"Mammoth" carbon capture facility launches in Iceland, expanding one tool in the climate change arsenal

In Iceland, the "Mammoth" carbon capture facility, operated by Swiss startup Climeworks, has begun operations with the capacity to remove nearly 40,000 tons of CO2 annually. This facility, located on a dormant volcano near a geothermal plant, uses advanced technology to extract CO2 and store it underground by turning it into mineral crystals within the volcanic basalt.

The launch of Mammoth marks a significant scale-up in Climeworks' efforts, following their first project, Orca. Despite the technical advancements, the overall impact of such technologies on global emissions remains minimal, and the high costs involved highlight the challenges of scaling up. The initiative is part of broader efforts to meet the Paris Agreement targets, though it also faces criticism regarding its cost-effectiveness and potential diversion of resources from other sustainable solutions.