are only two of many.  Explore!

https://Indianlaw.org

The Center provides legal assistance to indigenous peoples of the Americas to combat racism and oppression, to protect their lands and environment, to protect their cultures and ways of life, to achieve sustainable economic development and genuine self-government, and to realize their other human rights.

The Indian Law Resource Center seeks to overcome the grave problems that threaten Native peoples by advancing the rule of law, by establishing national and international legal standards that preserve their human rights and dignity, and by challenging the governments of the world to accord justice and equality before the law to all indigenous peoples of the Americas.

The Indian Law Resource Center is a non-profit law and advocacy organization established and directed by American Indians. We provide legal assistance to Indian and Alaska Native nations who are working to protect their lands, resources, human rights, environment and cultural heritage. Our principal goal is the preservation and well-being of Indian and other Native nations and tribes.

Founded in 1978, the Center provides assistance to Indian nations and indigenous peoples in the United States and throughout the Americas. The Center has an international Board of Directors, and is a Non-Governmental Organization in consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council. The Indian Law Resource Center is a tax-exempt organization under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. We are funded by grants and contributions from individuals, foundations, and Indian nations. 

Don’t let them fool you.

In the years between 2000 and 2008 there was a huge outcry in states like Michigan, Florida, Maine and California, over Nestle’ pumping out millions of gallons of the state’s spring water and selling it in environmentally- damaging plastic bottles for millions of dollars in profits. Then Nestle’ markets itself as a company that supports local communities. The truth is it pays precious little for the water and then spends very little of their profits on projects designed to make itself look good.

The movement that created the outcry seems to have subsided for a while. But now the public is beginning to understand just how damaging this company is on so many levels. It’s high time we found our voice on this issue. Congress has initiated an investigation on the operations of this company. Let’s make sure we hold Congresses feet to the fire.

FYI: What prompted this personal outcry is yet another Nestle’ advertising ploy. TV ads in Florida are telling us how our benefactor Nestle’ is teaching fourth and fifth graders about our wonderful resource WATER and how to be good stewards of this resource. It would be funny if it were not such a travesty – just another wolf in sheep’s clothing.

Nestle’ sources water for spring brands like Ice Mountain, Poland Springs, Zephyr Hills and Arrowhead. You can help relieve this problem by finding ways to reduce or eliminate bottled water purchases. Future generations will appreciate what you do to protect the environment.