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It’s one thing to read about <keyword id="19907392" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="climate-change" source="keywords">climate change</keyword> and <keyword id="19951337" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="carbon-emissions" source="keywords">carbon emissions</keyword> in an article, and quite another to <em>see </em>the toxic fumes engulfing your entire country — swirling over it like a certain menacing doom.<br /><br /><keyword id="19935155" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="NASA" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="NASA" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="NASA">NASA</keyword> recently unveiled a groundbreaking visualisation tool that offers an unprecedented look at how carbon dioxide (CO2) moves around our planet. This high-resolution model provides a stunning, animated map of <keyword id="22576003" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="global-CO2-concentrations" source="keywords">global CO2 concentrations</keyword>, revealing the complex patterns of this crucial <keyword id="20719964" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="greenhouse-gas" source="keywords">greenhouse gas</keyword>.<br />   <div type="Youtube" id="zZ-lMDtiI-k" title="Model Behavior: Visualizing Global Carbon Dioxide" thumbUrl="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/zZ-lMDtiI-k/mqdefault.jpg"><url><![CDATA[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zZ-lMDtiI-k]]></url></div>By combining billions of data points from satellites and ground observations, NASA scientists created a dynamic picture of how CO2 is emitted, transported, and absorbed across the globe. This interactive map showcases <keyword id="22576002" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="CO2-concentrations" source="keywords">CO2 concentrations</keyword> as they shifted through Earth's atmosphere from January to March 2020, influenced by wind patterns and atmospheric circulation. With its exceptional detail, you can zoom in to pinpoint CO2 emissions rising from power plants, fires, and urban areas, as they spread across continents and oceans.<br /><br />Over India, you can see the greenhouse gas blowing over from neighbouring continents and also originating from the subcontinent. The pulsating oranges indicate CO2 concentrations of 420-460 ppm over India.<br /><h2>The sources of CO2<br /></h2>One of the most striking features of the map is its ability to zoom in on specific regions, allowing viewers to see CO2 emissions rising from individual cities and industrial complexes. This level of detail provides a clear and compelling picture of human activities' impact on the environment.<br /><br />The map highlights distinct emission patterns across different regions. In China, the United States, and South Asia, power plants, industrial facilities, and vehicles were the primary contributors to CO2 emissions. Conversely, in Africa and South America, fires ignited by land management practices, agricultural burning, and deforestation, along with the combustion of oil and coal, were the main sources.<br /><br /><h2>Pulsating gases</h2>The map also highlights the role of natural systems in the carbon cycle. Forests, oceans, and other ecosystems absorb vast amounts of CO2, acting as vital carbon sinks. However, the visualisation also reveals how human activities are overwhelming these natural systems, leading to a buildup of CO2 in the atmosphere.<br /><br />Further, the map exhibits a pulsating appearance. This is because, firstly, fires typically intensify during daylight hours and subside at night, creating a diurnal pattern. Secondly, the absorption and release of CO2 by plants during photosynthesis and respiration contribute to the fluctuations. This pulsing effect is particularly noticeable in regions with abundant vegetation, such as mid- to high-latitude forests and tropical areas.<br />  <div type="Article" hostid="261" msid="112021374" title="Scientists found a groundbreaking new reason to plant more trees" mstype="2" mssubtype="0"></div>“This map is a powerful tool for understanding the scale and complexity of the climate crisis,” said [Quote from NASA scientist]. “It shows us where the biggest problems are and where we need to focus our efforts to reduce emissions.”<br /><br />The data behind the map comes from NASA's <keyword id="22576004" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="goddard-earth-observing-system" source="keywords">Goddard Earth Observing System</keyword> (GEOS), a sophisticated model that simulates Earth's atmosphere with incredible detail. By applying this model to CO2, scientists have gained new insights into the gas's behaviour and its impact on the planet.<br /><br />As the world grapples with the challenges of climate change, tools like this are essential for informing policy decisions, tracking progress, and inspiring action. NASA’s CO2 map is a remarkable achievement that offers a glimpse into the urgent need to transition to a low-carbon future.<br />  <div type="Article" hostid="261" msid="111566431" title="June warmest on record; every month since July 2023 breached 1.5 deg C threshold" mstype="2" mssubtype="0"></div>

WATCH: A NASA animation shows gigantic plumes of carbon dioxide emissions swirling over India

<ul class="summary-list"><li>The <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/worlds-largest-carbon-removal-plant-iceland-climeworks-2024-5">carbon dioxide removal</a> company Equatic has begun designing its largest plant yet.</li><li>The project will be North America's first commercial-scale CDR plant, scheduled to go online by 2027.</li></ul><p>The oceans are our planet's largest <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/us-first-commercial-carbon-capture-facility-opens-2023-11">carbon sink</a>, naturally absorbing about 25% of the carbon dioxide that humans emit. Carbon dioxide removal (CDR) companies like Equatic are trying to harness that natural process to absorb even more.</p><p>"We take what the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/oceans-absorb-carbon-emissions-climate-change-2018-10">ocean does already</a> and amplify that," Edward Sanders, COO at Equatic, told Business Insider.</p><p>On June 18, Equatic <a target="_blank" href="https://www.equatic.tech/articles/equatic-to-build-north-americas-first-commercial-scale-ocean-based-carbon-removal-facility">announced</a> it started engineering designs for the world's first commercial-scale, ocean-based CDR plant, Sanders said. The plant could remove carbon dioxide at a rate that's 99,000 times as fast as the oceans.</p><p>Equatic is one of about a dozen <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/pitch-deck-ebb-carbon-carbon-emissions-ocean-acidification-20-million-2023-4">marine CDR companies</a> that have sprouted in recent years in an effort to accelerate the ocean's natural capacity to absorb more CO2. A <a target="_blank" href="https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/26278/a-research-strategy-for-ocean-based-carbon-dioxide-removal-and-sequestration">report</a> from the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine estimates that marine CDR could remove billions of tons of CO2 from the atmosphere.</p><p>The technology is still in its infancy and it's unclear what the environmental impacts will be — especially at a large scale. But CDR is a necessary step in <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/us-government-launches-largest-ever-carbon-removal-initiative-2023-8">mitigating climate change</a>; reducing greenhouse gas emissions is no longer enough to limit global warming to 1.5 °C to 2 °C by the end of the century, according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.</p><h2 id="5b2c67a2-8fb9-4510-8523-f3ad8fbfa636">How Equatic is sucking CO2 from the air</h2><div type="image" title="illustration of Equatic's first commercial-scale carbon dioxide removal plant with hydrogen storage tanks on the left and removal technology on right" height="4320" width="7680" msid="111293591" hostid="261" sizebytes="3507668"></div><p>There are a lot of different ways to <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/us-steel-carbon-capture-does-it-work-reduce-emissions-controversial-2024-4">absorb CO2</a> from the atmosphere. Equatic's technology, for example, uses something called seawater electrolysis. It takes seawater and runs an electric current through it, which splits the water into hydrogen, oxygen, and two separate fluids: one acid and a base.</p><p>"The process stores carbon that was dissolved in the water as a solid, similar to the material that makes up seashells, and creates an alkaline slurry that removes carbon dioxide from the atmosphere via a cooling tower," Sanders told BI over email.</p><p>As an added bonus, the hydrogen can be converted into <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/clean-hydrogen-fuel-reserves-could-be-hiding-underground-2024-3">clean hydrogen fuel</a>, which Equatic can either reuse to power its CDR plants or sell. Companies including Boeing and payment service provider Stripe have signed contracts with Equatic for its hydrogen.</p><h2 id="9b9ca663-632c-46dc-a908-bbc835176666">Equatic has proven its technology can work</h2><div type="image" title="Photo of an industrial plant emitting gases into the atmosphere with a wind farm in the background." height="1499" width="1999" msid="111293592" hostid="261" sizebytes="61620"></div><p>Equatic already has two small pilot plants to validate its technology — one in LA and a second in <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/sc/why-singapore-is-the-choice-location-for-firms-support-global-carbon-markets">Singapore</a>.</p><p>The company is also building a larger plant scheduled to go online in Singapore later in 2024, which will absorb about 4,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide annually and lay the groundwork for the company's first commercial-scale plant. That plant will launch in 2026 or 2027 in partnership with Canadian carbon removal project developer Deep Sky.</p><p>Researchers estimate that by 2050, it will cost between $230 and $540 to remove one ton of CO2 from the atmosphere. But Equatic offsets the cost of CDR by producing and selling green hydrogen. The company predicts the new plant could achieve CDR at less than $100 per ton by 2030.</p><p>Ultimately, Sanders envisions a global fleet of these CDR plants.</p><p>"Once we get to that point, we're not talking about a hundred thousand tons, we're not talking about millions of tons, we're talking about <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/richest-americans-income-creates-outsized-emissions-climate-crisis-2023-8">hundreds of millions of tons</a> because this technology can be replicated in many countries," Sanders said.</p><h2 id="c8463862-6d69-476c-82bf-0067e2bc4893">Questions remain about CDR's economic and environmental impact</h2><div type="image" title="Photo of a shoreline with bright blue blooms of algae nad other sealife in the water." height="1414" width="2121" msid="111293593" hostid="261" sizebytes="637988"></div><p>Since there are no commercial-scale, ocean-based CDR plants online yet, practically nothing is known about their impact on the environment and local economies.</p><p>In general, ocean-based CDR techniques manipulate seawater in ways that could potentially disrupt sea life.</p><p>"You're going to be pulling in <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/giant-plankton-bloom-thailand-sea-bright-green-fish-kill-environment-2023-9">phytoplankton</a> and bugs and other potential living creatures from the ocean and filtering those out can have some environmental impacts," Jessica Cross, an earth scientist with the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory who specializes in CDR for the oceans, told BI.</p><p>Exactly <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/increasing-carbon-emissions-ocean-acidification-2014-9">what those impacts</a> are depends on where a CDR operation is and what organisms are involved.</p><p>Sanders told BI that Equatic closely monitors discharge from its CDR plants to ensure they comply with legal pollution standards. Its upcoming plant in Singapore will also filter seawater to remove sea life before water enters the plant.</p><h2 id="1277f18c-6649-4f95-ae1f-933feb3495ab"><strong>We can't fully rely on CDR to mitigate climate change</strong></h2><p>Because CDR is expensive and limited in scale, we can't abandon decarbonization and <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/carbon-emissions-2022-record-renewables-growth-solar-wind-iea-2023-3">emissions reduction efforts</a>, Cross said.</p><p>The benefits of this technology are "far in the future, whereas the risks of initiating this industry and this infrastructure development are local, short-term, and much more immediate," Cross said.</p><p>"Figuring out how to balance, again, this sort of diffuse global benefit with this local risk that happens, it is something that responsible researchers should be grappling with," she said.</p>

