DAC

Climate Technology

Direct Air Capture

Running the smokestack in reverse — pulling CO2 straight out of the ambient air.

CO2
Extracted from air
~0
Net-zero target
DAC

The Problem

Cutting emissions alone can't hit our targets — legacy carbon lingers for centuries, even after we reach net-zero.

DAC

The Mechanism

How Direct Air Capture Works

A closed loop: capture, release, regenerate, repeat.

Press play to watch the steps

DAC

The Brutal Economics

Cost today
$250+
per ton captured

Capturing a ton of CO2 costs between $250 and $600 today — dominated almost entirely by energy.

What has to change

  • $600
    Upper bound today The high end of current per-ton capture costs.
  • $100
    Target to matter The cost must fall below $100/ton to be climate-relevant.
  • Power
    Cheap clean energy Moving air and regenerating sorbent is the whole game.
DAC

Where the Carbon Goes

Sequestration vs. Utilization

Utilization Reuse the carbon
  • Turns CO2 into synthetic fuels
  • Feeds concrete and chemical feedstock
  • Often re-releases the carbon later
  • Does not count as true removal
VS
Sequestration Store it forever
  • Injects CO2 into basalt or saline aquifers
  • Mineralizes into solid rock over years
  • Permanent — locked away for good
  • The only path that counts as removal
DAC

Scale vs. Reality

A Million-Fold Scale-Up

From thousands of tons today to billions per year in two decades.

Thousands of tons
Two decades
Deadline pressure
Billions / year
DAC

The Challenge

It's like building the entire oil industry — in reverse, on a deadline.

DAC

What Has to Go Right

Three Levers

None optional. All must break the right way.

Cheap Energy
Plummeting renewable prices make moving air and regenerating sorbent affordable.
Renewables
Policy Support
Markets and mandates that actually pay for verified carbon removal.
Incentives
Better Engineering
Sorbent and process innovation that drives cost down toward $100/ton.
R&D
DAC

The Bottom Line

The Cleanup Crew

DAC is not a substitute for cutting emissions — it's for the carbon we cannot avoid.

Cost target Below $100 / ton
Scale needed Billions of tons / year