This article comments on:Förster B, Rourke LM, Weerasooriya HN, Pabuayon ICM, Rolland V, Au EK, Bala S, Bajsa-Hirschel J, Kaines S, Kasili RW, LaPlace LM, Machingura MC, Massey B, Rosati VC, Stuart-Williams H, Badger MR, Price GD, Moroney JV. 2023. TheChlamydomonas reinhardtiichloroplast envelope protein LCIA transports bicarbonatein planta. Journal of Experimental Botany74,3651–3666