The interest in CDR is growing. Why is this? Because it is becoming apparent that we are not going to reduce our CO2 emissions fast enough to avoid surpassing the 2°C goal. As a result, if we exceed the carbon budget associated with 2°C warming, CDR technologies could remove CO2 from the atmosphere to bring the carbon budget back into balance.

The business model envisions that polluters will collect the carbon—and the tax credit—and then pay Bayou Bend a transport-and-disposal fee that Tiller says is likely to be $20 to $25 per ton.

Carbon dioxide removal may be essential; it’s already built into the calculations of the IPCC. Under the current order, however, it’s also economically infeasible. How do you go about creating a $100 billion industry for a product no one wants to buy? The eggplants and the Snack-Gurken represented an admittedly jury-rigged solution. By selling its

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