Alum Discusses the Future of Carbon Dioxide Removal

Jennifer Wilcox, who earned her PhD in chemical engineering at UA in 2004, was recently a guest on the podcast This Is CDR about carbon dioxide removal and its role in the future of America's climate. Wilcox currently serves as principal deputy assistant secretary for the Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management in the US Department of Energy. 

Carbon dioxide removal, the purposeful removal of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere for storage in reserves or products, has been identified as a critical step in the slowing of anthropogenic climate change. The term "carbon removal" is separate from "carbon capture" as capture is more focused on capturing carbon dioxide from emissions sources, while carbon removal is focused on removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. However, climate scientists acknowledge that neither of these processes are substitutes for outright reducing emissions. 

Wilcox described advancing carbon capture technology as a new kind of "space race" with scientists focusing not only on new technologies, but inspiring the next generation of thinkers to focus on advancements in the field. 

"We need to recognize it's not just about the United States, we all live in the same greenhouse," Wilcox said. "But if we can be a leader in making all of the portfolio robust with all these different approaches, then it's going to be a portfolio that other nations can leverage the framework that we help to create and ultimately bring value in the ecosystems benefits to those nations, too."