Q&A: A climate scientist’s evolution on carbon removal

By Benjamin Storrow | 08/12/2024 06:14 AM EDT

Stanford University’s Rob Jackson refused for years to endorse the use of technologies to suck carbon out of the sky. That changed with rising climate risks.

Rob Jackson, a climate scientist at Stanford University, is the author of the new book, "Into the Clear Blue Air."

Rob Jackson, a climate scientist at Stanford University, is the author of the new book, "Into the Clear Blue Air." Courtesy of Rob Jackson

Rob Jackson is old school.

The Stanford University professor and chair of the Global Carbon Project was taught as a student that “science should be policy relevant but not policy prescriptive.”

For years, he lived by that credo. But no more.

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In a new book, “Into the Clear Blue Sky,” the prominent climate scientist calls for an end to fossil fuel use, reluctantly acknowledges the need to remove carbon from the atmosphere and raises questions about the health risks posed by gas cook stoves.

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