Carbon capture
Carbon capture
This is a grand challenge of our time because the capacity of the Earth’s atmosphere to safely hold excess carbon without too much warming is limited. The pace to transform economies away from dumping fossil carbon into the atmosphere will likely be too slow to achieve the goal of holding the temperature increase to two degrees Celsius.
Unless that pace is dramatically accelerated, the planet will almost certainly exceed its “carbon budget” within two decades, if it hasn’t already. This concern has led the International Panel on Climate Change to conclude that Negative Emissions Technologies, which remove CO2 from the air, will be needed to meet climate goals.
However, NETs are still in the research, development or demonstration stages of commercialization and may not be ready in time, or feasible at the necessary scale. That poses a conundrum. Technologies cannot develop without policy drivers; policy cannot lead the way without the assurance of demonstrably affordable and scalable technologies.
Featured stories
Carbon farming
Take a look inside Klaus Lackner’s ASU lab as he explains how his carbon air capture technology works.
ASU KEDtalk: Carbon is a terrible thing to waste
Like throwing trash into the street, each year we pump tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Klaus Lackner has developed technology poised to collect and reuse our carbon while cleaning the air.
More carbon news
Restoring the Carbon Balance Webinar Series
A webinar series to develop a coalition of influential research, policy and potential funding organizations to speed the development and commercialization of technologies that can balance the carbon budget and open discussions about supportive policies and economic incentives.
The Center for Negative Carbon Emissions
The Center for Negative Carbon Emissions is advancing carbon management technologies that can capture carbon dioxide directly from ambient air in an outdoor operating environment.
Climate Change is a Waste Management Problem
Keeping carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere is a waste management problem. Reframing our understanding of carbon dioxide emissions can help clear the path for practical approaches to reducing carbon in the atmosphere.
Climate Geoengineering: GeoE Live
PlanetWorks hosted Climate Geoengineering: GeoE Live #GeoElive), a live-streamed workshop exploring the potential promise and perils of climate invention strategies. Organized in partnership with the Forum for Climate Engineering Assessment, the Institute on Science for Global Policy and ASU LightWorks®, #GeoElive focused on a variety of climate change solutions, economics and policies.
Hacking for Carbon: Building an Innovative Pipeline for the New Carbon Economy
The energy transition is already creating new wealth with solar and wind power. The transition to a low-carbon economy will present an even bigger investment opportunity. Technologies do not invent themselves, and this transition requires innovation on a significant scale.
Personnel
Klaus Lackner
Principal Investigator
Klaus.Lackner@asu.edu
480-727-2499
Allen Wright
Principal Investigator
Allen.Wright@asu.edu
480-727-2493