Eliminate CO2 already emitted, crucial to limit global warming

Jan. 19 () –

Putting a limit on global warming requires eliminating CO2 already emitted into the atmosphere and not only reducing emissions, concludes the first Oxford report on the removal of this gas.

More than 20 world experts, led by Dr Steve Smith of the Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment in Oxford, have come together to present their compelling findings. In it exhaustive 120 page report, warn that there is a large gap between the amount of CDR (Carbon Dioxide Removal) needed to meet international temperature targets and what governments intend to achieve. But, although the authors note a deficit in support policies for the dissemination of the CDR, they report that research, innovation and public awareness around CDR are increasing rapidly.

“To limit warming to 2ºC or less, we need to accelerate emissions reductions… the conclusions of this report are clear: we also need to increase carbon removal, restoring and improving ecosystems, and rapidly scaling up new methods of CDR,” says it’s a statement Dr. Smith, CEO of Oxford Net Zero.

He adds: “There are many new methods emerging with potential. Instead of focusing on one or two options, we should encourage a portfolio, so that we quickly get to net zero without over-reliance on any one method.”

At present, most of the CDR comes from conventional disposal methods on land, mainly through tree planting and soil management. According to the report, countries will need to maintain and expand these methods in the future. But, according to experts, this is far from enough.

According to Dr. Geden, “More than 120 national governments have a net-zero emissions target, which implies the use of the CDR, but few governments have feasible plans to develop it. This is a huge deficit.“.

To close the gap, rapid growth of new technologies is necessary. Virtually all pathways to limiting temperature rise require new DCCR technologies, such as bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS), biochar, enhanced rock weathering, and direct airborne capture and storage. carbon (DACCS). At present, these technologies represent only a small part of the current CDR, approximately 0.1%. But if the RCD gap is to be closed, these new technologies need to grow rapidly, multiplying by 1,300 on average by 2050, according to the report.

However, the report insists that the CDR is not a panacea and does not reduce the need to drastically reduce emissions. According to the report’s authors, our reliance on CDR can be limited by rapidly reducing emissions and using energy more efficiently.