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Iceland Turns On The World's Biggest Machine To Pull Carbon Out Of The Air

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“Orca,” Climeworks’ newest plant in Iceland, will capture 4,000 tons of carbon dioxide per year with support from Accenture (Climeworks via AP)
“Orca,” Climeworks’ newest plant in Iceland, will capture 4,000 tons of carbon dioxide per year with support from Accenture (Climeworks via AP)

This month Iceland switched on a machine that sucks carbon out of the air so it can be stored underground instead of contributing to climate change.

It's called Orca, and it's the biggest plant yet devoted to "direct air capture" — a technically challenging and controversial strategy for softening the blow of global warming that backers say will be a necessity to meet global emissions targets in the years ahead.

Here & Now's Peter O'Dowd speaks with Christoph Beuttler, head of climate policy for Climeworks.

This segment aired on September 22, 2021.

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