CO2 CAPTURE & REMOVAL
Overview of varoius possible measures
REDUCING CO₂ EMISSIONS
An important approach to preventing more CO₂ from entering the atmosphere is to capture CO₂ at its source, e.g., in cement factories. The CO₂ captured in this way is stored underground (CCS) and in products (CCUS). These abbreviations stand for carbon capture, (utilisation) and storage.
REMOVING CO₂
Further measures are needed to remove the CO₂ from the atmosphere that has already been released through human activities and whose emission is not yet being avoided. Processes for removing CO₂ are referred to as carbon dioxide removal (CDR). This also includes long-term storage underground or in products.
CDR measures make an important contribution, but they do not replace the essential measures for reducing emissions.
Where we stand: We emit around 40 gigatonnes (Gt) of CO₂ per year worldwide and remove approx. 2 Gt of CO₂ from the atmosphere through CDR (mainly afforestation).
Goal: By 2050, we must minimise greenhouse gas emissions and simultaneously remove 7–9 Gt of CO₂ per year. Only then can we prevent the temperature from rising more than +2°C compared to pre-industrial levels.
Challenges: CDR must be scaled up massively, but many processes have only been tested on a small scale so far. The environmental consequences of large-scale use are still unclear, for example for soils, water resources, marine ecosystems and biodiversity.
What gives us hope: Many creative minds are working on many different solutions.