Carbon capture: the magical chemistry trick that’s been around for nearly 300 years but still hasn’t saved us from climate change. But could a new breakthrough finally be the game-changer we need? PBS Reactions dives into the science with Erlenmeyer flasks, limestone, and… a straw.

This new electrochemical method uses way less energy than current industry standards, which sounds awesome—until thermodynamics shows up to ruin the party. Turns out, even in the best-case scenario, scrubbing all our CO2 emissions would still require nearly half of the world’s electricity production. So, while this tech is a big step forward, it’s not quite the “undo” button for climate change.

Check out the video to see some science magic in action—plus a Great Scott! moment (7:19) that’ll make you appreciate just how much energy we’re talking about.