Can catalysis save us from our CO₂ problem?

Planet Earth has a carbon dioxide problem. On a daily basis, we hear about CO₂ emissions contributing to rising global temperatures and unprecedented climate change. Human activities are pumping an estimated 37.1 billion tonnes of CO₂ into the air each year, almost 80% of this coming directly from fossil fuels. While emissions are in decline in some advanced economies, the global trend of increasing emissions shows little sign of slowing – in fact, 2019 is expected to see one of the largest increases in atmospheric CO₂ levels since records began . If the situation continues, the chances of meeting the targets in the Paris Agreement will dwindle away to nothing and the spectre of irreversible climate chaos will become a terrifying reality.