Can direct air capture make a real impact on climate change?
Published July 6, 2020 This content is archived.
NPR’s “The World” podcast interviewed Monica Lupion, assistant professor of teaching in the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, for a story about Climeworks, one of the first and best-known companies to direct air capture — or pull carbon dioxide directly out of ambient air for storage or use, which can help lower emissions in the atmosphere.
“I liked the technology. I think the technology is beautiful,” she said. “They managed to achieve a very difficult task, which is capturing carbon dioxide from a very dilute atmosphere. So, I think that's great.” Lupion expressed skepticism that taking carbon dioxide directly out of the air will ever be able to make a big difference because it’s inefficient.
