According to the study, carbon dioxide removal is essential to achieving climate goals

In the first report on the global status of carbon dioxide removal, the researchers called for an expansion of new technologies, because it has not yet been possible to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Global warming can only be limited to an acceptable level if more carbon dioxide is removed from the atmosphere. This is the conclusion of the authors of the first report on the global status of carbon dioxide removal, which was published on Thursday. More than two dozen participating scientists recommend a combination of different options – from reforestation to technical filter systems.

Since it has not yet been possible to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions, options for carbon dioxide removal (carbon dioxide removal, abbreviated CDR) must now be significantly expanded, according to the report. Oxford university. So far, CDR has played only a marginal role. Only 2 billion tons of carbon dioxide are captured each year – with emissions of nearly 40 billion tons.

CDR is currently practiced mainly through traditional methods such as expansion of carbon dioxide absorbing forests or wetlands. Only a small part — about 0.1 percent — is associated with new technologies, such as direct air capture or the conversion of organic waste into biochar, according to the report.

Emissions must fall by 45 percent by 2030

According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, global warming should be limited to 1.5°C compared to the pre-industrial era in order to prevent catastrophic consequences. To reach this goal, carbon dioxide emissions must fall by about 45 percent by the end of the decade compared to 2020 levels and fall to zero by the middle of the century.

However, in 2022, emissions remain at very high levels, making CDR technologies even more important. But the researchers point out that they can only be part of the solution. “Regardless of whether we remove a little or a lot of carbon dioxide, we need to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions,” Gregory Nemet, a professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and one of the authors of the inventory, told the news agency. France Press agency.

According to the report, between 450 billion and 1.1 trillion tons of carbon dioxide must be removed by CDR by the end of the century. Therefore, traditional projects such as afforestation must be doubled by 2050 in order to reach the 1.5 degree target. said co-author Oliver Geden of Univ Foundation sciences and politics France Press agency.

The first certified carbon dioxide capture and storage company

One new CDR technology has garnered more attention and money than others: direct capture of carbon dioxide from the air combined with carbon storage (DACCS). Three quarters of the $200m (€185m) invested in the new energy CDR from 2020 to 2022 went to DACCS, and a large portion went to Swiss company Climeworks.

Last week, the company announced the world’s first certified carbon capture and storage company on behalf of paying customers, incl Microsoft and software service provider Stripe. “These investments are based on the assumption that direct capture from the air can increase from about 10,000 tons today to 1 billion tons by 2050,” Nemet said.

Several methods of carbon capture are currently being researched. For example, researchers are experimenting with ways to increase the ability of oceans and soils to bind carbon dioxide. The report’s authors advocate not just focusing on a single technology, but a suite of solutions.

(APA / AFP)