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Kristin Poduska
Physics Department, Memorial University of Newfoundland

Abstract

Even though large-scale carbon dioxide removal (CDR) technologies are not yet well-developed and bring a range of risks, they are also recognized as an integral part of any strategy to successfully limit global warming. In this context, I will provide a brief overview of several high-profile climate policy documents [1-3] that describe the current state of CDR technologies, and highlight specific identified challenges where materials physics could help advance CDR solutions. Following this, I will show examples from my own research program that aim to train physics students within multidisciplinary collaborations that focus on linking fundamental science with the development of regionally appropriate CDR strategies. Multidisciplinarity is key because science and technology alone aren’t enough for success: effective policies, economics, and public engagement are also essential for mitigating climate change.

[1] IPCC, Climate Change 2023: Synthesis Report. Contribution of Working Groups I, II and III to the Sixth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, edited by H. Lee and J. Romero (IPCC, Geneva, Switzerland, 184 pp., 2023). DOI:10.59327/IPCC/AR6-9789291691647

[2] Washington Taylor, Brad Marston, Robert Rosner, and Jonathan Wurtele, PRX Energy 4, 017001 (2025). DOI: PRXEnergy.4.017001

[3] US Department of Energy Office of Science, Basic Energy Sciences Roundtable, Foundational Science for Carbon Dioxide Removal Technologies (Washington, D.C., USA, 4 pp., 2022). DOI: 10.2172/1868525

Timbits, coffee, tea will be served in STI A before the colloquium.