(CNN) What if we could recycle carbon dioxide from the atmosphere? And what if we used it to make fuel?

Well, the short answer is, we could save the world.

That's what researchers in Switzerland and Norway say they are trying to do. In a study published this month in PNAS, a multidisciplinary scientific journal , a research group is proposing what is essentially a bunch of marine-based floating islands containing solar cells to convert sunlight into energy.

Here's how it's supposed to work.

The energy created from the sun by the solar cells will produce hydrogen gas and extract carbon dioxide from the water. The gases will then react to form methanol, an alternative fuel that can be used in cars.

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