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Controversies of carbon dioxide removal

Various methods of carbon dioxide removal (CDR) are being pursued in response to the climate crisis, but they are mostly not proven at scale. Climate experts are divided over whether CDR is a necessary requirement or a dangerous distraction from limiting emissions. In this Viewpoint, six experts offer their views on the CDR debate.

Carbon dioxide removal (CDR) encompasses various deliberate human approaches that can remove CO2 from the atmosphere and store it in oceanic, terrestrial or geological reservoirs over climate-relevant timescales of decades to millennia. These approaches include schemes such as reforestation, afforestation, iron fertilisation, ocean alkalinity enhancement, enhanced rock weathering, bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS) and direct air capture and storage (DACCS). CDR is distinct from methods aimed at preventing new emissions at point sources, such as carbon capture and storage (CCS) at fossil power plants or cement works, as these prevention methods are classed as emission reduction strategies.

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Acknowledgements

G.P.P. acknowledges support from the European Union’s Horizon Europe Research and Innovation Programme under grant agreement number 101056306 (IAM COMPACT). O.G. receives support from the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (grant numbers 03F0898E and 01LS2101A). L.F. acknowledges funding from a number of foundations and individual donations that support The Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL; see https://cielannualreport.org/supporters/). K.A. acknowledges the following colleagues for their long-term engagement on CDR issues: A. Larkin, D. Calverley and I. Stoddard.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Engineering, Tyndall Centre, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK

    Kevin Anderson

  2. Centre for Climate and Energy Transformation (CET), University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway

    Kevin Anderson

  3. The Centre for Environment and Development Studies (CEMUS), Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden

    Kevin Anderson

  4. Department of Environment and Sustainability, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, USA

    Holly Jean Buck

  5. Fossil Economy Program, Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL), Berlin, Germany

    Lili Fuhr

  6. Research Cluster Climate Policy and Politics, German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP), Berlin, Germany

    Oliver Geden

  7. CICERO Center for International Climate Research, Oslo, Norway

    Glen P. Peters

  8. Climate Principles, Tallinn, Estonia

    Eve Tamme

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Contributions

Kevin Anderson is a professor of Energy and Climate Change. Previously he held the Zennström professorship (Uppsala, Sweden) and was director of the Tyndall Centre (Manchester, UK). Kevin engages with governments, industry and civil society, has a decade of experience in the petrochemical industry, is a chartered engineer and is a fellow of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers.

Holly Jean Buck is an Assistant Professor of Environment and Sustainability at the University at Buffalo, and her research focuses on public engagement with emerging climate technologies. She is the author of the books After Geoengineering and Ending Fossil Fuels: Why Net Zero Is Not Enough.

Lili Fuhr directs the Fossil Economy Program at the Center for International Environmental Law. She has followed the IPCC’s 6th Assessment Cycle as an expert reviewer for the Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5 °C and participated as an observer in the Synthesis Report approval plenary. Lili sits on the Steering Committee for the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty Initiative.

Oliver Geden is senior fellow and head of the Research Cluster Climate Policy and Politics at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP). He is co-editor of the annual State of Carbon Dioxide Removal report, acted as lead author for IPCC Sixth Assessment Report (AR) Working Group III and the Synthesis Report, and is currently vice-chair of IPCC Working Group III.

Glen P. Peters is a senior researcher at CICERO Center for International Climate Research who explores trends in global carbon dioxide emissions and how they link to future emission pathways and global climate objectives. He is on the executive team of the Global Carbon Budget and was a lead author for the IPCC Sixth Assessment Report on emission scenarios.

Eve Tamme leads Climate Principles, a climate policy advisory. She has worked on climate policy since 2004 in public and private sectors, specializing in European and international policy developments. Her work focuses on carbon removal, carbon markets, carbon capture and climate governance.

Corresponding authors

Correspondence to
Kevin Anderson, Holly Jean Buck, Lili Fuhr, Oliver Geden, Glen P. Peters or Eve Tamme.

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Related links

Carbon Brief Guest Post: https://www.carbonbrief.org/guest-post-what-the-tiny-remaining-1-5c-carbon-budget-means-for-climate-policy/

IPCC Special Report on 1.5 °C Warming: https://www.ipcc.ch/sr15/

Tyndall Production Phaseout Report: https://research.manchester.ac.uk/en/publications/phaseout-pathways-for-fossil-fuel-production-within-paris-complia

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Anderson, K., Buck, H.J., Fuhr, L. et al. Controversies of carbon dioxide removal.
Nat Rev Earth Environ (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s43017-023-00493-y

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  • Accepted: 28 September 2023

  • Published: 16 November 2023

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s43017-023-00493-y

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