Explainer: What is direct air capture and how can it fight climate change?

Direct air capture (DAC) uses chemical reactions to remove CO2 from the atmosphere for underground storage or industrial use, offering the unique ability to address historical emissions. While the US government is providing $3.5 billion in grants to scale the technology to plants capable of removing one million tonnes per year, DAC remains expensive compared to natural solutions like reforestation. Environmental groups express concerns that DAC may be used by fossil fuel companies to justify continued production, particularly impacting low-income and minority communities.

• Direct air capture (DAC) employs chemical reactions to extract carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, which is then either stored in underground caverns or utilized in products such as aviation fuel or concrete.
• The US government is providing $3.5 billion in grants to support companies implementing DAC, with a goal of funding large-scale facilities that can remove one million tonnes of CO2 annually.
• DAC is distinguished from traditional carbon capture and storage (CCS) because it can remove historical emissions from the air, whereas CCS typically filters emissions at industrial smokestacks before they enter the atmosphere.
• DAC is significantly more expensive than natural carbon removal methods; while reforestation costs less than $50 per ton according to the World Resources Institute, DAC costs are currently in the high triple digits per ton.
• Environmental activists and justice groups worry that DAC could provide fossil fuel companies a justification to maintain production, specifically in low-income and minority areas located near heavy emitting facilities.

APA

Reuters (2023). Explainer: What is direct air capture and how can it fight climate change? World Economic Forum. https://www.weforum.org/stories/climate-action/explainer-what-is-direct-air-capture-and-how-can-it-fight-climate-change-1fe32b2dbb/

Chicago

Reuters. Explainer: What is direct air capture and how can it fight climate change? World Economic Forum, 2023. https://www.weforum.org/stories/climate-action/explainer-what-is-direct-air-capture-and-how-can-it-fight-climate-change-1fe32b2dbb/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Reuters |title=Explainer: What is direct air capture and how can it fight climate change? |publisher=World Economic Forum |date=21 April 2023 |url=https://www.weforum.org/stories/climate-action/explainer-what-is-direct-air-capture-and-how-can-it-fight-climate-change-1fe32b2dbb/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{reuters2023explainer, author = {Reuters}, title = {{Explainer: What is direct air capture and how can it fight climate change?}}, institution = {World Economic Forum}, year = {2023}, month = apr, url = {https://www.weforum.org/stories/climate-action/explainer-what-is-direct-air-capture-and-how-can-it-fight-climate-change-1fe32b2dbb/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }