Direct Air Capture
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Direct air capture removes past GHG emissions from the atmosphere generally, rather than from point sources like a coal-fired power plant’s smokestack or a cement factory. Most experts think that some the removal of past emissions will be necessary to achieve global climate goals. The engineering technologies and practices for this remain underdeveloped, and even more expensive financially and energetically than point source capture. This is a growing research topic at Stanford. Researchers are analyzing the costs and benefits of direct air capture to inform policymakers, industry, and affected communities.