Monat: März 2024

Peer-reviewed Publications

Block et al. (2024): Analysing direct air capture for enabling negative emissions in Germany: an assessment of the resource requirements and costs of a potential rollout in 2045

Simon Block, Peter Viebahn, Christian Jungbluth IN: Frontiers in Climate 6, https://doi.org/10.3389/fclim.2024.1353939

The aim of this paper is to analyse and comparatively classify the resource consumption (land use, renewable energy and water) and costs of possible DAC implementation pathways for Germany. The paths are based on a selected, existing climate neutrality scenario that requires the removal of 20 Mt of CO2 per year by DACCS from 2045. The analysis focuses on the so-called “low-temperature” DAC process, which might be more advantageous for Germany than the “high-temperature” one.

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Peer-reviewed Publications

Nature – Macintosh et al. (2024): Australian human-induced native forest regeneration carbon offset projects have limited impact on changes in woody vegetation cover and carbon removals

Andrew Macintosh, Don Butler, Pablo Larraondo, Megan C. Evans, Dean Ansell, Marie Waschka, Rod Fensham, David Eldridge, David Lindenmayer, Philip Gibbons, Paul Summerfield IN: Communications Earth & Environment, https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-024-01313-x

The authors analysed the performance of one of the world’s largest nature-based offset types: human-induced regeneration projects under Australia’s carbon offset scheme. The projects are supposed to involve the human-induced regeneration of permanent even-aged native forests through changes in land management. They analysed 182 projects and found limited evidence of regeneration in credited areas. Changes in woody vegetation cover within the areas that have been credited also largely mirror changes in adjacent comparison areas, outside the projects, suggesting the observable changes are predominantly attributable to factors other than the project activities. 

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Peer-reviewed Publications

Nature – Mathis et al. (2024): Enhanced CO2 uptake of the coastal ocean is dominated by biological carbon fixation

Moritz Mathis, Fabrice Lacroix, Stefan Hagemann, David Marcolino Nielsen, Tatiana Ilyina, Corinna Schrum IN: Nature Climate Change, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41558-024-01956-w

Observational reconstructions indicate a contemporary increase in coastal ocean CO2 uptake. However, the mechanisms and their relative importance in driving this globally intensifying absorption remain unclear. Here the authors integrate coastal carbon dynamics in a global model via regional grid refinement and enhanced process representation.

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Media

Exploring Durability Curves — An Enhanced Lens for Evaluating Carbon Removals

by Rick Berg, Radhika Moolgavkar, Nori, March 26, 2024

„The durability of sequestered carbon, and credits designed to represent it, has gotten a lot of focus in discussions around the voluntary carbon dioxide removal (CDR) markets and emerging mandatory carbon markets. This attention is well-deserved. Durability characteristics play a key role in the functioning of the markets, including how the carbon removal credits are used, the development of carbon insurance, the management of carbon credit portfolio risks, and the creation of credit ratings. „

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Peer-reviewed Publications

Nature – Hasler et al. (2024): Accounting for albedo change to identify climate-positive tree cover restoration

Natalia Hasler, Christopher A. Williams, Vanessa Carrasco Denney, Peter W. Ellis, Surendra Shrestha, Drew E. Terasaki Hart, Nicholas H. Wolff, Samantha Yeo, Thomas W. Crowther, Leland K. Werden & Susan C. Cook-Patton IN: Nature Communications, 15, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-46577-1

Restoring tree cover changes albedo, which is the fraction of sunlight reflected from the Earth’s surface. In most locations, these changes in albedo offset or even negate the carbon removal benefits with the latter leading to global warming. Previous efforts to quantify the global climate mitigation benefit of restoring tree cover have not accounted robustly for albedo given a lack of spatially explicit data. Here the authors produce maps that show that carbon-only estimates may be up to 81% too high.

