Carbon capture is having a moment. The Biden administration is spending billions to boost the technology while dozens of startups pop up in the space. Meanwhile, in California, the nation’s first direct-air carbon-capture plant started humming this month, backed by heavyweights including Bill Gates, who has called carbon capture “necessary” and warned the world mere tree-planting won’t solve the climate crisis. And companies including JPMorgan Chase and Alphabet have pledged to help build out the sector.
But a group of business and nonprofit leaders has poured cold water on the hype, with a warning for fossil-fuel companies that think the as-yet-unproven technology can free them from having to cut emissions.
