As the planet hits record-breaking carbon emissions, the race is on to slash CO2 levels—and a controversial technology called carbon capture and storage is getting pushed as a fix. At first glance, carbon capture and storage sounds like a great idea: trap carbon before it hits the air and stash it underground. But while politicians and private companies call it a climate solution, critics say it’s just a way to keep fossil fuels alive, propped up by taxpayer money. 

Latino USA traveled to California’s Central Valley —a place already struggling with extreme air pollution— and that is now ground zero for carbon capture projects. Here, locals are asking: will this technology save the planet or is it just another way for oil companies to avoid accountability while others pay the price?

Read the episode transcript here.

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This story was produced by Victoria Estrada and edited by Andrea López-Cruzado. It was mixed by Julia Caruso. Fact-checking for this episode by Roxana Aguirre.

Featured image by Diego Perdomo.

This report was made possible in part by the Fund for Environmental Journalism of the Society of Environmental Journalists.