WASHINGTON: The US government on Friday announced to invest up to $1.2 billion in two major projects to reduce carbon emissions.
The two pioneer facilities in Texas and Louisiana have the ability to eliminate one million tons of carbon dioxide per year, AFP reported.
The emission of Carbon dioxide (CO2) fuels climate change and extremely hot weather.
US pledges to invest $1.2 billion in carbon removal
The Energy Department said in a statement this would be the world’s largest investment against carbon removal from the air in history.
Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm warned that cutting carbon emissions alone won’t end the growing impacts of climate change.
NEW: Our next major step for carbon management in the form of…$1.2B for the two largest direct air capture (DAC) facilities in the U.S.
These DAC Hubs will remove the carbon already in the atmosphere and create good-paying jobs.
👇https://t.co/VLBAXCsgWY— U.S. Department of Energy (@ENERGY) August 11, 2023
Swiss company Climeworks, currently operating a plant in Iceland to capture 4,000 tons of carbon dioxide from the air will join the Louisiana project to capture CO2 for underground storage.
According to the International Energy Agency (IEA) more than 130 projects are currently under development to control carbon emissions.
The UN’s International Panel on Climate Change believes seizing carbon dioxide directly from the air is one of the major methods to combat global warming.
In May, US administration unveiled a plan to reduce CO2 discharges from gas-fired and coal-fired power plants.
