Take Action on Climate Change Technologies

Carbon dioxide removal technologies (CDR) may be a necessary complement to reducing emissions in addressing climate change, but also require research to determine their efficacy and policy guidelines to ensure a dramatic scale-up is prudently carried out.

CDR encompasses a range of methods and technologies for reducing atmospheric CO₂, including cyclic CDR, like Direct Air Capture (DAC) and once-through systems like Enhanced Rock Weather. However, even at the highest possible efficiencies, these technologies require significant resources, either in energy or materials.

For example, reasonable estimates of the energy required to remove one gigaton of CO₂ through cyclical CDR is 1.3-4.2 times the total annual electricity generated in California. Similarly, removing one gigaton of CO₂ through the material-intensive CDR would likely require 2-10 times more material than all the crushed stone produced in the US annually. That’s why it's critical that energy used for CDR be carbon free and land-use be balanced with other necessities, like food production.

The 2025 APS Panel on Public Affairs report on atmospheric carbon dioxide removal analyzes the potential and costs of this emerging technology, offering policymakers science-informed recommendations.

Clearly, before large-scale deployment of CDR, Congress should support economic and policy frameworks to:

1. Ensure CDR is powered by carbon-free sources and does not compromise carbon emission reductions efforts
2. Develop reliable systems of measurement, reporting, and verification (MRV) of CDR systems alongside robust standards for sequestration and for safety and environmental impact

Send an email to your officials