Direct Air Capture: Assessing Impacts to Enable Responsible Scaling

This research paper by the World Resources Institute and the University of Pennsylvania examines the environmental and social impacts of deploying Direct Air Capture (DAC) plants in the United States, emphasizing the need for equitable siting and inclusive decision-making to ensure responsible scaling.

• Direct Air Capture (DAC) is identified as a necessary technological carbon removal tool to help limit global warming to 1.5 degrees C (2.7 degrees F) by midcentury, alongside deep emissions reductions.
• DAC plants are expected to have onsite resource usage impacts similar to other industrial infrastructure, but they may produce zero or nearly zero onsite emissions affecting human health or the environment, especially when powered by renewable energy.
• The social benefits of DAC include job creation across plant operations and the supply chain, though the realization of these benefits depends on inclusive decision-making and the use of legal frameworks such as community benefit and workforce agreements to avoid historical patterns of inequitable 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} }