False economy What’s in it for me? Understand what makes the

Technologies such as self-driving cars, 
ocean farming and carbon capture hold 
further potential to reverse emissions.
By now we have gotten to know plenty of well-
established technologies that, if combined and 
spread, can reverse climate change. In addition 
to these tried-and-tested solutions, start-ups and 
NGOs around the world constantly come up with 
new ideas to reduce emissions and sequester 
carbon. Let’s take a look at three of the 
technologies currently in development. 
While self-driving cars might not seem inherently 
climate-friendly, many of the companies 
developing them are pairing them with low-
emission technologies such as electric motors, 
ride-sharing and smart traffic routing. These 
initiatives may ultimately reduce fuel and 
individual car use, thus also cutting carbon 
emissions.
Protecting our oceans is another endeavor in the 
focus of innovation. As the ocean’s surface 
water absorbs over half of the CO2 released into 
the air – and over 90 percent of its heat – vast 
swaths of ocean have become like deserts, 
largely devoid of marine animals and plants. 
So, how can we reforest the ocean? With the 
help of kelp and phytoplankton, miniature plant 
organisms that can provide food, fertilizer and 
biofuel to other plants, animals and humans. 
Establishing farms of these microorganisms in 
the middle of the ocean, a technique known as 
marine permaculture, could recreate entire 
ecosystems of algae, fish, seals and sharks. 
Another technology that could take carbon out of 
the atmosphere is Direct Air Capture. DAC 
systems try to emulate what plants have been 
doing 
over 
millions 
of 
years 
through 
photosynthesis: capturing CO2 directly from the 
air and turning it into fuel. The main challenge is 
that the carbon content of the air is only 0.04 
percent, making the process long and energy-
costly, at least in its current, rudimentary form. If 
DAC technology becomes more efficient in the 
future, it could be a feasible way to reduce 
carbon in the atmosphere.
All in all, the technologies illuminated in this blink 
might provide hope to the pessimists among us 
who believe that humanity has, in balance, made 
our planet worse. After all, scientists have 
named our era of civilization the Anthropocene, 
a period defined by the human domination of the 
environment. 
But 
by 
harnessing 
new 
technologies and implementing wide-ranging 
policy changes across the world, we might be 
able to reverse the negative impact we as a 
species have had on the planet that sustains us. 
And while climate change poses an existential 
crisis to humanity as a whole, it also offers 
humanity a chance to prove that it can do better.