- March 28, 2025, 3:30 pm US/Central
- Washington Taylor, MIT
- Pushpa Bhat
As atmospheric carbon dioxide levels continue to rise, there has been increasing interest from both the public and private sectors in methods and technologies for directly removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere (CDR). Large-scale CDR may be a useful complement to emissions reductions in achieving specific carbon or climate goals. The American Physical Society’s Panel on Public Affairs (POPA) has recently released a report that focuses on the physical constraints and requirements of large-scale CDR efforts. This talk will present the main aspects of the science analysis and policy conclusions of the report. In particular the talk will describe the energy, land area, and materials requirements for a variety of CDR approaches, as well as uncertainties in effectiveness and impact. These basic scientific observations can help inform sensible carbon management policies.