Vesta Launches Major Carbon Removal Project Off North Carolina, Aiming to Combat Climate Change and Protect Coastlines.

Climate startup, Vesta, has dumped 8,200 metric tons of CO2-absorbing sand off the coast of North Carolina’s Outer Banks in one of the nation’s largest carbon removal tests so far. The startup estimates that its pilot project will eventually remove 5,000 tons of carbon from the atmosphere, compared to the maximum annual removal capacity of Heirloom’s first robot-enabled direct air capture plant in California. The project may also fortify the shoreline of Duck, North Carolina, and reduce the acidity of the Atlantic Ocean. Vesta’s co-founder and CEO, Tom Green, said the project could help protect coastal communities worldwide from rising sea levels and address the root cause of climate change.