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Community perspectives on direct air capture and storage in Kenya’s rift valley: A qualitative case study

Becherer, Nick LU (2026) In Master Thesis Series in Environmental Studies and Sustainability Science MESM02 20261
LUCSUS (Lund University Centre for Sustainability Studies)
Abstract
The IPCC’s Illustrative Mitigation Pathways achieving below 2°C of global warming increasingly rely on Direct Air Capture and Storage (DACCS). Research has largely concentrated on techno-economic aspects, while community perspectives have been almost exclusively focused on in the Global North. This thesis presents the first empirical case study of a commercial DACCS facility in Africa. Drawing on eighteen semi-structured interviews in Gilgil, Kenya, this research analyzes community perspectives through Social License to Operate and Environmental Justice frameworks. This study finds that a social license has been formed, built on trust, perceived net benefits, and substantive engagement, but remains fragile under partial technical... (More)
The IPCC’s Illustrative Mitigation Pathways achieving below 2°C of global warming increasingly rely on Direct Air Capture and Storage (DACCS). Research has largely concentrated on techno-economic aspects, while community perspectives have been almost exclusively focused on in the Global North. This thesis presents the first empirical case study of a commercial DACCS facility in Africa. Drawing on eighteen semi-structured interviews in Gilgil, Kenya, this research analyzes community perspectives through Social License to Operate and Environmental Justice frameworks. This study finds that a social license has been formed, built on trust, perceived net benefits, and substantive engagement, but remains fragile under partial technical understanding and the company’s role as sole information source. This case shows distributive and procedural justice, while containing community-internal recognitional failures, as respondents delegitimized dissent. These findings sharpen mitigation deterrence concerns and call for sustained attention to host communities as DACCS scales across the Global South. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
Becherer, Nick LU
supervisor
organization
course
MESM02 20261
year
type
H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
subject
keywords
Carbon Capture, Social License to Operate, Environmental Justice, Africa, Sustainability Science
publication/series
Master Thesis Series in Environmental Studies and Sustainability Science
report number
2026:029
language
English
additional info
Fieldwork for the thesis was funded by the Crafoord Foundation.
id
9231843
date added to LUP
2026-06-05 16:17:16
date last changed
2026-06-05 16:17:16
@misc{9231843,
  abstract     = {{The IPCC’s Illustrative Mitigation Pathways achieving below 2°C of global warming increasingly rely on Direct Air Capture and Storage (DACCS). Research has largely concentrated on techno-economic aspects, while community perspectives have been almost exclusively focused on in the Global North. This thesis presents the first empirical case study of a commercial DACCS facility in Africa. Drawing on eighteen semi-structured interviews in Gilgil, Kenya, this research analyzes community perspectives through Social License to Operate and Environmental Justice frameworks. This study finds that a social license has been formed, built on trust, perceived net benefits, and substantive engagement, but remains fragile under partial technical understanding and the company’s role as sole information source. This case shows distributive and procedural justice, while containing community-internal recognitional failures, as respondents delegitimized dissent. These findings sharpen mitigation deterrence concerns and call for sustained attention to host communities as DACCS scales across the Global South.}},
  author       = {{Becherer, Nick}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  series       = {{Master Thesis Series in Environmental Studies and Sustainability Science}},
  title        = {{Community perspectives on direct air capture and storage in Kenya’s rift valley: A qualitative case study}},
  year         = {{2026}},
}