According to a report by researchers released on Wednesday, to achieve global climate goals, governments must expand afforestation and use advanced technologies to quadruple the annual removal of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
“Global net greenhouse gas emissions were about 55 billion tonnes per year in 2022, and emissions accumulate in the atmosphere, so every year, every action counts,” said Gregory Nemet, professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and one of the co-authors of the annual State of Carbon Dioxide Removal report.
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Carbon dioxide removal (CDR) encompasses various methods for capturing CO2 from the atmosphere.
These include traditional approaches like planting trees and newer, possibly extensive solutions such as biofuels, ocean algae cultivation, and atmospheric CO2 capture filters.
At present, CDR eliminates approximately 2 billion metric tons of CO2 annually.
However, it must escalate to roughly 7-9 billion tons to limit temperature increases below the critical 1.5 degrees Celsius threshold, as outlined in a research report by over 50 international experts.
The authors stressed the need for new policies to increase demand for CDR, noting a decline in funding for new technologies since 2020. Last year’s investment of $856 million in new startups represented only about 1% of total climate tech spending.
The recent assessment by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change acknowledged the significance of CDR in achieving climate objectives.
However, it cautioned against the potential hazards of implementing untested methods extensively, citing concerns about their effects on biodiversity, as well as food and water security.
