Direct Air Capture: Assessing Impacts to Enable Responsible Scaling

The document examines the resource requirements and social implications of Direct Air Capture (DAC) in the U.S., arguing that while onsite emissions are minimal, responsible scaling requires inclusive decision-making and equity-focused policies to ensure benefits, such as job creation, are distributed fairly.

• Direct Air Capture (DAC) development involves energy, land, water, chemical, construction, and infrastructure requirements. While its onsite resource usage is similar to other industrial infrastructure, it is expected to produce zero or nearly zero onsite emissions that harm human health or the environment, especially when powered by renewable energy.
• The primary social benefit of DAC is anticipated to be job creation across plant operations, planning, construction, and engineering. To ensure these benefits reach local workers and communities, the paper suggests using legal frameworks such as community workforce agreements and community benefit agreements.
• Because DAC is an emerging technology with project-specific impacts, the authors recommend project-by-project assessments and the enactment of policies that prioritize equity and inclusive community engagement to prevent the repetition of historical patterns of inequitable infrastructure siting.

APA

World Resources Institute (n.d.). Direct Air Capture: Assessing Impacts to Enable Responsible Scaling. https://www.wri.org/research/direct-air-capture-impacts

Chicago

World Resources Institute. Direct Air Capture: Assessing Impacts to Enable Responsible Scaling. n.d. https://www.wri.org/research/direct-air-capture-impacts.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=World Resources Institute |title=Direct Air Capture: Assessing Impacts to Enable Responsible Scaling |url=https://www.wri.org/research/direct-air-capture-impacts |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{worldresourcesinstitutenddirect, author = {{World Resources Institute}}, title = {{Direct Air Capture: Assessing Impacts to Enable Responsible Scaling}}, institution = {World Resources Institute}, url = {https://www.wri.org/research/direct-air-capture-impacts}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }