Earth is going through a problem of global warming. People have been struggling to find a way to prevent the condition from worsening. This major concern can cause the downfall of society, but scientists have discovered a way to prevent this by hacking the climate and saving millions of people.

Scientists have discovered that one way to prevent global warming is to suck massive amounts of carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere. It has been heard that there is technology that can extract carbon from the air and turn the carbon into a material fiber, which can be used for many manufactured goods. The machine would look like a huge box with a big sail connected to it. The sails are made of plastic so that they will be able to hold onto the CO2. Since CO2 binds to the plastic, in order to release the captured carbon dioxide, it has to be wet. This is how the CO2 will be stored or used. Trevor Algatt, a Los Angeles citizen, thinks that if the inventors can implement the use of such technology on a big enough scale, then it can probably bring the carbon levels in the atmosphere back to normal within a decade. This discovery is a major breakthrough for humanity. People won’t have to worry about living on a new planet or having to accept the fact that environmental conditions will eventually kill future generations.

However, even though this discovery can have major benefits, there are still problems that we would have to face. For example, this invention would be very expensive to use, and if we suck out the CO2, we would need to find a viable source to store all of it. A geologist named Donald Penman says the simplest place to put the carbon is in the bottom of the ocean. But Penman is worried about what side effects removing the CO2 could cause, as well as if doing so could create bigger issues. Another problem is that this technological process could require more fossil fuels in order to properly function. With these problems in mind, many ASU scientists are slowly creating a machine that takes these factors into consideration.

Despite the possible disadvantages, there can be many uses for the collected CO2. Dr. Klaus Lackner, director of Arizona State University’s Center for Negative Carbon Emissions, is trying to develop a carbon-scrubbing resin to create “Boston Treepods” that scrub CO2 and use it for light at night. Also, some of the CO2 can be used for liquid fuel or building materials. Additionally, it can also be used in farms that harvest CO2. But before all of this, ASU is testing this device on plants. Using plants first can show if the device works because plants need CO2 in order to grow.

In conclusion, this catastrophic problem now has a way to be solved, but the process of it can be very long and expensive. But can we really put a price on the health of our planet?


<Steven Park, Diamond Bar High School 9th Grade>