‘Direct Air Capture with Carbon Storage’ (DACCS) is a technological carbon removal process involving the extraction of CO2 from the atmosphere and storing it.

The chemical processes involved in extracting the carbon dioxide can be used to store carbon permanently, but this is costly and energy-intensive and has yet to be proven at large scale.

While it could be a climate solution in the future if surplus renewable energy is used, it is already being abused as a greenwashing technology. A prominent example of that is American fossil fuel major Oxy that has consumed masses of public funds to help pay for this energy-guzzling technology, not to decarbonise but to proceed with business as usual, including through so-called enhanced oil recovery, through which the captured carbon is stored in wells but not before it pumps fresh petroleum out of them. This practice shows that rather than curbing fossil fuels, carbon removals can be used as a fig leaf for business as usual. 

Check out our deep dive into Oxy’s ludicrous “Net zero” oil company claims here