In which country did the world's first negative-emissions carbon-capture and…

Concept

Direct air capture removes carbon dioxide from ambient air, while permanent storage prevents the captured carbon from returning to the atmosphere.

When both processes are combined and powered with low-carbon energy, the overall system can remove more carbon dioxide than it emits, producing negative emissions.

Application

In October 2017, a Climeworks unit at the Hellisheidi geothermal power plant captured carbon dioxide directly from air, and the Carbfix process stored it underground by mineralizing it in basalt. This integrated plant was in Iceland.

Contrast

• China has large industrial carbon-capture projects, but the October 2017 negative-emissions milestone in the question was not located there.

• Italy has developed carbon-storage plans around Adriatic offshore reservoirs, but that is a different project and timeline.

• Japan's Tomakomai demonstration injected industrial carbon dioxide beneath the seabed, beginning injection in 2016 rather than matching the event described.

• Iceland's Hellisheidi facility combined direct-air capture, geothermal energy, and permanent mineral storage in the stated period.

Cross-check

The location, the October 2017 start, and the combination of direct-air capture with Carbfix mineral storage all point to the same country.

Therefore, the country was Iceland.