What happens if we remove CO2 from our atmosphere for good? Earthshot explains

With the removal of CO2 being a bedrock of the conservation and sustainability efforts Prince William is leading via the Eartshot Prize, the official social media page just posed the question, “What if we could remove CO2 from our atmosphere for good?”

To answer this, the prize highlighted Omani climate tech startup 44.01 that is working on permanently removing carbon by locking it away in rock.

In the caption the team wrote “By accelerating a natural process that normally takes thousands to millions of years, their breakthrough technology mineralises CO₂ in just a year or two. With $47 million raised to scale globally, they’re proving that bold science can deliver real climate impact.”

The Key to Removing CO2 From the Atmosphere For Good:

“It started with Peridotite. A type of reactive rock found abundantly in Oman, and across America, Europe, Asia and Australasia. It naturally absorbs CO2, nature's own climate solution,” the post explained in one of its images.

“In nature, this mineralisation typically takes thousands to millions of years.

44.01 accelerates it by injecting carbonated water deep underground into reactive rock like peridotite, turning CO2 into solid stone in a year or two.”

Goals:

According to the post by 2040, 44.01 aims to mineralise 1 billion tonnes of CO2 which is “equal to removing every car in the EU and UK from the road for over a year,” according to the organizations official Instagram account.

Its founder and CEO has even spoken out since winning the award and says, “Winning The Earthshot Prize has made a huge difference to 44.01. It raised our profile, opened new partnerships, and accelerated our scaling, helping us mineralise more CO2 and move closer to fixing our climate.”