Malakar et al. (2025): Beyond environmental identity: Testing public support for novel carbon dioxide removal in Australia using structural modelling
Yuwan Malakar, Chad M. Baum, John Gardner, Kerryn Brent, Talia Jeanneret, Livia Fritz and Benjamin K. Sovacool, IN: Journal of Environmental Management, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2025.127633
Public acceptance is key to large-scale carbon dioxide removal (CDR)deployment, yet research on this topic is limited, particularly in the Southern Hemisphere. This study focuses on Australia, where interest in novel CDR is gaining momentum in both research and policy domains. The authors examine two key questions: (1) To what extent does the Australian public support novel CDR? and (2) What factors influence this support? Using a nationally representative survey of 340 members of the Australian public, with quotas set for age, gender, geographic region, income and education, they explore public perceptions of four CDR approaches: Direct Air Capture with Carbon Storage, Bioenergy with Carbon Capture and Storage, Enhanced Rock Weathering, and Biochar. The authors develop and validate a structural model to understand how an interplay of factors shapes public perceptions of novel CDR, including perceived benefits and risks, trust in institutions, concerns about tampering with nature, and the environmental self-identity of participants.