Dhunche, Climeworks, and Swarowski
October 2023, I took an extended break from work to travel around Nepal and India, with my wife Anna. For me it was a once in a lifetime trip; for her it was a return to the a place she spent a significant part of her childhood - so it was a big thing. However, having initially suggested the trip I was suddenly hit by a wave of guilt: I'd completely forgotten about my no-flying commitment. I was in a dilemma - either break with my commitment or pull out of a trip that meant a lot to both of us. I hit upon a solution: Climeworks. This is a Swiss company selling carbon credits using Direct Air Capture (DAC) technology. The plants are based in Iceland so they have access to abundant zero-carbon geothermal energy to power the fans which suck in the air, and the process that mineralizes and buries the carbon. But it was eye-wateringly expensive. We needed to offset 5 tons of CO2 - the emissions of two passengers travelling from London and back...