Day 52: Direct Air Capture

Today you will learn from expert guest Merritt Dailey about direct air capture systems, why it may or may not help solve climate change, how it works and what needs to still be done for it to be an effective solution to climate change.

Summary

Guest: Merritt Dailey

Merritt is a PhD candidate at Arizona State University, where she conducts research with the Center for Negative Emissions and Klaus Lackner on direct air capture of carbon (DAC).

Previously, Merritt worked at Google for 5 years in operations, and has degrees from the University of Michigan and Columbia University. She is originally from Pittsburgh, PA.

Follow Merritt Dailey:

• LinkedIn

Explain succinctly what direct air capture is from first principles.

Why does direct air capture help to solve climate change?

Steel man the other side. Why would direct air capture NOT work to solve climate change?

Who benefits most by implementing direct air capture as a solution?

Who is harmed most by implementing direct air capture as a solution?

How does direct air capture work as a solution to climate change?

For direct air capture as a solution to work, what innovation or policy needs to be created?

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Additional Resources

• Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change

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Top Skills To Learn

Our guest recommends learning the following skills:

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Activity

Activity: DAC Technology Review

Description: Explore different Direct Air Capture technologies available (e.g., chemical absorption, solid adsorption). Compare their working principles, efficiency, and scalability. Share your findings.

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Skill Lesson Mastered

Demonstrate mastery of the knowledge and skills presented in this lesson by applying it to the above activity. If, and only if, you have a full understanding and have mastered the knowledge and skills presented in this lesson, select the next lesson in the navigation.