Tag: Carbon Dioxide Removal

Xianjin He, Elsa Abs, Steven D. Allison, Feng Tao, Yuanyuan Huang, Stefano Manzoni, Rose Abramoff, Elisa Bruni, Simon P. K. Bowring, Arjun Chakrawal, 
Philippe Ciais, Lars Elsgaard, Pierre Friedlingstein, Katerina Georgiou, Gustaf Hugelius, Lasse Busk Holm, Wei Li, Yiqi Luo, Gaëlle Marmasse, Naoise Nunan, Chunjing Qiu, Stephen Sitch, Ying-Ping Wang, Daniel S. Goll IN: Nature Communications 15, 8010, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-52160-5

Microbial carbon use efficiency (CUE) affects the fate and storage of carbon in terrestrial ecosystems, but its global importance remains uncertain. Accurately modeling and predicting CUE on a global scale is challenging due to inconsistencies in measurement techniques and the complex interactions of climatic, edaphic, and biological factors across scales. The link between microbial CUE and soil organic carbon relies on the stabilization of microbial necromass within soil aggregates or its association with minerals, necessitating an integration of microbial and stabilization processes in modeling approaches. In this perspective, the authors propose a comprehensive framework that integrates diverse data sources, ranging from genomic information to traditional soil carbon assessments, to refine carbon cycle models by incorporating variations in CUE, thereby enhancing our understanding of the microbial contribution to carbon cycling.

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Nadejda Victor, Christopher Nichols IN: Energy and Climate Change 5, 100143, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.egycc.2024.100143

This paper examines the MARKAL-NETL modeling results for the Energy Modeling Forum study on Deep Decarbonization and High Electrification Scenarios for North America (EMF 37) with a specific focus on carbon dioxide removal technologies and opportunities under different scenario guidelines, policies, and technological advancements.

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Jeffrey Dankwa Ampah, Sandylove Afrane, Humphrey Adun, Michael O Dioha, Ephraim Bonah Agyekum, Abdulfatah Abdu Yusuf, Mudassar Naseer, Olusola Bamisile IN: Environmental Research Letters 19 (8), 084021, https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/ad5dcf

As the remaining carbon budget for limiting warming to 1.5 °C rapidly diminishes, it is clear that, besides decarbonization, the world will need to remove 100–1000 GtCO₂ from the atmosphere by the end of the century. Yet, Africa, where many carbon removal schemes are planned, remains a ‘blindspot’ in existing studies. There is limited understanding of the trade-offs and synergies associated with carbon removal within Africa’s energy-land-water system. To address this research gap, a stylized net-zero emissions in Africa by 2050 was modeled, with focus on three land-based biological carbon removal approaches: afforestation/reforestation, bioenergy with carbon capture and storage, and biochar.

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Gaurav Ganti, Thomas Gasser, Mai Bui, Oliver Geden, William F. Lamb, Jan C. Minx, Carl-Friedrich Schleussner, Matthew J. Gidden IN: Communications Earth & Environment 5, 377, https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-024-01527-z

The 6th Assessment Report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change lacked sufficient land-sector scenario information to estimate total carbon dioxide removal deployment. Here, using a dataset of land-based carbon dioxide removal based on the scenarios assessed by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the authors show that removals via afforestation and reforestation play a critical near-term role in mitigation, accounting for around 10% (median) of the net greenhouse gas emission reductions between 2020 and 2030 in scenarios that limit warming to 1.5 °C with limited overshoot. The authors explore the regional distributions of gross emissions and total carbon dioxide removal in cost-effective mitigation pathways and highlight the importance of incorporating fairness and broader sustainability considerations in future assessments of mitigation pathways with carbon dioxide removal.

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Renforth P., Campbell J., Foteinis S., Cosgun E., Young J., Strunge T., Riley A.L., Mayes W.M., van der Spek M.W. IN: Journal of Cleaner Production, 142987, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2024.142987

Reducing the emissions from steel production is essential in meeting climate targets while maintaining economic prosperity. Here, the authors show that applying deep emissions mitigation to the steel industry together with the reaction of by-product slag with atmospheric carbon dioxide could result in a carbon negative industry on the order of up to a GtCO₂ yr^-1 by mid-century.

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William J. Nuttall, Ian MacGregor IN: Renewable and Sustainable Energy, https://doi.org/10.55092/rse20240005

This paper presents an expert perspective on a new Nature-Based Solution to contemporary problems in energy and climate policy. The paper presents an emergent industrial proposition which combines Canadian forestry technology with chemical engineering capabilities developed by the oil and gas industry.

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Suqin Zhang, Xia Qu, Gang Huang, Peng Hu IN: Journal of Environmental Sciences, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jes.2024.05.035

The Amazon basin plays a crucial role in biodiversity and carbon storage, but its local rainfall is anticipated to decrease under global warming. Carbon dioxide removal is being considered as a method to mitigate the impact of global warming. However, the specific effects of CDR on Amazon rainfall have not been well understood. Here, an idealized CDR experiment reveals that the reduced rainfall over the Amazon basin does not recover.

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Oreane Y. Edelenbosch, Andries F. Hof, Maarten van den Berg, Harmen Sytze de Boer, Hsing-Hsuan Chen, Vassilis Daioglou, Mark M. Dekker, Jonathan C. Doelman, Michel G. J. den Elzen, Mathijs Harmsen, Stratos Mikropoulos, Mariësse A. E. van Sluisveld, Elke Stehfest, Isabela S. Tagomori, Willem-Jan van Zeist, Detlef P. van Vuuren IN: Nature Climate Change, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41558-024-02025-y

To reach net-zero greenhouse gas targets, carbon dioxide removal (CDR) technologies are required to compensate for residual emissions in the hard-to-abate sectors. However, dependencies on CDR technologies involve environmental, technical and social risks, particularly related to increased land requirements for afforestation and bioenergy crops. Here, using scenarios consistent with the 1.5 °C target, the authors show that demand and technological interventions can substantially lower emission levels in four hard-to-abate sectors (industry, agriculture, buildings and transport) and reduce reliance on the use of bioenergy with carbon capture and storage. 

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Theresa Schaber, Tommi Ekholm, Joonas Merikanto, Antti-Ilari Partanen IN: Communications Earth & Environment 5, 285, https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-024-01456-x

Uncertainty in climate sensitivity has been shown to warrant early-on mitigation to limit global warming while anticipating future carbon dioxide removal creates mitigation deterrence. Here we use an integrated assessment model to quantify the impacts of under- or overestimating the cost and availability (feasibility) of carbon dioxide removal when limiting warming to 1.5 °C by 2100 under uncertain climate sensitivity.

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