Reacción a "Carbon removal will need to grow faster than solar power to meet climate commitments"

Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) comprises a wide range of activities aimed at capturing atmospheric CO₂ and storing it in geological, terrestrial or oceanic reservoirs, or within products. Due to the slow implementation of global policies on emissions reductions, we are rapidly approaching the 1.5 °C global warming limit set by the Paris Agreement. Due to this inaction, the need to actively capture CO₂ is becoming increasingly evident as a complementary measure to the rapid and significant reduction of emissions. All scenarios achieving net-zero emissions include the deployment of CDR on the scale of Gt CO₂/year.

The third edition of The State of Carbon Dioxide Removal report is an independent initiative driven by the world’s leading experts on the many aspects that need to be considered when assessing the current state of global carbon capture initiatives and analysing the barriers to scaling them up to the required levels.

The report highlights how 2.2 GtCO₂/year is currently captured, equivalent to 5% of total CO₂ emissions. A distinction is made between conventional CDR and new techniques, with the latter accounting for just 0.1% of the total. New techniques are growing at a rate of 40% per year; however, the report emphasises that this growth remains insufficient for targets compatible with the Paris Agreement.

Another important aspect highlighted by the report is the growing gap between the amount of CDR planned by countries in their respective nationally determined contributions and the amount required according to the median of Paris Agreement-compatible scenarios. Despite the need to increase both research into new CDR techniques and their subsequent implementation, only a third of countries report these techniques in their nationally determined contributions.

The report provides a comprehensive and reliable snapshot of the current state of CDR globally and of the barriers, vulnerabilities and risks that still limit its growth. In this regard, its content offers valuable guidance for the development and implementation of effective national and international policies for climate change mitigation.