11.10.2023
Source: Energy & Management Powernews
Congress promotes ramp-up of CO2 removalBillions of tons of CO2 must be removed from the atmosphere each year to achieve the global net emissions target of zero. Under this specification an expert conference runs in Munich.
The federally funded research program "CDRterra" goes for the first time comprehensively to the public. With an expert conference called "CDR Dialogue" in Munich, about 200 participants from science, business, politics and education want to underpin that the targeted greenhouse gas neutrality will not be achieved without the removal of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
CDR is the abbreviation for Carbon Dioxide Removal, i.e. the removal of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Climate modeler and CDRterra spokeswoman Julia Pongratz assumes that "globally, we will need to remove several billion tons of CO2 per year from the atmosphere to achieve net zero." She is also head of the Department of Geography at Ludwig Maximilian University (LMU) in Munich, which coordinates the CDRterra research program.
In her opening speech at the CDR Dialogue at the Deutsches Museum in Munich, Julia Pongratz emphasized that it has not yet been socially negotiated "how many residual emissions we want to afford." Meanwhile, more than 40 billion metric tons of CO2 are released into the atmosphere worldwide every year. Broad scientific consensus, he said, is that CO2 removal is a key complement to drastic and rapid emissions reductions to achieve the net-zero goal.
Funding, technical development and educational outreach
In the research program, he said, there are no two opinions that Germany will miss the greenhouse gas neutrality target without land-based removal methods. However, the techniques could not be a substitute for an ambitious climate policy with reduced CO2 emissions. CDRterra is developing an assessment framework for the conceivable methods, which range from reforestation to special filter systems to artificial photosynthesis.
Aware that each of these methods also has disadvantages - for example, in conflict with food production - CDRterra is now bringing the potentials and problems more into the public eye. "It is important to examine what is not only technically possible, but also socially feasible and desirable," says Julia Pongratz. CDR is often unknown or associated with prejudices, she says. Then there are reservations that CDR leads to less effort in reducing emissions.
In terms of increased public relations, two focal points of the three-day dialogue, which runs until October 12, are the involvement of non-governmental organizations, think tanks and associations, as well as an "education conference." In this conference, teachers and others involved in education will work together with researchers on ways to make CDR part of classroom content. Another focus is on scientific exchange within the CDRterra research program.
The CDR dialogue could, in perspective, provide the scientific knowledge to develop a low-risk and sustainable portfolio of CO2 methods so that carbon dioxide extraction in Germany can be done in a "socially, economically and ecologically compatible" way, says Julia Pongratz.
CO2 removal is becoming "an integral part of German and European climate policy," said Jessica Strefler, senior scientist carbon management at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK). She said it was important to set the course for rapid and drastic emissions reductions in all sectors, for research and development of removal methods and the development of CO2 transport infrastructure and geological storage options, as well as for concepts for monitoring, reporting and auditing CO2 removals.
Matthias Honegger, head of the CO2 removal business unit at the Freiburg-based company Perspectives Climate Research, called for "a robust and targeted effort in politics" to finance removal measures. This is because they are expensive and should not be accompanied by an "excessive burden on the taxpayer." The costs should be distributed "as fairly and feasibly as possible" among those who cause emissions, he said.
Why CDR should find its way into schools as an issue of climate research is explained by Katrin Geneuss, head of the CDRterra education program and coordinator of the sustainability program "el mundo" at LMU: "This is where we reach the generation that will feel the consequences of climate change the most and will have to develop and implement solutions across all disciplinary boundaries."
The public is able to participate virtually in the CDR dialogue. Special expectations are set for the presentation by CDRterra researchers on Oct. 11. The hybrid lecture series, "Science for Everyone," can be followed on the Internet from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
Author: Volker Stephan
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