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Peer-reviewed Publications

Nature – Zhao et al. (2024): Trade-offs in land-based carbon removal measures under 1.5°C and 2°C futures

Xin Zhao, Bryan K. Mignone, Marshall A. Wise, Haewon C. McJeon IN: Nature Communications, 15, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-46575-3

Land-based carbon removals, specifically afforestation/reforestation and bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS), vary widely in 1.5°C and 2°C scenarios generated by integrated assessment models. Because underlying drivers are difficult to assess, the authors use a well-known integrated assessment model, GCAM, to demonstrate that land-based carbon removals are sensitive to the strength and scope of land-based mitigation policies. 

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Peer-reviewed Publications

Feng et al. (2024): Quantifying the environmental synergistic effect of cooling-air purification-carbon sequestration from urban forest in China

Rundong Feng, Shenghe Liu, Fuyuan Wang, Kaiyong Wang, Ping Gao, Linlin Xu IN: Journal of Cleaner Production, 448, 141514, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2024.141514

Urban forest is considered nature-based solution for mitigating the adverse impacts of climate change. However, large-scale quantification of urban forest synergistic effect is still limited. This study integrated multi-source remote sensing data, machine learning, and geospatial methods to quantify the synergistic effect (i.e., spatial interaction) of urban forest on urban heat island, PM2.5 concentration, and carbon stock and its driving mechanism in China.

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Science-Policy Documents

Report: Charting a Course for Marine Carbon Dioxide Removal (mCDR): Policy Sequencing in mCDR Development

by Jasmine Yu, Savita Bowman, clearpath, March 2024

This report (1) identifies policies to support each innovation stage of mCDR technologies: early-stage R&D, widescale deployment and commercialization, (2) highlights the growing U.S. federal engagement and resources for mCDR and (3) describes policies that could create the conditions for successful wide-scale mCDR deployment,
dependent on the findings from R&D field trials.

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Peer-reviewed Publications

Zhang et al. (2024): Soil organic carbon increase via microbial assimilation or soil protection against the priming effect is mediated by the availability of soil N relative to input C

Futao Zhang, Qianqian Wang, Yueling Zhang, Shuihong Yao, Qinhua Wang, Georges Ndzana, Ute Hamer, Yakov Kuzyakov, Bin Zhang IN: Geoderma, 444, 116861, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geoderma.2024.116861

Labile C inputs into soils will be partially transformed into soil organic carbon (SOC) through microbial assimilation or physicochemical protection as such mineral-organic interactions and soil aggregation. The C inputs may stimulate the decomposition of native SOC, inducing a phenomenon known as the priming effect. Increasing C inputs may increase SOC content, yet the relative role of these mechanisms in controlling the magnitudes of SOC increase among soils remains unclear. Four soils differing in microbiology and N content were incubated with 13C-labeled glucose at the amounts of 0.5 (G0.5), 1.0 (G1.0), and 2.0 (G2.0) g C kg−1 soil for 48 days. The objectives of this study were 1) to quantify the fates of added glucose-C, the priming effect, and the changes in SOC and mineral N contents after the incubation, and 2) to identify the main mechanisms for SOC increase with the increased amount of C input and the effects of initial soil N availability and microbial composition.

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Peer-reviewed Publications

Serafimova & Dedelyanova (2024): The Potential For Carbon Sequestration In Reclaimed Mine Soil

Ekaterina Serafimova, Kremena Dedelyanova IN: Journal of Chemical Technology and Metallurgy, https://doi.org/10.59957/jctm.v59.i2.2024.20

Mining sector has been the central attention of the business and public policy sustainable development scheme for several years. Reclamation territories are with potential carbon sequestration capacity in degraded mining areas and can be an impeccable option for achieving sustainable development goal-13. This paper made an investigation about the presence of heavy metals in reclaimed area possibilities to improve reclaimed soils with biochar with idea to enhance ecosystem carbon pool and atmospheric CO2 sequestration capacity to offset CO2 emission and soil organic carbon losses.

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