Carbon removal demonstrations and problems of public perception

Abstract

Expectations about the future removal of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere have mobilized projects which seek to demonstrate carbon removal methods, at various stages of development. Public perceptions play a critical role in demonstrations and funders widely require demonstration projects to identify and consult affected groups and communities. This review examines the extant research on perceptions of carbon removal, analyzing how studies have conceptualized the public and the role perceptions play in field trials and experiments of carbon removal methods. The paper develops a novel analytical framework distinguishing between “procedural” and “performative” approaches to demonstrations. Attending to performativity, we suggest, makes clear why demonstration projects often surface conflicting expectations about future technology development. We apply the analytical framework to the academic literature on perceptions of carbon removal using a systematic search and interpretive review. We find that much perceptions research on carbon removal adopts elements from linear models of innovation, foregrounding the problem of social acceptance and distancing the public from experimental presentations and displays. We situate these findings in a discussion of the roles that expectations about carbon removal play in demonstrations and the positioning of perceptions research as a tool for managing “opposition” from external audiences. Moving beyond instrumental approaches to public perception, the review makes the case for closer engagement in perceptions research with conflicting expectations that emerge around projects demonstrating the “promise” of carbon removal.This article is categorized under: The Social Status of Climate Change Knowledge > Knowledge and Practice Perceptions, Behavior, and Communication of Climate Change > Perceptions of Climate Change Climate, History, Society, Culture > Technological Aspects and Ideas

Public perceptions on carbon removal from focus groups in 22 countries

“…A move towards meaningful consultation can be nuanced by kind of carbon removal. Pilots and demonstration projects for bottom-up, distributed land-use or marine ecosystems management approaches could treat publics as fruitful drivers of upscaling, and emphasize mutual learning with triple helix actors 85 . But all biogenic and engineered approaches raised public concerns – from navigating spatial trade-offs to potentially hazardous facilities or transportation networks – where consultations would be valuable for establishing adherence to social and environmental criteria and local co-benefits.…”

Let Us Get Regional: Exploring Prospects for Biomass-Based Carbon Dioxide Removal on the Ground

“…An information box for each method was provided with a 'working definition' in order to enable all participants to respond to the next section of questions focused on the relevancy of CDR (see Table 2). Relevance of CDR and individual bioCDR methods for the stakeholder's field of work [37,57] 3 Future potential and challenges for bioCDR [37,[62][63][64] 4…”

Public attitudes and emotions toward novel carbon removal methods in alternative sociotechnical scenarios

“…A number of survey papers seek to explore the impact of different information frames on public perceptions of CDR [14]. One consistent finding is that framing techniques as more 'natural' tends to improve people's support for the technique [15][16][17][18].…”