1. 1 ppm of atmospheric CO2 corresponds to ∼7.8 GtCO2. The current CO2 concentration of 410 ppm corresponds to ∼3,200 GtCO2.
2. Arun Majumdar was vice chair SEAB and chair of this task force; John Deutch was chair of SEAB and a member of the task force. Other members of this task force were: Sally Benson, Stanford University; Rafael Bras, Georgia Tech; Emily Carter, Princeton University; Don Ort, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; Michael Ramage, formerly of Exxon-Mobil; Robert Socolow, Princeton University; Eric Toone, formerly of Duke University and currently at Breakthrough Energy Ventures; George Whitesides, Harvard University; Mark Wrighton, Washington University. The report was also reviewed by the following group of experts: Ken Caldeira, Carnegie Institute for Science; Michael Celia, Princeton University; Steven Koonin, New York University; Nathan Lewis, California Institute of Technology; Venkatesh Narayanamurti, Harvard University; Edward Rubin, Carnegie Melon University; Chris Sommerville, University of California, Berkeley; Ellen Stechel, Arizona State University. The report also received the benefit of collaboration with the following Department of Energy personnel: Adam Cohen, Doug Hollett, John Lytsinski, Harriet Kung, Ruben Sarkar, Sunita Satyapal, Eric Miller, Sharlene Weatherwax, and Ellen Williams.
3. The SEAB report is dated December 12, 2016, and the Department of Energy assessment of the report is dated January 18, 2017. Available at https://www.energy.gov/seab/listings/seab-reports.
4. Fifth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (2014).
5. Climate Intervention: Carbon Dioxide Removal and Reliable Sequestration;National Research Council,2015