Science and technology | Removing carbon dioxide from the air
The world’s biggest carbon-removal plant switches on
Despite high prices, customers are lining up
![Air conditioning for the world](https://cdn.statically.io/img/www.economist.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=1424,quality=80,format=auto/sites/default/files/images/print-edition/20210918_STP001_0.jpg)
|Reykjavik
SHORTLY AFTER 6pm on September 9th, the Orca carbon-capture plant, just outside Reykjavik in Iceland, switched on its fans and began sucking carbon dioxide from the air. The sound was subtle—a bit like a gurgling stream. But the plant’s creators hope it will mark a big shift in humanity’s interaction with the climate.
This article appeared in the Science & technology section of the print edition under the headline “Sucking money from thin air”
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