Direct air capture and storage and the path to net-zero
Stephanie Rose Cortinovis (MES, 2023) assesses the viability of carbon removal in Canada
Estimated reading time: 2:38
Canada is one of the highest per capita carbon emitters and has set an ambitious goal of achieving net-zero by 2050. It is well known that reaching net-zero requires drastically reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Canada is also planning to incorporate the emerging technology of permanently storing remaining emissions.
Direct air carbon capture and storage (DACCS) is the process of filtering carbon dioxide from the ambient air which is then stored permanently in materials or geological formations. DACCS is a potential component of reaching net-zero. At present, DACCS projects are small-scale, expensive endeavors. To scale up DACCS to make a meaningful impact, nations must develop the appropriate supporting policies.
Stephanie Rose Cortinovis began her Master of Environmental Studies in Sustainability Management with an interest in climate policy and the low-carbon transition. She joined her supervisor, Dr. Neil Craik, as a member of the Waterloo Climate Intervention Strategies Lab (WatCISL). WatCISL was in the early stages of a Government of Canada Climate Action and Awareness Fund (CAAF) project focused on scaling up DACCS in Canada under conditions of deep uncertainty.
Cortinovis identified the structures and policies needed to create an ideal environment to support DACCS development and implementation. Using Canada as a case study, Cortinovis then analyzed
national climate policies to determine where they met or fell short of this ideal scenario. This national-level policy analysis was the first to be undertaken for scaling DACCS and identified both strengths and weaknesses for nations to consider.
In Canada, DACCS scaling is impacted by a wide array of policies, instruments, and programs. These policies govern different domains including carbon storage and transport regulation and infrastructure; financing scale-up and supporting innovation; removal and capture technology availability and regulation; and addressing social acceptability and public interest. To add to the complexity, policies differ by jurisdiction, meaning DACCS implementation could vary at the provincial level.
Outside of policy, DACCS faces additional challenges. “It is an expensive and energy intensive process,” Cortinovis explains. “Scaling up deployment requires bringing down costs. It also entails a host of other processes and co-requisite resources, like renewable energy, water, and access to geological carbon storage space.”
Cortinovis also emphasizes that DACCS is only one part of the solution.
“Carbon removal can’t act as a silver bullet and replace emission reductions. Climate models indicate that large-scale technology-based removals are necessary for reaching our climate goals, but removals and reductions must scale up in tandem.”
Cortinovis is expanding on her research into DACCS with a PhD in Global Governance from the Balsillie School of International Affairs. She will now focus on the global level and will continue to support the CAAF project. “I want to expand my knowledge of carbon removal technologies and methodological expertise on decision making under deep uncertainty techniques”.
The research, Scaling carbon removal systems: deploying direct air capture amidst Canada’s low-carbon transition, authored by Cortinovis and others from the Faculty of Environment and Engineering, was recently published in Frontiers in Climate.