According to a World Economic Forum paper by Victoria Masterson, direct air capture (DAC) involves removing CO2 from the air and storing
or reusing it. This reduces the atmospheric concentration of this greenhouse
gas (GHG), which is now dangerously high and contributing to climate heating, especially
in the North.
Given that the transition to clean energy likely cannot be accomplished in time to reach net zero CO2 emissions by
2050, a massive scale-up in carbon capture capability, including DAC, is needed.
Companies such as Microsoft, Shopify and
Swiss Re are buying into DAC to offset their emissions. Carbon Engineering and partners around the
world are working to deploy DAC facilities that can each capture one million
tonnes of CO2 per year ─ equivalent
to the carbon removal capacity of approximately 40 million trees.
