Salvation in the Air
Could we pull the solution to climate change out of thin air? An oft-forgotten but hugely important scientific technique from the early 20th century suggests the idea isn’t crazy.

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Episode Notes
At the dawn of the 20th century, chemists dreamed of extracting nitrogen from the air and turning it into a limitless supply of fertilizer. Sceptics thought they were crazy; it was possible in theory, but it was unclear if it could be done in practice. What happened next changed the course of 20th-century history—and provides inspiration to innovators pursuing a different dream today: sucking carbon dioxide out of the air to avert climate change. Might they not be quite so crazy after all?
Podcast production by Bart Warshaw and Kate Holland.