In an effort to counteract the impact of their pollution on the climate, big companies like Google and H&M Group have invested in a plan to trap carbon dioxide using rocks. A multimillion-dollar deal was recently struck with a Sheryl Sandberg-backed startup called Terradot.
The Deal: 90,000 Tons of Carbon Dioxide Removal
The companies involved – Google, H&M Group, Salesforce, and others – collectively agreed to pay Terradot $27 million to remove 90,000 tons of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. This deal was brokered by Frontier, a carbon removal initiative led by Stripe, Google, Shopify, and McKinsey Sustainability.
Additional Deal with Google
Separately, Google announced its own deal to purchase an additional 200,000 tons of carbon removal from Terradot. However, the company declined to disclose the value of this deal. If the cost is similar to the Frontier agreement – roughly $300 per ton of CO2 captured – it could add up to $60 million.
Enhanced Rock Weathering: A Low-Tech Tactic
The strategy used by Terradot, called Enhanced Rock Weathering (ERW), involves crushing rocks and spreading them out over a large area. This increases the surface area of exposed rock that reacts with CO2, trapping it in water as bicarbonate. The carbon is then stored in the ocean, keeping it out of the atmosphere.
Terradot’s Background
Terradot was founded by James Kanoff and Sasankh Munukutla, both undergraduate students at Stanford when they started the company. They were joined by Kanoff’s former professor, Scott Fendorf, who is now Terradot’s chief scientist and technical advisor.
Sheryl Sandberg’s Support
Sandberg, a former Facebook COO, has invested in Terradot through her support for the company as an investor. "I’ve known James, the CEO, since long before this company started," she said in a press release. "These are proven leaders, which is rare to find in an early-stage company."
Carbon Dioxide Removal: A Suite of Strategies
Carbon dioxide removal encompasses a range of strategies aimed at taking carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere. While these technologies could potentially help slow climate change by trapping some of the pollution caused by fossil fuels, there are still concerns about their costs, safety, and potential to delay a transition to carbon-pollution-free energy.
The Tricky Part: Measuring CO2 Capture
Terradot takes basalt from quarries in southern Brazil to its customers’ farms. However, measuring how much CO2 is captured based on the rock’s degradation over time can be challenging. Soil samples will be taken to assess CO2 capture, but it’s harder to determine how much calcium, magnesium, and bicarbonate make it to the ocean to permanently sequester CO2.
The Outstanding Question: How Much Carbon is Sequestered?
According to geologist Dr. Peter D. Clift, who studies carbon capture in marine environments, "how much they sequester is still the outstanding question." However, he doesn’t think this uncertainty needs to stop trials in the real world.
Why Try? The Luxury of Not Overthinking It
Dr. Jagoutz, a geologist at Harvard University, agrees with Dr. Clift’s assessment. "I also think, why not try?" he says. "We don’t have the luxury to overthink it right now." This sentiment reflects the urgency of addressing climate change.
The Only Effective Way: Switching to Clean Energy
While carbon removal can help counteract some of a company’s legacy pollution while they transition to clean energy, switching to carbon-pollution-free electricity is the only effective way to stop climate change. Google has recently announced plans to develop advanced nuclear reactors and new solar and wind farms to power its data centers.
200,000 Tons: A Small Fraction of Google’s Carbon Footprint
Even with this deal, 200,000 tons of carbon removal is still a small fraction of the 14.3 million metric tons of carbon dioxide pollution that Google was responsible for last year. According to Kanoff, "it’s very clear that this is not a substitute for emissions reductions at all."
A Message from Terradot
Kanoff says, "we need both of these tools" – emissions reductions and carbon removal. He notes that any companies they partner with have some of the most aggressive emission reduction strategies in the world.
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