A new carbon removal plant will absorb carbon dioxide 99,000 times faster than Earth's oceans 

Christopher <keyword id="20808534" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="columbus" source="keywords">Columbus</keyword>'s arrival in the <keyword id="20049715" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="americas" source="keywords">Americas</keyword> in 1492 is often viewed as a significant moment in history, signalling the start of a new era of exploration and colonisation. However, the impact went beyond human history, affecting the Earth's climate.<br /><br />Columbus' <keyword id="92608" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="expedition" source="Orion">expedition</keyword> to the Americas brought not only conquest and exploitation but also diseases like smallpox and influenza, devastating <keyword id="6506269" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="indigenous-population" source="Orion">indigenous population</keyword>s who lacked immunity. It's estimated that 80% to 95% of the indigenous population perished within 150 years of European contact, from millions to less than 500.<br /><br />This population decline had a profound effect on global atmospheric compositions, as revealed by ice cores. These cores, extracted from glaciers, preserve air bubbles that reflect the atmosphere's composition over time. Antarctic ice bubbles from the 16th and 17th centuries showed a notable drop in <keyword id="48468" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="carbon-dioxide" source="Orion">carbon dioxide</keyword> levels, which the study's authors attributed to the decline of indigenous populations and subsequent reforestation absorbing carbon dioxide through photosynthesis.<br /><br />The research also addressed a debate about ice cores' data reliability, comparing <keyword id="20944231" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="law-dome" source="keywords">Law Dome</keyword> and West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS) cores. The analysis of a newly drilled Skytrain Ice Rise core confirmed the forest regrowth's gradual carbon dioxide absorption, supporting the idea of significant land use changes in the Americas after Columbus' arrival.<br /><br />This study highlights the link between historical human actions and climate change, demonstrating a rare phenomenon of human-induced cooling. It underscores humanity's significant impact on Earth's climate balance.<br /><br />The findings of this research has been published in <em>Nature Communications</em>.<br />

Columbus' voyages sparked epidemics that killed so many people, it may have crashed carbon dioxide levels worldwide

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WATCH: A NASA animation shows gigantic plumes of carbon dioxide emissions swirling over India

BI India Bureau

A new carbon removal plant will absorb carbon dioxide 99,000 times faster than Earth's oceans

Ellyn Lapointe,Jessica Orwig

Columbus' voyages sparked epidemics that killed so many people, it may have crashed carbon dioxide levels worldwide

Ankush Banerjee

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