Shifting the Direct Air Capture Paradigm
Even though it is still nascent, DAC could play a critical role in delivering on net zero.
Carbon dioxide removal (CDR) technologies are essential to delivering the “net” in net zero. These technologies will provide a balance to anthropogenic emissions that are hard to reduce as well as reverse the buildup of historic emissions that are already present in the atmosphere.
One of these CDR technologies, direct air capture (DAC), has significant advantages over other CDR approaches. DAC can provide the highest-quality CO2 removals in terms of scalability, permanence, and verifiability. For example, DAC is more than 100 times as land efficient as reforestation, making it a more scalable solution. It can sequester emissions for many centuries, making it the most permanent of all removal options. And tracking how much CO2 has been removed is straightforward, making it more verifiable than ocean alkalinization. As a result, even though it is still nascent, DAC could play a critical role in delivering on net zero.
