***We all exhale CO2 with every breath. So does this mean that we are all polluters, subject to controls of bureacrats?***
Back in the old days of the TV show SEA HUNT they were often experimenting with a contraption that would convert co2 back into oxygen. They called it a “re-breather”. Maybe the gov will require all people to wear one of these things, or else you must pay a high, high, tax for the privelege of polluting. (Subsidized for the poor of course)
Mike Nelson (Lloyd Bridges) from "Sea Hunt!" Loved that show
Re-breathers use chemicals to absorb CO2. These are also used in spacecraft. CO2 is toxic to humans at higher levels even if you have plenty of oxygen.
The CO2 is not broken down but is held by the chemicals.