Can we not just put the machines on and remove the CO2 from the air again

Climate change is a pressing concern, and one of the ways to address it is to remove carbon dioxide from the air. While that sounds ideal and quite simple at first sight, the problem is that this carbon dioxide removal (CDR) takes a lot of resources (energy, land, biodiversity, etc.) and can come with new risks. For example, direct air capture, though a machine requires a lot of energy, which then needs to be produced carbon-free. Growing more trees, turning them into biochar and then storing this biochar takes up a lot of land and may come at the expense of local biodiversity. It is likely to compete with land for nature, agriculture and housing.

Also, the success of CDR technologies may be hampered by public resistance. Removing CO₂ out of the air and storing it underground may lead to resistance amongst citizens living nearby, as they may be worried about the risks of the CO₂ escaping from the pipes or the underground storage, or that the underground storage causes earthquakes.

Various factors have been suggested to influence public acceptance of CDR. Particularly, perceived naturalness has often been mentioned as an important determinant; when the CDR is perceived as more unnatural, people are more concerned about it. People also have concerns about biodiversity, greenwashing and the costs of CDR.

In this internship, you conduct a systematic review of qualitative and/or quantitative studies on the public acceptance of carbon dioxide removal options and identify research gaps. This internship can lead into a master's thesis study in which you study public support for different carbon dioxide removal options, and what influences this support.

Carbon dioxide removal; public acceptance; sustainability; risk perception

The section Psychology of Conflict, Risk and Safety at the University of Twente has a distinctive and unique profile in the areas of risk perception and risk communication, conflict and crisis management and the antecedents of risky, antisocial and criminal behaviour. It currently includes 16 research staff members and 8 PhD students. We work from both a psychology and an engineering perspective and cooperate with other scientific disciplines, based on the “high tech, human touch” profile of the University of Twente.

This internship is open to 1 student.

Please contact the PCRS internship coordinator, Miriam Oostinga (m.s.d.oostinga@utwente.nl). 

• Baum, C. M., Fritz, L., Low, S., & Sovacool, B. K. (2024). Public perceptions and support of climate intervention technologies across the Global North and Global South. Nature Communications, 15(1), 2060. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-46341-5 
• Cox, E., Bellamy, R., & Waller, L. (2024). Public attitudes and emotions toward novel carbon removal methods in alternative sociotechnical scenarios. Environmental Research Letters, 19(8). https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/ad5dd0
• Lee, C. Y., Perlaviciute, G., & Steg, L. (2025). Forest or machine? Public perceptions and acceptability of negative emissions technologies and practices across six European countries. Climatic Change, 178(11). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10584-025-04043-x  
• Tvinnereim, E., Andersen, G., Merk, C., Ljones, M. L., & Nordø, Å. D. (2026). Deliberative polling increases non-expert confidence in assessments about carbon dioxide removal technologies. Environmental Research Letters, 21(9), 094012. https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/ae61cf