Direct Air Capture: A high-tech fix for climate change?
All Things Sustainable26 Nov 2021

Direct Air Capture: A high-tech fix for climate change?

Can a global array of CO2-sucking machines save us from the worst ravages of climate change? This episode is the first in an ESG Insider miniseries about new carbon-removal technology. This week we examine a method called Direct Air Capture, or DAC Right now, DAC is expensive and only at the nascent stages of development. But there's growing support from entrepreneurs and some large companies to deploy the approach on an industrial scale.

In this episode, we interview Steve Oldham, CEO of a Canadian company called Carbon Engineering, which is building a giant carbon-sucking plant in America's oil-rich Permian Basin. Oldham explains how the technology works; why his company almost shut its doors; and why it now has the backing of Bill Gates and a host of fossil fuel companies, including Occidental, BHP and Chevron.

We also talk to Daniel Egger, Chief Commercial Officer of Swiss firm Climeworks. The clean tech company recently switched on the world's largest DAC plant in Iceland. A smaller DAC plant run by Climeworks in Switzerland already sells the CO2 it extracts to greenhouses and to Coca-Cola, which uses the gas to put the fizz in its namesake drink.

Our third guest is Stuart Haszeldine of the University of Edinburgh, which describes him as the world's first official professor of carbon capture and storage. Haszeldine explains how DAC technology can help remove the large volumes of CO2 that humans have pumped into the air since the Industrial Revolution. He also points out that, despite recent progress on DAC technology, most politicians and policymakers have yet to back the idea because it "seems to promise magic out of thin air."

Photo credit: Getty Images

Avsnitt(335)

DC Climate Week highlights data center demands and challenges for science

DC Climate Week highlights data center demands and challenges for science

The second annual DC Climate Week took place April 20-26, and in this episode of the All Things Sustainable podcast we're exploring two key themes that are front and center in Washington, DC: the prol...

1 Maj 27min

CSO Insights: California's biggest utility talks decarbonization, climate adaptation and AI energy demands

CSO Insights: California's biggest utility talks decarbonization, climate adaptation and AI energy demands

In this episode of the All Things Sustainable podcast, we're talking to the Chief Sustainability Officer of one of the largest utilities in the US — Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E).  PG&E i...

24 Apr 28min

What to expect from the inaugural Climate Week Zurich

What to expect from the inaugural Climate Week Zurich

Switzerland's largest city is hosting its first-ever Climate Week, and All Things Sustainable is the official podcast. In this episode, we preview what to expect from the inaugural Climate Week Zurich...

17 Apr 14min

The rise of billion-dollar US weather and climate disasters

The rise of billion-dollar US weather and climate disasters

In this episode of the All Things Sustainable podcast, we're exploring how billion-dollar scale extreme weather and climate disasters in the US are growing in frequency and cost — and what that means ...

10 Apr 28min

Why 2026 will be pivotal for carbon markets

Why 2026 will be pivotal for carbon markets

In this episode of the All Things Sustainable podcast we speak with Dirk Forrister, President and CEO of the International Emissions Trading Association (IETA), to discuss the role of carbon markets i...

3 Apr 32min

How war in the Middle East is reshaping the energy landscape

How war in the Middle East is reshaping the energy landscape

This week's episode of the All Things Sustainable podcast brings you coverage from CERAWeek, the annual weeklong energy conference that S&P Global hosts in Houston, Texas.   Known as the "Davos of e...

27 Mars 24min

The race to unlock nuclear fusion for low-carbon energy security

The race to unlock nuclear fusion for low-carbon energy security

This episode of S&P Global's All Things Sustainable explores nuclear fusion, a technology some in the energy industry believe could become a cornerstone of secure, affordable low-carbon power.    Ou...

20 Mars 30min

Why major companies are backing product-level carbon accounting

Why major companies are backing product-level carbon accounting

In this episode of the All Things Sustainable podcast, we're talking to Carbon Measures CEO Amy Brachio.   Carbon Measures is a business-led coalition launched in 2025 with a goal to establish consi...

13 Mars 33min

Populärt inom Business & ekonomi

framgangspodden
varvet
rss-jossan-nina
rss-svart-marknad
rss-borsens-finest
badfluence
avanzapodden
uppgang-och-fall
svd-tech-brief
bathina-en-podcast
fill-or-kill
lastbilspodden
rss-dagen-med-di
rss-kort-lang-analyspodden-fran-di
tabberaset
rss-inga-dumma-fragor-om-pengar
24fragor
kapitalet-en-podd-om-ekonomi
rikatillsammans-om-privatekonomi-rikedom-i-livet
borsmorgon