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SITUATION
Carbon dioxide removal (CDR) technologies are currently under development and are advocated by the Royal Society as an approach to mitigating CO2e emissions that pose the threat of dangerous climate change.
Carbon dioxide removal (CDR) technologies are currently under development and are advocated by the Royal Society as an approach to mitigating CO2e emissions that pose the threat of dangerous climate change. Emergency response technologies that interfere with the Earth’s temperature system, referred to as Solar Radiation Management (SRM) technologies, are also under development and are faster acting but also considered much riskier.
SRM technologies could be a last resort to avoid catastrophic temperature increases if CO2e emissions continue to rise unchecked. Given the current likelihood with which we will overshoot our CO2e emissions stabilization targets for 2020 and beyond, development of both technology sets is important as an option for addressing global warming. In a 2009 report, the Royal Society provided a review the main emergency response technologies in the CDR and SRM categories:
CDR
- Land use management to protect or enhance land carbon sinks;
- The use of biomass for carbon sequestration as well as a carbon neutral energy source;
- Enhancement of natural weathering processes to remove CO2 from the atmosphere;
- Direct engineered capture of CO2 from ambient air;
- The enhancement of oceanic uptake of CO2, for example by fertilization of the oceans with naturally scarce nutrients, or by increasing upwelling processes.
SRM
- Increasing the surface reflectivity of the planet, by brightening human structures (e.g. by painting them white), planting of crops with a high reflectivity, or covering deserts with reflective material;
- Enhancement of marine cloud reflectivity;
- Mimicking the effects of volcanic eruptions by injecting sulphate aerosols into the lower stratosphere;
- Placing shields or deflectors in space to reduce the amount of solar energy reaching the Earth.
From Geoengineering the Climate, 2009, Royal Society.
OBJECTIVE
Internationally coordinated study of the technologically feasible emergency responses to climate change is necessary given the likelihood and associated risk of overshooting CO2e stabilization targets. Appropriate funding and sanction for this research is an essential first step.
Internationally coordinated study of the technologically feasible emergency responses to climate change is necessary given the likelihood and associated risk of overshooting CO2e stabilization targets. Appropriate funding and sanction for this research is an essential first step.
As the governance issues surrounding the use of these technologies arguably pose a greater challenge to deployment than the actual technological development, immediate policy engagement is needed at the international level. Support for near-term deployment of carbon dioxide removal (CDR) technologies that aim to restore the natural carbon balance is important. The potential amount of annual CO2e reductions from CDR depends critically on the deployment scale, where the principal interest in these technologies as a mitigation approach is large-scale deployment to remove billions of tons annually.
Solar radiation management (SRM) technologies are currently considered a last resort.
The SRM technologies should only be considered for deployment in the event that a rapid decrease in global temperature is deemed absolutely necessary. The greater risk and uncertainty that the SRM technologies pose due to their artificial interference in the climate make them appropriate only as fall back solution. This is the position held by the Royal Society as stated in their 2009 report on emergency response to climate change.
Market-based Approaches
Private development of CDR technologies is principally motivated by the opening of carbon markets and will be stimulated by a price on carbon. Business models that leverage cobenefits could be successful without a price on carbon. Potential areas here include reforestation and afforestation that have ancillary economic benefits from forest products and tourism.
Private development of SRM technologies is speculative and based on the potential need to interfere in the Earth’s temperature system. Long deployment times suggest that public support for research in some of these areas will be necessary. Such support has the advantage of keeping patents in government control, given that the only foreseeable purchaser and deployer of these technologies would be a government organization with international oversight. Both CDR and SRM technologies are currently being pursued by private companies.
REFORESTATION IS SAFEST OPTION 
Increasing the earth's carbon sinks through the addition of biomass is a safe and easy form of emergency response. For example, planting trees increases the stock of biomass that absorbs carbon...
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CLOUD WHITENING COULD SLOW WARMING
Marine cloud whitening is a geoengineering technique to that changes the composition of clouds to appear whiter. If deployed on a sufficient scale, it could mitigate the warming of the earth and...
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CARBON CAN BE STORED IN OCEANS
Carbon emissions can be stored deep in ocean water. However, the potential negative effects on the ocean ecosystem must be studied and addressed before this form of CCS can be deployed...
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ALTERING SURFACES CAN REFLECT SUNLIGHT
Increasing the surface albedo of the earth reflects could technically mitigate the negative effects of global warming. This can be achieved by altering urban environments, deserts, and croplands...
Read more >INTELLIGENCE
REPORTS
Copenhagen Consensus Center, 2009
Institution of Mechanical Engineering, 2009
PUBLICATIONS
The Royal Society, 2009
