RESPONSIBLY SCALING DIRECT AIR CAPTURE

This fact sheet from the World Resources Institute (WRI) discusses the role of Direct Air Capture (DAC) in limiting global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees C. It emphasizes that DAC must complement deep greenhouse gas emission reductions and argues for the implementation of social and environmental guardrails, equity-focused policies, and federal support for research and development to ensure the technology is scaled responsibly.

• Direct air capture (DAC) is a carbon removal technology that uses chemicals to extract CO2 from the air for permanent removal via geological sequestration or use in durable products. WRI analysis indicates that DAC plants typically have on-site resource usage impacts (land, energy, and water) similar to other industrial infrastructure, but they produce significantly fewer on-site greenhouse gas and conventional air pollutant emissions, especially when powered by renewable energy.
• To avoid historical patterns of inequitable infrastructure siting, the document recommends that all DAC projects receiving federal funding implement specific social and environmental safeguards. These include conducting social and environmental assessments for siting, engaging in meaningful community consultation, utilizing community benefit agreements, prioritizing local labor and low-carbon materials, and establishing high-quality job training programs in adjacent communities.
• The document outlines several ways the U.S. federal government can support the responsible scaling of DAC, including leveraging purchasing power to prioritize equity and environmental integrity (citing the Federal Carbon Dioxide Removal Leadership Act), increasing appropriations for research, development, and demonstration, and coordinating across government agencies (citing the CREATE Act).
• Federal research and action should focus on five key areas to minimize environmental impact and lower costs: performing thorough life-cycle assessments of plants and infrastructure, evaluating and strengthening regulatory frameworks for large-scale DAC, improving the manufacturing of sorbents and solvents, mapping optimal siting parameters, and conducting social science research on public perceptions.

APA

World Resources Institute (n.d.). RESPONSIBLY SCALING DIRECT AIR CAPTURE. https://files.wri.org/d8/s3fs-public/2022-05/responsibly-scaling-direct-air-capture-2-pager.pdf

Chicago

World Resources Institute. RESPONSIBLY SCALING DIRECT AIR CAPTURE. n.d. https://files.wri.org/d8/s3fs-public/2022-05/responsibly-scaling-direct-air-capture-2-pager.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=World Resources Institute |title=RESPONSIBLY SCALING DIRECT AIR CAPTURE |url=https://files.wri.org/d8/s3fs-public/2022-05/responsibly-scaling-direct-air-capture-2-pager.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{worldresourcesinstitutendresponsibly, author = {{World Resources Institute}}, title = {{RESPONSIBLY SCALING DIRECT AIR CAPTURE}}, institution = {World Resources Institute}, url = {https://files.wri.org/d8/s3fs-public/2022-05/responsibly-scaling-direct-air-capture-2-pager.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }