Carbon dioxide emissions given off by humans has taken a toll on the Earth’s climate. 32.8 billion tons of carbon dioxide was pumped into the atmosphere by humans last year, according to cbsnews.com. These emissions lead to the greenhouse gas effect, which traps gasses into the atmosphere, increasing overall temperature throughout the planet. According to independent.co.uk, scientists have discovered a mineral named magnesite that can quickly take carbon dioxide away from the atmosphere.

“A dream solution is that humans could develop a way to suck as much carbon dioxide from the atmosphere as we release, and combined with greenhouse gas emission reductions, we could slow or reverse the tide of climate change,” forbes.com writer Trevor Nace said.

That “dream solution” includes the speedy production of magnesite. Since forming minerals naturally takes hundreds of years, the scientists have found a way to reduce this formation time to around 72 days, according to independent.co.uk.

“It is our moral and ethical duty to acknowledge these changes and try to help maintain the environment we live in considering we are part of the problem,” environmental science teacher Mrs. Heather Anderson said.