Researchers from Harvard University and Pennsylvania State University are undertaking an ambitious project to beat the heat. They have currently invented a technology which will reduce the amount of atmospheric carbon dioxide caused by human emissions and help speed up nature's natural process of cleaning up greenhouse gases.

The researchers say that they can accelerate the natural chemical weathering by electrochemically removing hydrochloric acid from the ocean and then neutralizing the acid by reaction with silicate (volcanic) rocks, permanently transferring CO2 from the atmosphere to the ocean. Unlike other ocean sequestration processes, the new technology does not further acidify the ocean and may be beneficial to coral reefs.

Other proposed climate engineering schemes includes reflecting sunlight back into space to cool the planet. However, this new project looks into helping the world's oceans by counteracting its continually acidification process that threatens coral reefs and their biological communities. Already, reports of the ocean being oversaturated and absorbing less carbon dioxide than it should be have been reported.

The only downside of the project would be the cost and the risk of some other environmental risks that require further study. The need to replicate such a process would involve building dozens of facilities, akin to large chlorine gas industrial plants, on the coasts of volcanic rock.

Despite the risks, Michael J. Aziz, Gordon McKay Professor of Materials Science in Harvard's School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, was hopeful with the study and had this to say:

The least risky trajectory is to significantly cut our carbon dioxide emissions — but we may not be able to cut them rapidly enough to avoid unacceptable levels of climate change. If it looks like we’re not going to make it, the ‘House Process’ has the potential to let us rescind a portion of those emissions while mitigating some of the chemical impacts the excess CO2 will have on the oceans. It won’t be ready in time, though, if we wait until we’re sure we’ll need it before pursuing R&D on the technical and environmental issues involved.