Direct air capture technology aims to pull carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere, offering the potential for net negative emissions and a cooler planet.
Scaling up carbon capture technologies requires significant investment, supportive government policies, and collaboration among governments, industries, and the scientific community.
Deep dives
Carbon capture technologies as a solution for climate change
Carbon capture technologies, including capturing emissions from power plants and direct air capture, are seen as vital for combatting climate change. These technologies aim to remove carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases from the atmosphere, either as they are produced at power plants or by pulling them directly out of the air. Nature-based solutions, such as planting trees or crushing minerals to expose them to carbon dioxide, are also being explored. The challenge lies in scaling up these technologies and ensuring the stored carbon remains trapped for the long term.
Different strategies for carbon capture
There are various strategies for carbon capture, including capturing emissions from power plants and industries, and direct air capture. Nature-based techniques, such as planting trees to absorb carbon dioxide, and crushing minerals that react with carbon dioxide, are also considered. Direct air capture involves filtering carbon dioxide from the air and storing it deep underground. These technologies show promise, but they still require further scientific exploration and verification.
Challenges and limitations of carbon capture technologies
While carbon capture technologies offer potential solutions, there are challenges and limitations that need to be addressed. Scaling up these technologies requires significant investment and supportive government policies. The geographical distribution of suitable sites for storing carbon dioxide underground is not evenly distributed, which may require transportation of captured carbon to appropriate locations. Additionally, the scale at which carbon needs to be removed is immense, and not all carbon removal methods are fully carbon negative, leading to concerns about moral hazard and reliance on these technologies rather than reducing emissions at the source.
Policy support and future prospects
Government policies, such as tax credits and subsidies, play a crucial role in supporting the development and deployment of carbon capture technologies. In the United States, the Fortify c tax credit has been vital for making carbon capture projects economically viable. However, further policy support and investment are needed to accelerate the growth of these technologies. The future success of carbon capture technologies also depends on continued advancements in research and development, as well as collaboration between governments, industries, and the scientific community.
Most of our efforts to fight climate change, from electric cars to wind turbines, are about pumping fewer greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. But what if we could pull out the gases that are already there? Akshat Rathi, a reporter at Bloomberg with a doctorate in chemistry, knows more about this technology, called “direct air capture,” than just about anyone. He follows companies like Carbon Engineering and Climeworks that are trying to figure out how to take regular air and pull carbon dioxide out of it.
If their plans work, they could mean a world with net negative emissions: less carbon in the sky than there is right now, and a cooler planet. But his reporting has also highlighted how elusive carbon capture can be, and how tricky it can be to make the tech work at an affordable price. Rathi and Vox’s Dylan Matthews discuss how direct air capture works, how it’s different from capturing carbon at a fossil fuel plant, and the struggles of one direct air capture company in particular.
