ELI5: What is carbon capture

Carbon capture is like a special vacuum cleaner that sucks up carbon dioxide (CO2) from the air or power plants before it can cause problems.

Think of it this way: When we burn things like wood in a fireplace or gas in a car, we create CO2, a gas that traps heat in the Earth's atmosphere, like a big blanket. Too much of this blanket makes the Earth warmer, which can lead to problems like melting ice and strange weather.

Carbon capture is a way to stop this CO2 from escaping into the air. Imagine a big factory that burns coal to make electricity. Normally, all the smoke and CO2 go up a chimney and into the air. But with carbon capture, they have a special machine attached to the chimney that:

• First, it separates the CO2 from all the other gases in the smoke.
• Then, it squishes the CO2 into a liquid form.
• Finally, they pump this liquid CO2 deep underground, like putting it back where it came from. It's like putting the genie back in the bottle!