Rhodium Group has released a new report authored by Galen Bower, Nathan Pastorek and John Larsen that looks into the employment opportunities that could be introduced by scaling durable carbon dioxide removal (CDR) in the United States.
According to the authors, once carbon solutions that remove and keep CO2 out of the atmosphere for at least 1,000 years are scaled to a removal capacity of 100 MMT of CO2 per year, this sector could generate between 95,000 and 130,000 jobs in the US annually.
The scope of the report covered the following five leading durable CDR technologies: enhanced rock weathering (ERW), biomass with carbon removal and storage (BiCRS), direct ocean capture (DOC), ocean alkalinity enhancement (OAE), and direct air capture (DAC).
If each of these methods is scaled to capture an annual amount of 20 MMT of CO2, a goal that the research suggests could be achieved between 2030 and 2040 with the appropriate policy support, they could each create thousands of job openings related to their field of operations.
Across all five CDR methods, a little over one-third of the employment opportunities would be linked to the construction, engineering, materials, equipment, and supply chains necessary to establish a project, while the other two-thirds of jobs would be related to operating the projects.
The professional skills that would be applicable in all five considered CDR methods include metalworkers and assemblers, engineers, professionals specializing in machinery installation, maintenance and repair technicians, and project developers.
On the other hand, each CDR method will also create demand for field-specific skills, like mining and quarry workers for ERW and OAE and biomass waste transportation services for BiCRS.
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Additionally, the carbon removal technologies like DAC, DOC, and BiCRS that include the geologic storage of CO2 and biomass can present job opportunities for oil and gas workers who have transferable skill sets.
The Rhodium Group report highlights that beyond carbon management and economic growth, the different CDR methods will also introduce meaningful environmental improvements, benefiting the nature, ecosystems, and local communities in their area of operation.
Read more: The Rise Of Carbon Removal Jobs: A Look At The CDRjobs 2024 Salary Report
